How to Grow Beautiful Lotus Flowers in Your Water Garden

Lotus plants are aquatic perennials that often grow in ponds and lakes and can be grown easily in backyard water gardens. While often called water lilies, they are not. Lotus (Nelumbo spp.) leaves and flowers are emergent or rise above the water's surface, while water lily(Nymphaea spp.) leaves and flowers, which have a wider range of colors, float on the water's surface.

Lotus plants grow rapidly, reaching 3 to 6 feet tall and spreading through rhizomes rooted in muddy soil. The white, pink, or yellow flowers are large and appear in the summer and autumn. The plants go dormant in the winter and are hardy in USDA zones 4a-10b as long as the water does not freeze solid.

Lotus Care

• Lotus plants require full sun or at least six hours of direct light per day.
• Lotus grows in water, and the soil must be kept wet.
• Lotus plants are hardy down to zone 4, but a circulating system should be used to prevent the water source from freezing solid.
• Mature plants growing in containers should be fertilized every 20 days with a complete (20-10-20) water-soluble fertilizer.
• To prevent excessive spread, plants should be placed in containers with no drainage holes in the water source.

Warning

Some lotus cultivars are considered invasive in some areas of the United States. Consult your local county extension service for more information.

Light

A lotus requires at least six hours of direct sun each day to produce its beautiful dark green leaves and flowers.

Soil

Growth and flowering are best when the plant is placed in rich, fertile, soft silt loam or clay soil. A mix of pine bark and topsoil provides a substrate that is a good texture for lotus culture. Also, consider an aquatic growing medium (designed for use in water environments) if submerging the lotus pot in a water feature.

Water

Since lotus are aquatic plants, the soil should be wet at all times. Once growth begins in the spring after winter dormancy, don't submerge the new shoots but keep the soil wet. The water should not be allowed to freeze.

Temperature and Humidity

The hardiness of your lotus depends on the cultivar, but most lotus thrive in very cold temperatures as long as the soil is kept wet and the water is not allowed to freeze.

Fertilizer

If grown in natural ponds and lakes, there is plenty of organic material to feed the plant and keep it healthy. For lotus grown in pots, feed mature plants growing in containers every 20 days with a complete (20-10-20) water-soluble fertilizer.

Types of Lotus Plants

• American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea): Produces white or yellow flowers up to 10 inches across and is native from Canada to Florida.
• Sacred or Asian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera): Originates from tropical Asia but is now foundfrom Iran to northeast Australia and produces large white or pink flowers.All parts are edible and a good source of certain nutrients. The plant has religious significance in some cultures.

There are dozens of cultivars and hybrid lotus (N. lutea x N. nucifera) plants that produce varying shades of pink and yellow blooms, including some with double petals.

• ChongbanBayi Lian: A micro-lotus double-petaled plant with a yellow center and pink-edged petals.
• Ancient Capitol Red Palace: Large 48-inch stems produce deep red blooms.
• Green Jade of Qinhuai: Tiny lotus well-suited for growing in a small pot produces blooms with double white petals contrasting witha jade green center.
• Mrs. Perry D. Slocum: Lotus with double flowers that change from pink to yellow to cream as they age.
• Missouri: One of the hardiest lotus plants with large pink flowers.
• Pink Beauty: Produces light pink flowers with dark pink centers.
• Sunburst: A hardy, yellow-flowering lotus known for fast growth and large size.
  

Pruning Lotus Plants

Regularly remove dead leaves and stalks to promote new growth. Most pruning is only needed in the late fall or winter when the plant has finished blooming and goes dormant.

Propagating Lotus Plants

While lotus plants produce seeds, propagating by dividing the rhizomes is much more successful. Division should be done early in the spring, while the plant is still dormant or as leaves begin to sprout.

1. Carefully remove the lotus from the container.
2. Gently separate the roots into sections, each containing at least one rhizome. The rhizomes can be planted directly into a new area of a natural pond or lake, or placed in a container.
3. To plant in a man-made water source, add 1 inch of moistened soil to a container with no drainage holes.
4. Place the rhizome in the pot with the growing tip facing up.
5. Cover the rhizome with 3 to 4 more inches of soil until it is halfway covered.
6. Weigh down the soil with gravel.
7. Carefully fill the container with water and place it into the water source.
8. Keep the container close to the surface of the water to promote faster growth.

How to Grow Lotus From Rhizomes

1. Select a blemish-free, plump rhizome. Look for rhizomes that have not sprouted leaves or flowers.
2. Fill a large pot with no drainage holes with 2 to 5 inches of potting soil, depending on the size of the rhizome and the pot.
3. Wet the soil until it is thoroughly moist.
4. Place the rhizome in the soil in the center of the pot with the growing tip facing up.
5. Add enough additional soil to cover about halfway up the rhizome.
6. Place stones or gravel on top of the soil to hold it in place.
7. Fill the container with water and make sure the tip of the rhizome is at least 2 inches below the waterline.
8. Place in an area with full sun.
9. If you are growing a tall variety, you may need to add a support cage as the lotus grows to prevent the plant from tipping over.

Tip

When growing lotus in a pond or other water feature, opt for a submersible plastic aquatic plant pot that is 5 gallons or larger, does not have any holes, and ideally filled with an aquatic plant medium. Avoid mesh aquatic planters because tubers can become stuck. You can also submerge an aquatic plant pot into a larger pot filled with water.

Overwintering

While lotus plants are hardy to cold temperatures, the water source must not freeze solid. To prevent this, add circulation pumps to the pond or water container. It can also be helpful to place the pots in deeper water that does not freeze. You can also remove pots from the water and keep them in a cool storage area. Check the pots frequently and keep the soil very moist.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Lotus plants are susceptible to spider mites, water-lily aphids, snails, and slugs, as well as fungal diseases. To help control pests, remove dead leaves and debris from the water source and use slug and snail baits. Treat fungal diseases that cause leaf wilting and spotting by using a fungicide to treat the plant.

How to Get a Lotus Plant to Bloom

While the leaves are attractive, the lotus bloom is prized for its beauty and fragrance. If the plant is not blooming, it may not be getting enough sun, or it has overgrown its container and needs to be divided when it goes dormant.

Common Problems with Lotus Plants

Lotus plants need full sun to thrive and bloom profusely. While cold hardy, the water source should never freeze solid and the plant should not be allowed to dry out. Plants will not bloom if they become rootbound or overcrowded.

From: thespruce