They are talking about clay-based soil from the yard. It is heavier, and sticks together when wet. Still, when I use it, I line the pots because I don't want any to "sift" out over time and settle in the bottom of my pond. Hope that helps.

Hi
I use packaged clay in the form of cat litter. Have found that OIL Dri is even better as it holds together longer. It is inert of course and you'll have to supplement with fertilizer. I use fruit tree spikes for the lilies..easily pushed down into the clay.
BTW if you use cat litter be sure to get the pure stuff ,nonclumping with no perfumes or pther ingredients.
gary

I also use unscented all clay kitty litter.
I sprinkle Osmocote in the bottom of the pot before I put in the litter.

I've heard about using pure cat litter but I imagine that I will still have to use a liner to keep it from sifting out through the holes. Am I correct?

I use oil pans for smaller plants and black cement mixing tubs for large lilies.
If you have any pond underlayment left over, you can use that inside your pots to line them.
You can also use landscape cloth but I have found lily roots will work there way through the cloth.

I tried clay soil from the garden (very dirty and the dragonfly larvae love it too much, ugh), kitty litter (scared that maybe there were deodorants not mentioned on the label), and now I've come around to actual aquatic planting medium.

I like it the best. It's not cheap, but using the oilpans, I still feel like I am saving some money and it just sits well under water. I put pebbles on top to discourage fish from digging. If I get koi, I will put something over the top to protect the lilies.

LOL! I have tried every combination I could think of to keep potting medium in the pots. I even laid large broken tiles on top of the lily tubers. This is the last time. The Koi managed to remove every thing from the containers except for a couple of large stones and the tiles. I think it is their version of pumping iron. A couple of years ago I tried setting the lily pots on a shelf and it was a toss up whether the Koi or the raccoons would empty it out first. Then the raccoons decided it was faster to simply dump the whole thing at once. Sandy

Hi
next time you need to buy some ,more media you might try a type of clay called Turface. The big difference is the stuff is fired in a kiln makes it almost insoluable .
There is also a very high fired type called Leca this will never break down in water. It could easily be used again but is expensive.
Another choice is granite sand .This also holds up but is difficult to wash.
I find I have to repot in the spring anyway even if the media hasn;t disintegrated the plants have way over grown.
Turface is actually cheaper than cat litter, as is Oil Dri. gary

Thanks for the great suggestions! I'm assuming that I can find the Oil Dri in the auto parts stores and the natural litter in the pet stores, but where would I find Turface? Since my pond isn't very large, I don't have any Koi - only gold fish so plant destruction stays at a minimum. I have to say that this forum has rekindled my interest in my pond, unfortunately, over the years it's become the most neglected part of the yard. Thanks to you all for your help and suggestions.

Nancy

Hi
One of the great drawbacks of Turface is that it's hard to find . It is manufactured as a surface for clay tennis courts and as a soil ammendment. I get it from a golf course maintenence supply but it's in 100 pound bags lol
You can get Oil Dri from the automotive dept in Walmart .,generally cheaper than in auto stores. One of the great advantages of oildri over litter is that it does not break down as fast ,has less dust but water plants are not picky lol gary

Thanks Gary - I guess 100 pounds is just a little more than I need... LOL... but I'll go for the Oil Dri. I appreciate you explaining the difference for me.

Nancy

Yeah i went to petsmart to look for the basic clay litter. I found a "natural" brand that states no perfume all clay etc. I mixed it half and half with garden clay soil..

after a few days... the litter began to degrade and swell up. It swelled so much that it pushed all the stones off the top of the soil and pushed the tubers out of the soil. I pulled them up to repot. The litter was like paper pulp.

Fun day to repot 8 plants!