Hi clarabelle,
I think Joyce was probably talking about her established lotus, where the important growing parts were at the bottom of her pots. Your new lotus tuber will be essentially just lying on top of the soil, so its much more vulnerable.
What I do if a lotus tuber arrives when its still cold, is just float it in a pail of water. I keep it in the house overnight if its cold out and then put it in the sun during the day (if its warmer).
You might put something on top of it, gently, to keep the tuber totally submerged in the water. Just be very careful with the growing tips.
Good luck, and enjoy your lotus!

Thanks for answering Catherinet.

So at what temperature do you generally plant a new tuber? I'm use to planting annuals and perennial plants and getting them started in the house, and from what JOYCE said, that is a big no-no. I purchased two tubers through e-bay, which are probably lower quality tubers, but I still paid a considerable price considering the current state of our economy. I really don't want to kill this plant with stupidity. Thanks again for your input!

Hi again clarabelle,
I would plant them outside as soon as the temps never get in the 30's. Since its in a container, you could always cover it up if there's a couple colder nights. Just use a tarp or something like that, but be sure it doesn't lay on the tuber. Leave enough room at the top of the pot so you can slowly add a little more water over the tubers, as they grow.
Lotus really like warm weather, so it might not take off until temps are consistently higher.

I accidentally killed my first 2 off! Its just part of the learning process, unfortunately.
Feel free to ask more questions. What kind of lotus did you buy? You'll be putting them in their own containers, right?

Hi again Catherinet!

I purchased my lotus off of ebay. I went cheap because I didn't want a ton of money tied up in something I was most likely going to kill..lol I received my tubers today and both look nice...both are clean, solid, and have a tip and a runner. I floated each in a bowl of water and am waiting impatiently for mother nature to get her act together so I can plant! The lotus I ordered was called "Little Green" and the one my daughter ordered is "Purple Jade". I googled both and wasn't able to find much of anything on either one, so I am assuming they aren't "quality"or my googling skill are lacking ( probably), but the pictures were pretty and sometimes that is enough, right? Anyway, she and I both have our pots ready and waiting...now if the weather would just cooperate!

I saw Joyce's pictures on the forum and fell in love, but thought that Lotus wouldn't grow in West Virginia. Imagine my surprise this past summer when I saw them growing wild in the swampy back waters of the Ohio River, in a farm pond in Ohio while riding our motorcycle, and then in a pond on the same street my daughter lives on! I told Kristy...you need to get to know that lady! So here I am...anxiously awaiting and hoping that I can grow them myself!

Thanks again for your input, and I'm open to any info you can give me on growing them!

What kind of container are you going to use? How big would you say it is?
Just use plain old soil. At least that's my suggestion. I think Joyce makes her own blend, but I always used plain soil.
Don't cover up the tuber much, and not the eye at all.
I pretty much just lay it on the soil and gently hold it down with a landscape staple.
I'm not familiar with those 2 types of lotus. Are they dwarf?
If not, you'll probably have to thin them almost every year.
Be sure to fertilize them every month. I just use pond tabs. But only start to fertilize them after they put up aerial leaves.
Unfortunately, my smaller container lotus died, but I have a lotus bog. Its just a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank sunk into the ground and filled back up with soil and about 10' of water. I have an Egyptian lotus growing in there.
Your 2 lotus sound wonderful. You'll have to post a picture of them, once they bloom. But just remember....they don't always bloom the first year.

Keep several inches of water over the tuber all the time.
Have fun!

Supposedly they are small lotus, growing 2 to 3 feet. I would love to grow a larger one, but figured small was the way to start. I have a large flower pot (no holes), a little smaller than half a wine barrel. I know I can set a five gallon bucket inside of it, because I have been trying to think up ways to hide my diy pond filter (made out of a 5 gal. bucket) and it will fit, but not with the room I want. Anyway, I am going to try it the way Joyce says she did it. Osmocote in the bottom, composted cow manure until 3/4 full, tuber with tip up and pea gravel to hold it down. Water to cover 3 to 4 inches... Viola'! Beautiful lotus! Ha! Ha! My fingers and toes will be crossed all spring. I have figured out that things have a way of being a bit harder than you like... ponds for example...at least until you get the bugs worked out.

So my advice to any beginning ponders....read, read, read, and plan, plan, plan. I read a bit, dug a hole, threw in a liner and pump/filter 3 years ago. Things are just getting to where I like the water quality. In my opinion, you need a bigger filter than what they suggest, especially if you have fish. AND, a lot will be trial and error, so be prepared for that! Because of family issues, I'm just now getting to the point of actually landscaping around my pond, and if I could I would be expanding it!

Sounds good clarabelle! I've seen lots of pics of smaller lotus in pots, and they look great.
Ponding is something that's an "always in progress" project, for sure!

