No, don't cut that off.

From what I understand if any leaf stalks break below water or if the runners break/get cut the plant will die.

The "runner" now has a leaf about 6" in diameter, another set roots and is still growing. How far will it go.

If you don't have it potted probably all the way across the pond.

Lotuses can be extremely aggressive plants if not well contained. Their tubers are VERY sensitive and if not handled properly will die so DO NOT cut it randomly.

here is a link to how to divide a lotus.

http://www.tadege.com/divideyourlotus.htm

I just divided mine according to this link this spring and got 6 pots full. I have never had so many blooms. its messy and smelly work, and it looks just like the photos so study them carefully. They are great and amazing plants and tho dividing is sensitive, they are pretty carefree - but do some homework on how to manage them so you can really enjoy them.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to divide a lotus

wow I didnt know it was that involved, I just found a new leaf shoot and then cut around it. I havnt had a ton of luck with them so far, I guess this is why. I take it spring is the best time to do it?

Always, always, always keep you lotus in pots. Unless you want a pond over ran by lotus. Round pots so the tubers can just keep running in circles instead of across the pond.

Spring is the best time to do that, even before they send up leaves.

This year has been too cool and shady in many parts of the country. Ours have started to pop in the last month.

Lotus are amazing and one of the best pond plants out there. But they MUST be in round containers to be managed easily, and even though very hardy, they respond to weather like a tropical. Slow starts in cool spring and summer is to be expected.

Thanks Jim: Appreciate the info, but this isn't the kind of news I was wanting to here. This fool plant will take my pond before it goes dorment. It has it's first bloom on it right now. This runner seems to be developing a new root system about ever 12 - 15". These develop on the growing end and then the runner continues on it's merry way. Do you suppose there would be a way to wrap these new roots in the pond and have started plants when I do separate them? Love watching it grow!

It was in a 2-3 gal plastic nursery pot when I bought it. It seemed docile enough when I dropped it in the pond.

wow-o-wow, paul. sounds like it will be everywhere by late fall. I bet, if your pond isnt too deep, you could "collect it" out of the pond and pot it up for the winter (I take mine out of the pond and overwinter them, in bigger pots of water, in my garage.) just be sure each section of tuber has its "ends" in tact or it will die (unlike a water lily, you cant just cut it into sections, you have to carefully divide according to the tubers, I just counted and split every other tuber, that way I had a half tuber at each end and a full tuber in the middle that continued growing.

re: pots for them - I cant find big enough round pots for them - they seem to need shallow and wide pots. One thing I am trying out this year is using "cement mixing" troughs that I found at Lowes this winter - they are almost 2 feet square and only about 6 inches deep. They do have corners, but the corners are sloped up, so its more of a smooth corner than a sharp 90 degree one - if that makes sense.

Ill check them out in the fall when I pull them out (they weigh over 100# each and it took 2 of us to put them in ...) and let you all know if the corners of these troughs caused trouble or not - It was a nearly 4 hour job dividing and replanting them, but Ill tell you, the blooms are bigger than ever and more than ever - I have 5 pots full and have gotten more than 35 blooms total since June.

One final note - the Asian families in my neighborhood are EXPERTS at growing these flowers - they are everywhere - I have one neighbor whose pink lotus is easily 8 feet tall and the flowers are over a foot across - and he grows it in a 5-gallon paint bucket ... go figure.

Jim: It originally put out one shoot, about every 10" - 12" along this shoot, there is a clump of roots (is this what is referred to as the tubers) there must be five or six of these which have all appeared within the last 10 days. At each clump of roots there is 1 or 2 leaves emerging, at least two of these have a smaller tuber coming off of them besides the continuation of the original shoot.
I could pull it now and place in a container. Could I do this and divide it, keeping the cut ends above water. When the original runner took off, I ran it into a floating laundry basket to "protect it?" from the fish. So in order to pull it now I would have to cut the original runner and every thing behind.
I am putting a small greenhouse together so overwintering will not be a problem.
Thanx for answers ---- paul