I have a lotus pond that I first planted middle of last year. The lotus multiplied quickly spreading throughout the pond and then put out a lot of flowers. Recently they stopped flowering so I gave them 6 monsoon tablets (probably similar to your fruit tree fertiliser spikes). That was a week ago. They've put out another flower now, but that would have been on it's way before I gave the fertiliser. I understand that they do like a lot of fertiliser and probably yours will come good since you gave them that boost. Most likely because they had been so 'starved' they've just needed time to take it up. What you give them now would probably deliver results in the following season. That's often the case with plants that have storage organs.

Thanks tropicbgreezent..........but do you think it's safe to fertilize the pond now (it's very early spring here) when it hasn't put out any leaves yet? They've always said never fertilize a lotus until it has aerial leaves.........but I'm thinking that's for small potted, new lotus.

I'd leave it til they got the aerial leaves. As I mentioned, they'll have stored what you gave them last season and use it when they start to grow this coming season. The plant's main source of food is photosynthesis in the leaves. Fertiliers are sort of like 'vitamins' in a way, they assist the processes in the plant. They're most advantageous when the plant is in 'full production' with its leaves.

Thanks tropicbreez! I guess I'm getting impatient with this cool weather and feel like I should be doing something! haha I'm aware of how aggressive lotus are, and I have concerns that the roots have replaced all the soil in this 300 gallon tank. If it continues to not make many blossoms, we may have to dig it all out and put in new soil.......which doesn't sound like a very fun job. (for my husband, that is!....haha). He's my slave and does a really good job of beating back the weeds, doing the hard physical labor, etc.

Thanks for your help tropicbreez!

"Patience Grasshopper!" (That's a line I heard in a movie but can't remember which.) Good luck with it, for the sake of your husband at least,LOL.

It was from the Kung Fu series! lol! I say that line myself!