Lotuses are a group of plants in the family Nelumbonacaea. They originate in tropical and subtropical areas of the world but will grow in mild temperate climates so long as they have hot summers.
There are two species of lotus- Nelumbo nucifera (sacred lotus) and Nelumbo lutea (Yellow lotus) . All lotus are hybrids of or between between these two groups. Australian native lotus are in the Nucifera group.
Lotuses are highly ornamental water plants. They have fully round leaves that are held on tall rigid stems well above the water surface. The leaves are waxy cool green and very decorative in their own right. Flowers are very large, up to dinner plate size in varying colours and forms. Colours range from a true white, through cream, pinks and sunset mixes of yellows and pinks. Flowers are held well above the leaves and usually arrive during the hottest months of the year. Following the flowers the unusual central seed head grows and enlarges to form a seed pod resembling an old fashioned shower rose.
Most parts of the lotus plant are edible. The leaves are dried and used to wrap sticky rice dishes. Seed can be eaten raw or made into a sweet paste. The tubers can be steamed, stewed or finely cut and deep fried to make crisps.
Large lotus can spread rapidly and grow in water to two meters deep so care should be taken in where they are planted. L
otus prefer a silty soil at least 10cm deep with at least 10 to 50 cm of water over this. To flower well they require lots of room for an excellent display we recommend at least a square metre pond dedicated just to your lotus. However with care you can grow and flower lotus in smaller spaces.
Dividing Lotus or Potting Bare Rooted Lotus
The new plant should be one or two unbroken tubers with at least two growing tips. Unwrap and handle the tuber very gently at all times, not to break the fragile growing tips or cut tubers any shorter than at least one full tuber length.
When you receive a bare rooted lotus or divide one place it initially in a bucket of clean water in a warm place for a week or two until you see definite new growth of small white roots at the nodes of the tubers. Use a weight(like a brick or stone) to keep the lotus submerged during this time.
Prepare your permanent container with a layer of lightly fertilized sandy clay loam about 5-10 cm deep. Plant your lotus into the soil so that the tuber is in the soil and the shoots are above in the water. You may need to place a small rock on the tubers to prevent them from floating. Gently add water to the pot or container until full. Choose a warm and sunny location with some wind protection, lotus is hardy to shade but will suffer if it remains too cool in summer.
When the plant makes a couple of leaves on the surface of the water it is time to start feeding it with a very small amount of fertilizer mix which is added directly into the water or into the root zone at the base of the stems. When the plant starts producing more and larger leaves, especially ones that stand up out of the water you feed it with larger amounts of fertilizer.
Continue adding small amounts of fertilizer fortnightly, increasing amount or frequency in relation to the growth rate of the plant until you are adding about one tablespoon of fertilizer per 10 litres of water volume every 10 days to a fortnight. Towards the end of summer when growth begins to slow stop adding fertilizer, do NOT fertilize the plant through Autumn and Winter or when it is not growing actively. To create a Lotus fertilizer mix in a container mix up equal amounts of dynamic lifter( or a similar product) and blood and bone and store in a dry place to use during the season as needed. When adding to water it is best to moisten the mix first so it will sink and dissolve in the water.
During winter lotus leaves will die back to the roots in temperate climates. You can trim your lotus of brown leaves and stems but only once they have browned completely. New leaves should appear at some time in Spring or early summer depending on variety and climate.
Every two to three years you may want to empty out and clean your container and replant with just a few healthy tubers as lotus can suffer from over crowding if left without maintenance, especially in smaller containers and ponds.
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