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Handle the tuber VERY GENTLY so that
you do not break the growing tips when you open the box. Take your time
and do not rush removing the tuber from the box. Remove small handfuls of the
shredded newspaper at a time so as to not break or damage the growing tip!
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| TREAT YOUR LOTUS LIKE YOUR GRANDMOTHERS BEST CHINA!
Do not touch the growing tips, they are very delicate. |
| MYTHS: Lotus are very hard to grow |
| FACT: Lotus are not hard to grow.
Granted they are different than other plants but if you can read and follow
directions, they are very easy to grow. |
| Read through all the information BEFORE you start your
tuber. Then you can go back and plant your tuber. I would strongly suggest that your
print this page or bookmark it so that you have it readily available when your
lotus arrives. |
| I am not responsible if the lotus freezes sitting outside. We pack the lotus in a priority mail box with lots of
lots of slightly damp shredded newspaper and Styrofoam to keep the fragile growing tip from being damaged in shipping.
Cold temperatures in shipping will not harm the tubers BUT the tuber MUST NOT freeze.
If you are not home when your mail is delivered I would suggest you have the box
shipped to work or to someone who can get the box when it arrives.
If you are fortunate to live where it is warm in the winter months, the tuber must not sit in a hot mailbox.
Extreme heat will also damage a tuber. If is freezing
where you live, I suggest you have the box sent to work or
to someone who is home during the day so that the box so it
does not sit outside in freezing temperatures. |
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| The tuber itself will be the color of a peeled potato. The tuber
will have 2 to 3 growing tips, depending on the variety. Some tubers will
be long and skinny and some short and fat. The growing tips will be
covered with a black/gray sheath and simply look like a blackened growing tip.
Some growing tips are greenish black. |
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| The 3 pictures above show what the tuber might
look like. Size and shape will vary from variety to variety. No two lotus tubers
will look alike. But each tuber will contain a node and an internode and at
least two growing tips |
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Photo shows a container bought at the Dollar Store
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| You will need a large container that does not have holes in the bottom. This container is usually wide and shallow. Lotus pans are very expensive and you might find them at Lowe's or Home Depot or a local pond store. It is impossible for me to ship them because of their size and the flexibility of the pan.
A few months ago when I was in Tractor Supply where our
daughter is manager, I saw some bowls used to water live
stock that would work great for lotus. So a farm type
store may be a good source for container. |
| Suggested container size is 18 inches across for a dwarf or
semi dwarf. For Medium to larger varieties a container that is
24 to 30 inches
across is ideal. |
Other suggestions are large dish pans. You can start the lotus in these and they are ideal to use for starting them in the house because they are light enough to move around. Some Rubbermaid containers will work too if you can find a shallow one.
If you use a dish pan you can transplant them later into a larger container
later. It takes 2 pairs of hands to move a planted tuber to
a larger container. Do not try to do this by yourself. Work all 4 hands into and under the dirt and move the whole thing into a larger container that is already filled to the proper level of dirt. If you are very careful, you should
be able to transfer the plant and not disturb the plant at all.
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| After carefully removing the tuber from the shipping box, gently rinse the tuber is
slow running water. If you can not plant the tuber
right away you can float it in water for a few days, up to a
week. Make sure you add de-chlor if you have city water! |
Add dirt to the container. How much depends on the size of your container. Anywhere from a
several inches to about 12 inches would be ideal. You can always add move dirt later as long as you do not cover the growing tips.
Carefully lay the tuber on top of the dirt. The roots
will actually pull the tuber down into the dirt as the roots form. Be very careful of the growing tip, if you break it off, the plant probably will not bloom this year.
Add just enough water so the soil is very wet. Do not add too much
water or the tuber will not make good contact with the soil. What you want
is wet mud with no water standing on top of the dirt.
As the tuber gets more roots, more water can be added to the
container.
The tip of the tuber should never be covered with dirt or
gravel/rocks.
Only the tuber itself should be covered with dirt and the
growing tips should not be covered with dirt or rocks. NOTE: there is a sheath covering the growing tip.
This may appear gray or black in color. As the tip grows, the sheath will
fall off and you will see the green color of the growing tip.
