Lotus plant

How to grow Lotus plant – growing and care:

Heavy soil, aquatic area, rich soil

How to care:
Fertilizer to add in the growing season and in the winter to reduce the amount, better to use liquid fertilizer, protect the roots from fish when the plant young, better to have at least 30 cm (12 inches) water from the soil

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed / Vegetative reproduction – rhizomes: need to separate the rhizomes and replant them in new location

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, when grow from seeds it’s not hard but it will take more time to bloom and need to add nitrogen when the plant young

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Hard to harvest the roots when not growing in brackets

Planting season:
Spring in hardiness zone 4-9, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 10a, all year in hardiness zone 11+, (better in the spring but possible all the year)

Pests and diseases:
Fish, powdery mildew

Pruning season:
All season

How to prune:
Dead leaves and flowers, the moment that the leaves become yellow better to prune them and let the plant space for new leaves, (check that the leaves become yellow of old age)

Size of the plant?
0.6-2m, 24-80 inches and for dwarf variaty 20-40cm, 8-16 inches

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Big amount of water, the plant must be in water in order not to brake the leaves

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun, possible to grow in half shade but might won’t bloom, above 8 hours of sunlight a day in 6 hours might won’t bloom

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No, but possible to grow it on balcony or next to a window with enough sun light

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers inside the bucket:
Yes, need to plant in container inside the bucket in this method it’s easier to harvest the root, the container need to be with a lot of holes, rich soil and heavy soil it’s important and also need to fertilize at least 3 times a year, bucket size need to be at least 10L (2 gallons) for dwarf variety and better 20L (4 gallons) for big variety it depend on the variety but at list 50-100L (10-20 gallons), soil deep for regular variety need to be at least 20cm (8 inches) dwarf variety need 10-15cm, 4-6 inches deep.

Blooming information

Bloom season?
Spring / Summer / Autumn (above 25C (77F) the flowers can start to bloom)

General information about the flower:
Bowl shape flower in colors pink, purple, white, blue, yellow, red or mix

Uses of Lotus plant leaves:
Raw, cooked

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season:
Spring / Summer / Autumn

How to harvest the leaves?
After the plant establish can cut free but don’t harvest all the leaves from the plant

Information about leaves:
Green leaf in round shape that lay on the water

Uses of Lotus plant leaves:
Raw, cooked

Edible Roots

Information about rhizome:
Cone round with holes in the middle color brown-yellow

Harvesting rhizome:
Autumn to winter

Uses of rhizome:
Cooked

How to grow Lotus plant from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Open a little bit the open the seeds shell if not the chance that the seed will germinate low, need to polish from the top side (possible from bottom or the top of the seeds) or crack little bit the shell of the seed need to see the white part of the seeds it will ensure germination, when the seeds it self get water it’s enough, temperature 21-29C (70-84F), seeds that floating are not viable

Saving seeds and care until sowing:
Better in dry location but if the shell of the seeds fine, it won’t germinate

Sowing season:
Spring / Summer (better in temperature)

Planting spacing:
Better in diffrent glass,

Depth of Sowing:
Minimum 10cm (4inches) but better at least 0.5m (20 inches) and it’s depend the size cultivars

Conditions for seeds germinate:
In order to germinate the seeds need water circulation and better to switch water (if grown in glass of water), and the seeds need to swollen it means that the seeds get enough water in order to germinate, if the seed size not, ne

Watering requires for Seeds:
Big amount of water (in aquatic environment)

Germination time:
4-10 days (when the seeds open)

Condition of seedling:
When the first leaf start to grow better to decide the height of the plant, the moment the the leaf arrive to the surface it will open and after this it will be the height of the plant, in order to change it you’ll need to burry strongly to prevent the seeds float or cut the leaf but only if there are more than one leaf

How to plant the seedling:
In the beginning until roots start to grow it will be okay to start only with water, when the roots start to grow need to burry or when the leaf arrive to the surface, after 6-8^th leaves better to add fertilizer

Scientific name:

Nelumbo nucifera

Alternative names: Sacred Lotus