Here ya go Ele Jefe/Andy...
I tend to give my lotus a LOT of room compared to what I see here on the pond forums.
But then again, I get more blooms. Hmmmm...bigger pots...more blooms.
I see people starting lotus in what I consider small pots (12-18"),
and they seem to be happy with a few blooms all summer.
I start most of mine in half barrels. (or any container the size of a half barrel)
I get lots of pad growth, and LOTS of blooms
all summer, cuz the lotus has LOTS of nutrient rich soil.
The half barrels are lined with half barrel liners I buy at Home Depot or Lowes.
Then I fill them with compost, or with
composted cow manure.
Make sure the cow manure is composted.So many people have read my directions wrong and used straight cow manure.
Straight cow manure will kill your lotus.If it smells like poop, it isn't composted.
If it smells like high quality potting soil...it's composted.
Simple. Easy. Foolproof...apparently not.
For the past 2 years I have been making my own compost,
and mixing that with a little composted cow manure.
This year I will plant as many as I can with my own compost, no composted manure until I run out of my compost.
I always throw in about a half cup of
Veggie Formula (14-14-14) Osmocote (Multicote is another brand name that works as good, formula is a bit richer, something like 17-17-17 and it is usually a bit cheaper than Osmocote)
on the bottom of the container/pot*.
(*For the half barrel sized liner. Smaller pots get less Osmocote, read the directions on the Osmocote label!)
I do not mix the Osmocote in with the soil, because I believe the Osmocote granules near the surface of the soil can leach out, and cause excessive algae to bloom in the water. The algae starts way before the lotus starts to grow, and can smother the new lotus shoots. It takes at least a month for the Osmocote to seep up through the soil from the bottom of the pots, and by then, your lotus tuber has rooted, put up some pads, and is looking for more food. It is ready for the supplemental nutrients from the Osmocote.
I top off the compost with pea gravel, only cuz I like the look while the lotus is getting established.
And I use the gravel to weigh down the tuber.
When you use Osmocote, the Osmocote will fertilize your lotus for the rest of the season (4 months),
you don't have to do any monthly fertilization.
This saves you money too, since only one application is necessary for the entire season,
instead of monthly applications of spike or tabs, which if overdone, can burn your lotus to death.
(speaking from experience here
)
Besides saving money, it saves you time and effort.
If you want another way to plant lotus, dig a hole in the ground, at least 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep, and drop a pond liner into it.
Fill it with compost, put your lotus tubers on the top of the soil, and then gently cover them with a 1-2" layer of pea gravel.
You can cover the edges of the pond liner with rocks, and plant the edges with perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers.
In the winter, to insulate it you can cover it with a piece of plywood, and put some bagged lawn leaves over it.
Make sure all your lotus pots and ponds are in full sun. I know the way I grow lotus is not for everyone.
Big pots of lotus are hard to move around.
I have a big strong husband, and I am a professional landscape designer,
with access to a lot of hard working Guatemalans,
They help me move my lotus pots into our attached garage for the winter.
Most of my pots can be easily moved with a hand truck by my husband,
with me opening the garden gates and helping him 'steer'.
Marla, haven't potted the new lotus up yet, still floating in a bucket in the garage.
I think I'll use a quarter cup of Osmocote.