Thanks for asking the question Clarabelle! I was wondering the same thing as I was inspired by one of Joyce's posts too and just ordered two lotus tubers (one momo baton and one called evening shower). There is still snow and ice outside and I wondering the exact same thing about how to start them when it is still cold outdoors. Thanks everyone for answering Clarabelle on that question, it helped me too.

I saw Joyce's lotus planting recipe. She recommends a cup of osmocote in the bottom of the lotus pot. Then I started reading here on the forum that some people like the Jobe's tomato spikes better than osmocote and also read that osmocote works only when its been warm for 3 to 4 months consistently. I have a very short growing season here in northern Wisconsin and now concerned that maybe I should have bought a different fertilizer than osmocote. So, I started reading all I could find on fertilizer on this forum and am overwhelmed by all the possibilities and am currently in analysis paralysis from all the information.

Pretty please!!! Someone talk to me like I'm a kindergartener and tell me what fertilizer to buy, how much to put in the pot and how often to repeat. I will be starting the lotus indoors on a heating pad to keep warm and eventually moving outdoors when the weather is nicer. Once outdoors they will be in 10 1/2 gallon pots sunk into the ground.

Thank you so much for the help in advance.

Jenny

Hi Jenny,

Joyce always swore by osmocote, but I never used it. I have used various "pond tabs" over the years. last year, I started using Jobe's tomato spikes (I think I used 3 half spikes per lotus container. I like the various pond tabs more though. I seem to have more blossoms with them. I think my containers are 7 gallon. I put those 3 tabs in them (away from the roots) once a month in the summer.
You don't want to fertilize your lotus though, until it starts making aerial leaves.
You want to quit fertilizing around September.

I have to strongly caution you Jenny, DON'T start it indoors! I've only heard bad things about doing it that way. They just don't seem to tolerate the transition.
I would just float the tubers in a bucket and keep it outside as much as possible when the temp is above freezing. If it gets below freezing, keep it in the coldest part of your house.
Put a dish or something gently on the top of the bucket of water, so you keep the tuber under water.
Be gentle with it, but don't make it warm in the house. It won't like that.

Thanks for the info Catherine! I definitely would have had problems had I gone ahead with my original plan. My basement is around 62 to 64 degrees. I have a big tub in the basement where I overwintered some parrot's feather and my tropical lily (in a thermoplanter). The water temp in the tub is about the same as the room temp. You think I could just float the tubers in the tub with the lily and parrot's feather? I have a grow light above the tub on a timer that goes on for about 10 hours a day.

I can always just set up a separate tub without the grow light for the tubers in the basement too if that is necessary.

Okay....now stop me if I get it wrong again. But, if I float the tubers in my basement where the water and air temps are in the lower 60's, they would probably transition just fine if I kept them in the basement until the temps outdoors reaches the lower 60's? Or would I have to worry about the nighttime/daytime temp fluctuations that the lotus would experience once outdoors that it would not be experiencing it my basement?

Sheesh, this lotus stuff is touchy but I want to get it right. I killed a couple tropical lilies before I got them down and I so don't want to go through the same expense with the lotus that I did with the lilies!

I respect your input Catherine as I have seen you post on a lot of threads about lotuses and have been very successful growing them.

Thank you again, Jenny

Hi Jenny,
Don't trust me too much. hahahaha. I've made plenty of mistakes myself!
I think what I would do with yours, is don't put any light on them, keep them as cold as you can in your house, and then plant them as soon as there are no freezing temps. I'm surprised they even sent you the tubers, since you're in a cold zone. Oh wait.........you don't even have these yet, right? Many companies don't even send them to you until your zone has certain temperatures. What company is it? Could you call them/email them and ask when they planned on shipping them?
This might all be a mute point if they aren't going to send them for a month or so. So I'll quit talking, until you find that out. Same with tropical lilies.....they usually don't send them until the weather in my zone is warmer. In fact, if you request them any sooner, it usually voids any warranty.
Let me know what they say.

Jenny... I guess great minds think alike! Joyce has been very inspirational, and Catherinet a wealth of information. Ya gotta love them! I've stressed over this lotus thing way to much for my health. It took me days of looking at lotus to pick one, and then I wouldn't buy the one I really wanted because of the cost and knowing that I would probably kill it. My daughter laughed at me until she decided she would grow one too. We decided to do ebay and get both of our from the same place to save on shipping. Once we decided on the store we were going to purchase them from, it took us about an hour and a half to decide on which lotus from approximately a dozen offered, that we would buy. I do have to say that the tubers we received appear to be nice sized and in good shape(this from someone who has never purchased a lotus tuber!). I just hope I can keep it that way!

Hi!

