Vicki,

I have a Sacred Lotus and cannot comment on the ones you are interested in, but if you wish, I can post some pictures of the root spread across the pond for one season.

I did not have it in a container so that I could observe the growth characteristics, but this season I am going to pot it. I think it was very aggressive spreading horizontally rather than vertically because it was not confined.

John

Thanks for your speedy response, John. Yes, I would like to see the root spread of the lotus you mentioned. Do you also have a photo of the flower and plant? Is it a small or medium size lotus?

Thanks, Vicki

Vicki,

I am sure there are people who have a lot more experience with these than I do, so hopefully they might chime in. It seems some old posts are MIA right now.

The lotus I have is a larger one I think. I decided to plant it in a boggy area of the pond, rather than put it in a container. The result was that it spead all over and rooted where there was enough soil. However, it did not send up as many ariels and they weren't all that tall. Consensus was that it was trying to find out how much room it had, and I didn't have a deep layer of soil on the bottom so the roots had trouble finding anchoring purchase.

Anyways, I ended up putting one of the growing runners into a container and it sent up a lot of nice ariels and bloomed.

Most people do put them in containers because they are super aggressive and mean. I would imagine they could puncture the lighter if it got in a confined spot? I am not sure about that, cause I think they will follow the path of least resistance unless confined in a pot with nowhere else to go?

I still need to upload all the growing season photos, but there is a bloom. You can see the container I herded it into on the right side, and you can also somewhat see how many floating leaves there are versus ariel leaves.

Work has been busy, but I will try to get those pictures up.

- John

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Vicki,
I have had limited experience with lotus in a bigger watergarden, but from that experience, and hearing from others, I would say that you should put your's in a container.
"Joyce" has a large pond that is lined and she loves her lotuses, but I'm not sure what will happen if/when she decides to thin it out, in terms of the roots puncturing the liner. If you can find one of her pics of her pond, you can see how quickly her's grew. Its my understanding that she placed 1 tuber in the middle of the pond and it filled up within a year.
I have a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank that is in-ground and backfilled with dirt and I put 2 tubers in it last April and its getting totally filled up already.
As John said, this plant is extremely aggressive.
I would definitely put it in a container in your pond.
Also, Cliff and Joann here dig a hole right next to their pond and put a container with lotus in it, and it looks like its part of the pond, yet confined.
If you do use a big container (and it can't be too big or its too heavy to lift), you'll need to thin it every couple of years. Also, you still have to be careful, as their roots/runners like to jump ship and travel outside the container. It could easily take root in your pond that way too. So you have to be vigilant to not let that happen.
I'm sorry I don't know the difference between those 2 lotus you mentioned. I think if I knew I wanted a specific lotus, I would just keep looking for it, and not take a substitute......but that's up to you, and how much having the specific lotus means to you. You might just be looking for a white one, and it might not matter. I do think there's variations in white too, so if you want really white, you might make sure the substitute is really white, and not cream.
Good luck and let us know what you finally do! And of course, we expect pics when its growing! Have fun.

Thanks John for the pic of your lotus. It appears to be a very large flower and the color is nice.

Still, I am undecided as to whether to place it within the pond in a container. My thoughts are this: Would I be able to lift a heavy plastic container with planting pebbles in it to the bottom of the pond? Also, what size lotus should I use within the confines of my pond which is 8' x 10'? Also to consider are tadpoles, and the fish--would it be too crowded for all of them along with a lotus? The only other plants now in it are 3 hardy waterlilies which are small; and a few other small plants so far. This pond has only been inground since July. Also, it has a 45 mil liner and there is not any soil within the pond. If you were in my yard, and had to decided upon a containerized lotus plant or place it in the pond in a container considering the root aerials, etc. could you share your decision with me and reason for same. Should the lotus be small, medium or large? Catherinet, I am unfamiliar with a rubbermaid 300 gallon tank and where would it be purchased from?

Thanks folks, anyone else care to comment. Vicki

Hi Vicki,
Hmmmmmm.....good questions. Those containers (even smaller ones that can be used for containers for lotus in a pond can get mighty heavy. Do you have someone who can help you get it in and out? You could possibly do it yourself if you were standing in the pond, and if you were a strong person. Even my 6'1" husband who is pretty strong, has trouble moving them around.
Fish and tadpoles love greenstuff. I don't have fish, and wonder if they would eat the lotus?? But the frogs love living with them in the pond. They love sitting on the floating leaves, and love the shade that the arials can provide.
My 300 gallon stocktanks came from the local Tractor Supply Store. But I have also gotten smaller ones (100 gallon)from Menards. The 300 gallon are probably about half the size of your pond. They are about 5'x5'x24". When you say your lilies are small, do you mean they are young or they are a small variety?
I had 2 water lilies in my 300 gallon stocktank and a couple marginals, and it was full. In fact, too full. Just remember that lotus put out floating leaves too and with 3 other lilies, the water surface could get pretty crowded.
Do you have a picture of your watergarden you could post? Sometimes its hard to guess when we're only talking in words! But my feeling is that between your lilies and marginals, you might want to put it outside the pond. If you prefer to dig a hole right next to your pond and put a container in there, it would still give some height to your pond. I have 2 above-ground 100 gallon stocktanks and have one lotus in each. Its not very attractive (the stocktank), but that doesn't bother me. I just focus on the lotus!
Sometimes I think I might line the outside with some nice-looking fencing (picket), but haven't gotten around to it.
You could always decide later to put it IN your pond, once you get a feel for its habits (and how heavy it is in the pot).
If you did want the lotus IN your pond, I would suggest a small (not miniature) or medium one. There are alot of factors that go into deciding these things, and alot depends on your own personal tastes and abilities. But I'm sure whatever you decide, it will be beautiful!

