My water lily buds are not making it to the surface!!!!?

i have a water lily in a half barrel, and have had it for a while, every summer i wait for some lilies to bloom. i notice quite a few buds but by the time they reach the surface they are decayed... WHY? i don't mess with it at all, just fill it with water every time it needs it. other than that i'm too scared to do anything else. ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED!

My water lily buds are not making it to the surface!!!!?
Is it getting lots of sun? Lilies won't bloom without full sun.


You may wish to re-pot it and get some fertilizer (there is special fertilizer made for lotus/lily).





It may have some kind of rotting, parasitic or fungal disease of the tuber as well, which is causing the failure. Re-potting it will offer you the chance to check out the tuber and see how it's doing.





PS--Generally speaking, lilies and lotus are easy to keep-- if this one keeps failing on you without any obvious signs of wrongdoing on your part, try getting another one and see how it does.
Reply:As has been noted, you really need to get maximum sun exposure for water lilies to both produce flower buds and also to get them to grow up-to the water surface.





I wonder if your variety is a shorter growing pygmy type, and the water level may be too deep. I grow full size and pygmy water lilies in enclosed containers, but have to maintain the correct water level, particularly for the dwarfer type: I've got a couple now with buds half way up, and going sideways, because I've been away and rainfall has overfilled their tubs.





Another option is to add some specialized water lily feed, into the soil. Aquatic plant suppliers will stock this, and will also ensure your plants are vigorous, and have enough nutrients to grow to their potential.
Reply:Sun, sun, sun.They will not flower half way down a dark barrel.