Maybe I have a stupid question but I just bought Komarowie Lotus - Nelumbo komarovii and I put them into the water. Now, a week later, they are about 4" long. Now, I have a question: May I just plant them into the mud, right now, into 1,5 meter deep water? I have a big lake and I just don't want to mess with those little Lotuses.

I have noticed that my first Lotuses (grew in mud) didn't make any roots when they were in the mud. Now they are dead but I have new plants and seeds.

Ok, my question is going confused... :D
So, when I plant my (root-less) Lotus into the mud, will they grow there? And make roots.
My tiny Lotus' seed got rot and died - she was in a vase..

Some pictures of them: https://picasaweb.google.com/103418695393090704946/Maakodu21Nadalal?authkey=Gv1sRgCPP5vb2-ssDwLw#5612221989957371202 - those are two Lotuses which I bought before - N. nucifera.

And my lake: https://picasaweb.google.com/103418695393090704946/Maakodu21Nadalal?authkey=Gv1sRgCPP5vb2-ssDwLw#5612221994089532306

Denis

Hi Denis,
I'm a little confused. Do you have the lotus tuber and it put out a leaf that is 4" long?

Yes, I forgot to say. I have 6 seeds, and their stems are 4" long. Thanks for mention.

Hi again Denis,
I've never grown lotus from seed. You would get more answers if you start a new post with your question. Hopefully, you'll get some answers from people who have grown lotus from seed.
Good luck!

Hi!

I'll start with a new post. I hope I'll get some answers. Thanks anyway.

Hi. When I grow my lotus from seed I wait until the second leaf has floated to the to before planting them in my lotus bog trench. It is a lined trench filled with loam. There MUST be adaquate water for the lotus to thrive. Also lotus must be fed after the fourth leaf. The fourth leaf must reach the top of the water. I wait to place in the "mud" until the second leaf has reached the top of the water. Give freah water daily.

Thanks! I also have planted them.. They are in mud (in pot) right now, in 30 cm water. Every time when they grow longer-and longer, I move them to deeper water. Now, I just don't know, did I do something wrong.. But, let them grow..
Thanks anyway
Denis

Hi. Ok I would continue to move them to deeper water until you have your desired debth. Last year I moved my potted lotus into the lotus pond at about one and one half foot debth. They grew wonderfully ! Also they overwintered in the little pond and came back nicely this year. I have moved so I started another lotus trench. This is my second one. Its about 13 inches deep and 10 feet long and two foot wide. Its lined with EDPM pond liner and filled with heavy loam on the bottom. I wanted a place my lotus could spread and grow. I start mine in 13 inches of water in a deep bucket because once the leaf sprouts they do Not like a debth or water difference. So I measured to match the trench. Once my second leaf reaches the top I plant them in the soil. I've had great success with starting feed after the FORTH leaf emerages.I don't think you did anythig wrong. Lotus like at least six to seven inches of water. After the floating leafs appear your aerial leaves will start to grow. You will notice a thicker stronger stem. And straighter too! If they are first year plants you generally have to wait until the second year for the flower. It will appear as a straight stem leaf but it will have a tiny bud on top of it! So make sure and overwinter your lotus correctly and next year you will enjoy its beautiful flowers!

Hi!

I forgot to say that I'm from Estonia. In Europe..

I just moved my Lotuses (I use capital letters with it because Lotuses are my sacred flowers) a bit deeper water. That's funny that I moved my Lotus way deeper water - so her leaves were underwater, and the day later, they were on the surface. How fast can they grow.. I have 6 Komarovian Lotus. 5 are in the pots and one is in the mud, her real place to live. They're having their third leaf and later even fourth. I'm so happy for them!! You can see the photos of them from here: http://tammelill.blogspot.com/2011/06/minu-lootused-vol2-my-lotuses-vol2.html
And some days ago the first waterlily just started to bloom - Marliacea rosea

Happily I have such big pond that is quite deep, and big. The perimeter is about 225 meters - 738 feet. I measured it correctly. And the deepest place is 3 meters deep - about 10 feet. And there's about 1.6 feet of mud.. There grows a lot of pondweed but we have to rent a tractor to clean it - dig the mud out with the pondweed.

Thanks for help
Denis

Wow your very lucky to have such a nice large pond to grow your lotus! I'm sure they will spread and do wonderfully there! I just created a small bog pond for mine. I'm excited to see how they like it. I have another two lotus in a preformed pond, they are my older lotus and I'm waiting for blooms! Growing lotus is fun! I can't wait for the flowers!

Hello,

i recieved 2 huge lotus plants as a gift, i had expressed the desire to grow 2 of these in containers that i had gotten to create small water gardens with a small fish and little fountain to hear the water falling.

well i got 2 plants that are simply huge!! they where very much established in their previous home, the roots are very very big and the leaves are huge as well. they hardly fit into my container.

can i cut them back, leave one or two leaves and hope that new growth will be smaller to fit the container?