I would say that if you put it into your pond without a container that it would have your little waterlillies begging for mercy within a season.

I had a dwarf variety one year planted directly in an old bathtub down by the lake and it was crowded by the end of the season.

I think lotus will take whatever room you give them, sometimes more=P If I were in your place I would get a dwarf or medium variety and plant it in a container in the pond.

- John

Hah, I have been very hesitant about posting pictures because I am not great with computers. I have 9 pictures I have compressed and uploaded but they might be too big. I have a nice new digital camera that I've no clue how to use.

I have been trying to link them directly with no luck.

- John

/crosses fingers.

If this works, I bought mine late in the season from a local nursery and wanted to see how it grew. It went everywhere but where I wanted it to go. In retribution, I unleashed a horde a caterpillars on it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bad Lotus

John,

Yes, I decided to order Nelumbo 'Momo Botan' which is described as a medium size which will grow from 2.5 to 5 feet. That is the description in their booklet so it will be placed in a container and lowered into the pond. So it will probably be heavy once it has some growth but hopefully, I won't have to move it unless it becomes necessary.

Is the plant you posted in your picture entitled Bad Lotus extend its aerial roots 5 feet or more? Did you use heavy soil when you planted your lotus?

Vicki

Vickster,
You might consider putting some sort of rope basket around the container, with a handle on it. That would make it a bit easier to pull out of your pond whenever you need to thin it. Good luck!

Vicki,

I used very rich local soil but I think I should have had a bit more clay in it. I also fertilized.

One of the problems that I ran into was not having deep enough soil for the plant to anchor to send up it's big ariels.

What I was hoping for was to establish mother plant in the shallow area and let her runners spread into the pond for the first season. I was hoping to have a bunch of easily harvested tubers I could pot in the fall. I didn't want the tubers to get all deep in the mud, so I didn't give much soil. Turned out the good tubers only formed where there was good deep soil, if that makes sense=p

I did not caption the pictures well, but wanted to show how quickly the runners multiply.

I think you are smart to put it into a container. Maybe Catherine will let you use her backhoe to lift it out?=)

- John

Hey!

I posted a reply this morning, but it must have sucked because it's gone!

Vicki, mine did not put up good ariels until I herded a runner into a hole in the side of the pot. I don't think my soil was deep enough for them to anchor well. My plan was to let it spread into the pond last season and then harvest all the tubers in the fall.( I didn't want to have to dig them all out of the mud!) And I wanted it to multiply fast so I would have extra tubers for my overwintering experiment so I didn't container it. Well, turns out the really good tubers were the ones that were able to root well in enough soil. So my plan was in vain.

Next season if we are still alive, we are going into pots or stocktanks like Catherine.

I used some local river soil that was nutrient rich and I feritlized the Mother plant well. I just don't think I had enough dirt.

-John

P.S. Maybe Catherine will let you use her backhoe to lift it out for thinning!

I am losing my mind.

That's what "they" want you to think, John. LOL

Brenda

Brazen, me too. ;)

Good advice and comments everyone.........

Catherine, what do you mean by a rope basket? or do you mean literally a large basket with a rope attached? I am unsure as to what this is?

John, you are not losing your mind, too young for that!

Hello All, I too am Lotus shopping. I found a local company (Texas Waterlilies) to order from, so am hoping to decide on which one soon, boy is that a hard decision!!! I think Momo Botan might be the one, or maybe Chawan Basu. I am getting excited that Spring is just around the corner! Can't wait to dig in the dirt.
Hi John & Catherinet!
Dianne

Hi everyone!
Sorry I missed some of your posts. I've been hibernating. ;)
Vickster...what I meant about a rope basket is to just tie a rope around the bottom of the pot and around the lip, and then a handle, so that you can grab onto the rope and pull the container out of the water. Sometimes that's easier than trying to lift just the pot out.
I saw an ad for a small crane the other day, and thought how useful that would be for lifting pots out of the water!
Every Fall I give myself a lecture that I HAVE to cut back on the things I'm growing the next spring. Well, I guess I'm not listening to myself, because I'm looking for a couple more waterlilies!
I'm going to do what Cliff and Joanne do and dig a hole beside my little pond, and put a 35-50 gallon container into it, and then fill it with water and put the smaller container of lotus in that. That will free up one of my stocktanks for another waterlily.
I'm storing 2 lotus and 1 waterlily underground this winter. I hope they do okay. They've done fine the other years, so I'm hopeful they will be fine again.
Right now its cold and snowing out, but I'm having dreams of lotus and lily blossoms, and frogs singing. :)

Dianne, I am still crossing my fingers those little lotus tubers are making it through the winter! Probably not though, since nothing else about them did what I had planned!

Catherine, I was watching the History channel last night and they did a show about what the earth would be like without people. It was really neat how they projected a timeline of nature reclaiming her land, with vines and stuff breaking down buildings.

I had this funny picture in my mind of lotus growing out of peoples abandoned ponds and becoming the dominant plant=p

-John

Hey John!
I might have the book version of that show you saw. The book is called "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. Its really interesting. I suppose alot of people would find the book depressing, but I find it very hopeful........that should we suddenly disappear from the earth......the natural earth would recover very nicely!
Hahaha.......about the lotus. Yes, I can just picture their runners hopping/skipping/jumping from puddle to puddle, until they reach every body of water, where they eventually become the rulers of the universe. ;)
My daughter keeps telling me I need to get cable, so I can watch shows like the History Channel. Sounds like you can find some good stuff there.