Hi Pat!
I think there's only a few of us lotus bog people.
This will only be my second year for it, so I'm definitely a novice. I'm planning on using pond tabs/spikes, since I'm thinking that composted manure will cause tons of algae to grow. How much water do you have on top of the soil? I think I have a bit too much........about 8".
Last year, I just used the tabs from Menards. I forget the brand. My bog is about 5'x5'. I think I'd better go to something larger than the tabs though, considering the size of the bog. Seems like it would be best to sink the fertilizer stuff deep down in the soil.
Hopefully more seasoned lotus bogologists will help us out here!
Good to see you Pat!

Same here, only second year for Lotus. My bog is probably 3 ft by 5 and I use about 5 of the plant tabs in mine. That is what I used last year and they did very well. We'll have to see how it works out this year. I agree on the manure causing lots of algae. Even though I have a lot of Algae in mine with the tabs also. That is where my bull frogs like to stay and I have skads of tadpoles in there so guess the algae gives them plenty to eat. Glenda

Hi Glenda,
How deep is the dirt in your bog, and how much water to you have above the soil?
what I found interesting last summer is that I laid the tuber in the middle of the bog, and most of the leaves came up all around the edges. So I'm thinking they sort of establish the boundaries of their area right off the bat. No wonder they can fill up a lake so quickly. Determined little buggers! haha What kind of lotus do you have in your bog?
Pat....I'm trying to remember which 2 you have in your's. Isn't one of them a white one? Is your Baby Doll the purple one, and is it in a different pot?
Being the worry-wort I am, I'm wondering how I'm going to thin this bog eventually?
We sank a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank in the ground ("We" being my husband and son), but unfortunately, something happened and its a bit twisted. Maybe the ground heaved a little. Its a little unsightly, but maybe I can cover it up with rocks. Or should I ask my husband to dig all the mud out, level it, and put all the mud back in??? I better go with rocks. haha

Hey Cath, Hi Glenda. Don't much care if I have algae, I keep about 3" of water over mine and it isn't in the pond. Cathy, I have the Mrs. Perry Slocum and the large white one, forgot the name of it in that bog. I also have alot of HUGE swamp grass that made its way into the bog that I'm trying to get rid of. Can't pull it, Roots are too deep, so I keep cutting it back. I also have Miss Scarlett in a separate pot. Lost the doll baby last winter when the pot cracked and lost water. I can't even think about thinning them. I'll save that until I retire!

If you do a search "maggie Belle didn't choke the President" There are pictures of my little lotus bog. It probably has 6-8 inches soil and probably about the same amount of water. I have Maggie Belle Slocum and The President. I had Perry's giant Sunburst and Lavender Lady, but they apparantly didn't make it. I thought when I get ready to divide mine, I could just take down the blocks and turn the water hose on them and just wash all the dirt away out into the yard and go from there. Wanted to do that this year but didn't get to them before they started putting up leaves. So guess it'll wait til fall or next spring. Glenda

I think I'd still go with tabs/spikes. I'm afraid that some of that composted manure might float. ??
Sorry about your baby doll!
I made the mistake of setting some pots of cattail and reeds in the bog, and they jumped ship and are coming up everywhere now. I think I will live to regret that.
Live and learn, right?
hahaha....yes, thinning it will be a good thing to look forward to after you retire. I still haven't figured out how to even do it though.
Have fun Pat! (you're probably a millionaire by now, right?)