🌿 Victoria amazonica

For Victoria (giant water lily, Victoria spp.), use an aquatic substrate: a very heavy potting soil or a clay soil enriched with well-decomposed organic matter (e.g. composted manure). Avoid light, peaty or potting mixes that float or cloud the water. Grow them in a large basket/tube or directly at the bottom of the pond with 20-30+ cm of heavy soil, often covered with a thin layer of washed sand or gravel to prevent fine particles from dispersing. Maintain a constant state of water saturation (immersed in warm water); the root zone must never dry out.

Victoria (giant water lily) feeds a lot. Plant it in a large container of heavy potting soil or clay (not a peat-based mix) and incorporate a slow-release fertilizer formulated for aquatic plants. During the active growth period in warm water, supplement by sinking pellets of aquatic fertilizer into the soil near the crown (not into the water column) every 2 to 4 weeks, increasing the frequency in midsummer if the leaves are small or pale. Stop or considerably reduce feeding when growth slows down at the end of the season or when plants are cooled for dormancy. Avoid over-fertilizing in open water (can feed algae); adjust according to leaf color/vigor and water quality.