Add enough water to make the dirt muddy. If there
is water standing, make sure that the tuber is anchored in
the dirt and not floating on top of the water.
The photo on the left was sent to me during the winter of
2011 from Debbie in PA. She had her lotus tuber on a
board on top of a radiator. She took it one step
further and tented it with a plastic bag. The tuber
was showing visible roots in just a few days. What
Debbie essentially did was create a mini greenhouse around
her tuber. Nice job, Debbie! |
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Another customer was having a hard time getting the lotus to
break dormancy after many weeks. She emailed and I suggested
she put it on a heating pad set to low. Look at the
difference the heat made! |
"Bonnie, Just wanted you to see how my Lotus is growing
that I got from
you a short time ago. My daughter-in-law also got one.
It was her
great idea that we order them from you. I put it in
water on 3/1 and
look at it now. (March 12th)
Sure helps to keep it on a heating pad. So anxious
for it to get warm so we can put it outside and watch it
bloom....oh
what color will it be???? Purple I hope!!!!
Thanks,
Santa Fe, NM " (Thank you
for permission to use the photo) |
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(If
you click to enlarge the photo you will see the white
roots that have formed - Bonnie) |
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"Hi Bonnie,
Just had to share the most recent pictures of my Lotus
that I got from
you and planted 3/1/07. I am just amazed at it's growth.
I also have a
couple of questions...I do keep the water clean as you
have suggested,
but I still get a scum on top of the water, even after 2
days of it
being changed. Is this normal, should I be worried about
it and should
I change the water again when the scum appears? What
causes it?
Many thanks again for such a wonderful plant. Looking
forward to
putting Missy Lotus outside before too long.
Santa Fe, NM"
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| The best dirt for lotus is garden soil to which you have added an equal amount
of composted cow manure. ( available in home-garden type stores). SEE NOTE below
about cow manure. If you live in an area where the soil outside is frozen, buy a bag of top soil. The bags will be labeled top soil. You should be able to get
top soil at any garden center or home type store that sells garden supplies.
It must be heavy dirt. Do not use potting soil because it is light weight and
will float out of the container. A soil with clay works
great. This is a case where you want heavy dirt. Do
not use potting soil (it is too light weight and tends to
float). The bag must be labeled top soil and be heavy in weight. |
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If you are NOT growing your lotus IN
a pond mix equal amounts of garden dirt with commercially bought composted cow
manure. Do NOT use the cow manure in plants going in a pond or you will
end up with green water.
If you are going to grow
your lotus in a pond, use garden dirt and or bagged top soil!
Do not use potting soil. Potting soil is light weight
and will float out of the container! |
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If you keep your house on the cool side, you can set the
container on a heating pad that is set to low. The key to rooting a tuber
is warmth. The warmer the growing area the faster it
will root. If you keep your home on the cool side,
then starting the lotus inside is probably not a good idea
UNLESS you can supply heat via a heating pad.
The water in the pond has to be 70* or more before placing the lotus in the pond.
Don't rush getting them outside in the spring as one night
of cool weather can be a major set back to the weeks you
spent getting the tuber to grow!Until the lotus roots and
leaves appear, light is not critical. But once the
leave emerge (remember the first leaves will lie flat on the
dirt) light is very critical. Lotus need as much sun light is
possible, at least 8 hours a day. This can also be
accomplished with grow lights placed above the plants.
Set the lights on a timer and leave on for 12 to 14 hours a
day |
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This photo shows the tuber planted and how the growing tips are left uncovered by the dirt.
Make sure that only the growing tips are
above the dirt. In other words the
entire tuber is covered in barely moist dirt
with the tips above the dirt. |
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This diagram gives a better view of the planted tuber. |
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 After being in the wet dirt the growing tip elongates and begins to grow |
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 The
first few leaves will lie flat on the dirt or water.
As shown on the left.
The rest of the leaves after the first few will go aerial. Then you
can gradually start bringing the water level up. |
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I get lots of emails that their lotus does not
grow. If handled properly, planted properly and right growing
temperatures, there is no reason why they should not grow.
- Growing tip is/was damaged.
- Too much water in the early stages of planting
- Too cold of an environment for rooting to take
place
- And the biggest reason: NOT planted properly
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