Would a garden fork work for digging them out? If you do dig up all the lotus you could probably offer them for trade on the plant trade or pond plant trade web sites. I have tried 4 different lotuses with very little return--1 or 2 flowers, but they are so pretty I will most likely try again.

Actual soil won't break down, only the organic matter that's in it. So the soil volume will only reduce by the amount of organic matter that was mixed in. However, the soil will be full of Lotus roots, which is organic matter anyway. I've probably mentioned this a previous time, but the excess fertiliser will have been accumulating it the soil and that could possibly be detrimental to your plants. So changing the soil would be good on a number of counts. But the backbreaking work of doing the change is another matter.

Thanks frankielynnsie and tropicbreezent. Yeah, I'm not looking forward to forcing my husband to dig it out. ;) Maybe there's some boy scouts out there who would like to earn a little money? (or do it for their lotus badge?) :) The other hard part is digging up some new soil to put into the stock tank. We have 33 acres, so it won't be a problem of getting it......just don't want to make a hole we forget about, then break our legs walking into it. But I am definitely looking forward to finally getting blossoms again.

Mine in the "cracked pond" are putting up some flower buds now. When the pond first cracked it wouldn't hold water. But when first making it I put a lot of bentonite in the bottom. Seems this bentonite has now sealed the crack. Hopefully it's going to last for a while.

Here supermarkets have notice boards and people often put up ads that they're looking for odd jobs to do (for payment). Something like that might work for you. Afterall, digging out a Lotus pond is certainly an "odd job", LOL.

Thanks tropicbreezent. I'm glad your bentonite seems to be earning its keep! I've had a 300 gallon above-ground stock tank that cracked on the sides and I just couldn't get it fixed with stuff that was supposed to work. It was my own fault though (the cracks), I left it out over winter, thinking that if the top was open (but frozen), it would expand upward, but I was wrong. I've learned my lesson though, and empty the other one and turn it upside down for the winter.