Hi Catherine,
We have them planted in 5 gallon containers that are buried in the ground right behind the edge of the pond...they look like they are planted in the pond cause we have plants surrounding them as well as rocks. They do need to be watered everyday
they are very thirsty plants. Over the winter we just cut them back and cover them with a bag full of leaves to keep them warm. We are in zone 7 and they have survived for several years. We thin them every year after the second year.
The first plant behind Terminator is a taro -- the taro is planted on the plant shelf in the pond, next to the taro is the lotus that is planted just behind the rocks outside the pond.

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This is the lotus planted by the bio pond in the back

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This is another lotus planted outside the pond along side the little dock, see the bloom?

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Thanks Cliff and/or Joann!
Wow.......all that growth from just a 5 gallon container? If you thin every year, how do you do that? Do you pull out the container, dump it, and find some good tubers with several eyes? Do you still get alot of blossoms that way? I'm thinking if you did it that way, you'd sort of have to start over every year, right?
How much do you fertilize it?
I can imagine that it does take up alot of water. In one of my 100 gallon stocktanks where I keep a big lotus container, I routinely have to add water, because the lotus just seems to soak it up like a sponge! Actually, it might have something to do with those huge leaves.
What kind of 5 gallon container do you use? Is it round? Does it have any holes in it? Do the roots/runners jump ship during the summer?
Sorry about all the questions.....but I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Thanks a bunch for your help!
P.S. Your pond is gorgeous!

We just pull it out and pull it apart, we never fertilize it, except with pond water from cleaning out the filter.
We use a round container, no holes, It could be bigger though, like I mentioned they need to be filled every day. We never seem to have trouble with runners.
As far as blooms, lotus like a lot of sun, we don't get enough sun in our yard because we are surrounded with huge oak trees.
They bloom but not prolifically.

The first photo is the lotus in the container next to the small dock in the beginning of July, and the second is the end of July, they grow rapidly.
In the second photo it is over 6 foot tall.

This is a great way to have lotus cause they do get huge and
in the average backyard pond, lotus are to big....certainly too big if you have several lotus.

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Great pond! I like the idea of the lotus outside and next to the pond. I was wondering if it would be possible to use some type of material that would wick water directly from the pond? Have you ever tried something like that?
Again, Great pond,
Mike

No, but it's a great idea, everytime we go away we have to line up volunteers to come over every day and add water to the lotus and feed the fish too.
Lotus take up a lot of room in a pond, so we have the best of both -- it looks like it's in the pond but it's outside, taking up no pond room...downside you need to water them everyday.

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Joann

Thanks!
Up until now, I have grown lotus in 100 gallon Rubbermaid stocktanks (above ground). In the fall, I have to pull them out and bury them. Its a pain. I'm thinking your idea is perfect! This past summer we put in the ground, a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank, and filled it back up with soil. I'm going to grow just lotus in there.......but I'm sure it will fill up within a couple years, and I have no idea how I'm going to thin it! When the roots take over, its like all the soil disappears! Oh well....it will be an adventure.......I think....
Let me ask one more question about how you thin yours. Do you just pull some of the tubers/roots out, and add a little dirt, and put it back in the hole, or do you completely repot one of the thinned tubers?

One thing you could do would be to dig a bigger hole, and line it with something like a whiskey barrel liner, and then place the 5 gallon bucket-o-lotus in that. You'd fill the outer container with water, that would keep for awhile. Maybe you don't have that much space...?
Anyhow.....thanks for the great ideas! Some ideas make so much sense, you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself before now! That's what's so great about forums like this.

Catherine...We thin ours by pulling out the plant -- dividing it and giving it away.

Joann