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Lotus Planting Instructions

Lotus Planting Containers Lotus Pond Plants Lotus Tubers Planting Lotus When to Fertilize Lotus Plants

Growing and planting lotus is really quite simple if you start with quality lotus tubers and choose the correct planting containers. Follow our planting instructions carefully and we guarantee you will be successful. These magnificent pond plants can be growing in your water garden or patio container this summer.  

Choose the correct size container for the lotus you select. Planting a large variety of lotus in a two gallon planting container will not give the lotus enough room to grow and you will not be successful. Stuffing a large lotus tuber in a 12" pot will not provide the plant enough foliage to flower. Lotus even the smaller varieties need a wide, shallow container

Be very careful handling the tuber to not damage the growth tips. Water temperatures need to be near 60 degrees for the dormant lotus to begin growing and sending up it's first leaves. If you receive your lotus and it is not quite time to plant in your area, simply store it in the refrigerator in its' original packaging until it is time to plant.

We recommend using a heavy clay based soil for growing lotus. If that is not readily available in your backyard we have several alternatives to suggest. Microbe-Lift Calcined  Clay Potting Media mixed with Top Soil (easily found at any Lowes or Home Depot) at about a 50-50 mix to make a thick mud works well. Also, a less expensive alternative is All Natural Clay Kitty Litter mixed with top soil to make a thick mud works equally as well.
Lotus like to start using the stored energy in their tuber. Plant shallow so this energy is not wasted making 1 leaf from a deep depth. We start them at between 1 to 3 inches of water for small varieties, and no more than 6" from the waters' surface for large varieties. A single, small rock can be used to hold the tuber on top of the mud when planting. DO NOT COVER THE TUBER WITH STONES.

First you will get surface pads floating on top of the water, then aerial leaves will appear. Once you have one or two aerial leaves you can fertilize the lotus for the first time. Use several tablets depending on the size of the container. 3-4 Tablets for smaller containers and 6 to 8 tablets for large containers. Continue to fertilize every 4 weeks throughout the growing season. Any questions contact us, we are here to help.

Photos courtesy of Pond Plants Online, Happy Frog Aquatics sister company.


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