Controlling Pests and Disease
Pest and disease control is an extremely important part of water lily pool maintenance. If not properly checked, pests will lead to the loss of plant and animal life. While water lilies suffer less from pests than most ornamental plants, it is still wise to know the various organisms that can attack your plants.
Types of insect that can be pests include:
Aphids – get rid of these by washing them off leaves with your hose.
Brown China Mark Moth – get rid of these small moths by using a kerosene lamp trap or brushing the larvae off branches.
Caddis Flies – these can be a pest, but if you have goldfish they will be eaten before they even hatch.
Water lily Leaf Beetle – a rare pest, but the most destructive of all. Get rid of it by trimming pool-side vegetation in the winter and by submerging infested leaves so that fish can eat larvae and eggs.
Although most pools are only bothered by insects, there are other animals that can become pests in some circumstances. These include:
- Crawfish
- Muskrats
- Rats and mice
- Snails
- Snapping turtles
As well as insects and pests, there is the possibility of getting fungal infections in your water lily pool. However, these problems are extremely rare, and very few water gardeners are affected by the problem. If you do get a fungal infection, then immediately remove and burn any leaves that are affected.