The most important elements for success in growing young Lotus plants is direct sunlight and warm water. Without these elements present, your young plants will not be able to establish themselves. Once Lotus settle in, they are practically indestructible.
Instructions for planting Lotus: Congratulations! Lotus are one of the most care-free beautiful plants you can have in your garden, once it is established in it’s new home. Choose a site in your yard or solarium where your Lotus can receive direct sunlight. Lotus are stimulated to growth by light and heat. Placing a young lotus in water that stays cold, will force it into dormancy. Lotus Roots are very delicate. Lotus have a thick growing shoot, If this shoot is broken or damaged, your lotus will not survive, so please handle with care when planting. ....and don't distress about the appearance of the leaves. These are the first emerging leaves of a plant coming out of dormancy. Once your Lotus becomes stimulated to grow by light and warm water, it can produce a new, large standing leaf every 3 days. Whats most important in establishing your new lotus is maintaining the integrity of the root ball. The Styrofoam cup can be easily cut away with a kitchen knife. make sure that you DO NOT bury the roots, but leave them near the surface of the soil, just as they are in the cup. Soil Choose a container that is at least 14 to 24 inches across at the base. These Plants need root room. Plant in mud or sandy loam (plain garden soil with no perlite or other floating matter) with roots just below the surface of the soil. No fertilizer or manure please! You can anchor your young plant with sand or small stones on top of the soil if you like. Add water until the leaves are floating on the surface of the water. (8 to 10 inches) When your lotus starts putting off new shoots, you will know it has made a good transition to it’s new home. You can gradually raise the water level to almost three feet, or you can keep it relatively shallow, (12 inches). Lotus are flexible, as long as it has plenty of root room. Roots spread rather than going deep. If you purchase your lotus is the fall, please keep young plants in an area where the water temps stay warm. Some of the varieties we grow originated in the Himalayas and mountain regions of China. Once established, (one year old) our Lotus are guaranteed cold hardy to zone 4. Feeding: One pond tab may be added per month, during the growing season, 30 days after planting. We do not recommend one brand over another. Our Lotus are organically grown and fertilized by our fish. We add goldfish (comets and shubunkins) to our ponds for a two-fold benefit: They prevent mosquitoes from breeding by eating the larvae and they fertilize your plants naturally! Avoid Koi. These fish are vegetarians by nature, and will eat any plant you add to your pond. Adult lotus are actually Koi-proof, but adult koi can up-root and destroy a plant before it even gets started. If you have questions, please call or e-mail us. wwwildthingsgrow@gmail.com 910-470-1949 Enjoy your new plants, Sincerely Joan Davis