Bowl lotus

[CT]

Are bowl lotus tropical or hardy? How do I overwinter them? If they are of tropical origin will they survive in a greenhouse? Should I keep them up off the floor? Do they need a dormant period? Thanks for any help.
Kay

[Teresa]

Kay -
I have a bowl lotus that I leave outside all year round.  I all lotus are hardy perennials and do need a dormant period. 

[matherfish]

Kay, make sure that your lotus tubers do not freeze during the winter. You can move the pot to a deeper part of the pond, or keep the pot in a place where it will not freeze. I move mine into the greenhouse and allow them to go dormant, but not freeze. They are placed on the floor in the tubs they were potted in. Do not try to divide them or transplant them unless they are dormant. They do need a dormant period, or a time to rest. I do not know of a tropical bowl lotus, but chances are, you do not have a tropical lotus.  There are not a lot of them in the hobby in the US.
You may check with the person that gave you the lotus to find out for sure.

[CT]

Thanks for the information. The bowl lotus that I have came from you, Frank. So they are hardy. I'll put them in the greenhouse.
They didn't bloom this year but I imagine they will next year.
Thanks again. (good to see you here Teresa )
Kay

[matherfish]

Kay, The only tropical lotus I have is one that I did not try to sell this year, and it is called Cambodium Nellum. If it is one of the lotuses that you received from me, it definitely is hardy. If it did not bloom this year, it should bloom next year, and every year thereafter. I like the look of the plant itself, so I do not worry if they do not bloom the first year. The bloom is definitely better, though, and well worth waiting for. Sometimes plants just have to "settle in" and "stretch their roots" before they decide to bloom.  I am glad yours has done well in growing, and should store well over the winter.

[CT]

Good deal.  Thanks for selling such nice lotuses. I'm glad they are hardy. I wasn't sure what to do with them if they weren't.
Good luck with your September planting. I'll be interested to see how they do.
Kay

[LeeAnne151]

Do I let the water in the pot dry up? My greenhouse is heated, is that going to be a problem?

The lotus I tried to overwinter last year rotted. I kept the pot full of water three inches over the soil all winter.

[CT]

Leeanne,
   How warm does it stay in your greenhouse? I'm going to leave water over mine but I'll be interested to see what others think.
Kay

[matherfish]

LeeAnne, your lotus will die down during the winter, but the tubers should start growing in the spring. Sometimes a plant will die and not come back, but if you kept them in a greenhouse where the tuber cannot freeze it normally will survive. I keep water over my plants also about three inches deep. Do not let the tubers get dry.

[CT]

Frank,
  Can I move tubers before Fall to a smaller container for the winter? I have one that seems to be going dormant but the tubers are still firm.
Kay

[matherfish]

Once the plant is dormant, and the tuber is not growing, you can divide the tubers, or repot the tubers in a larger or smaller container. Just make sure the plant is dormant. Repot in a big enough container next spring before the plant comes out of dormancy.

[CT]

Thanks!
Kay

[LeeAnne151]

I keep my greenhouse above 55*.

Last year's lotus never sprouted this year and when I finally dumped out the pot it was a very stinky rotten mess. One of the worst rot smells I've ever smelled.

[CT]

One of mine did that. It is a horrid smell. I'm going to try to keep more of my tropical plants in there this year.
Kay

[Joyce]

I use a hand truck and move all mine into the attached garage for the winter.
All my lotus are in half barrels and other containers.
I stack the lighter ones atop the barrel containers using planks and plywood.
Including all my semi-tropical bog planters, mini hardy lilies, it all takes up one wall,
about 20 feet long and 3 feet wide.
The garage gets VERY cold, down to freezing quite a bit but never enough
to cause any ice on the stacked planters up against the back wall.
Our garage is built into the bluff/slope, so the back wall is insulated/underground and up against the basement wall.
I rarely add water...just keep the soil soggy-damp. No standing water needed.

Back at our old house, the garage was attached, but just by a tiny bit of house so it would freeze a bit too much.
We bought one of those space heaters with a thermostat setting which would keep the air just above freezing at all times.
We kept it on all winter, using the 2 car garage for our cars too, just opening the doors for a shot period to park or leave.
Did not notice a big increase in our electric bill either. 

I think if you do not keep lotus cold enough while dormant, they rot.
So a 55* greenhouse would be too warm because many bacteria and fungus are active at those temps, which will rot the tubers.
So the lotus must be kept very cold, as close to freezing as possible to keep the bacteria and fungus dormant too.
(which is how they overwinter ion their natural habitat)

[tinkster]

The first year I tried to keep mine in the pots in the basement which stays probably 40 degree.. they all rotted.  I have many tubs/containers of lotus and have never lost one that I left outside.  The ones that I have in pots, I just dig a small hole the size of the pot  and sit the pot down in the ground, some of my pots are very shallow so if its been super cold for long periods like 20 or so, I take a garbage bag of leaves and just lay over top the pots in the ground.  I keep a few bags of leaves just for that occasion but dont put them on unless its been very cold.    I believe leannne going by what mine did yours would defiantely rot at 55 degrees.

tink

[Vickie]

I have put lotus in my basement and the coldest it got was 55* or 50* and it was dark. I kept soil just damp. They did not rot. So it works sometimes for some people.

[LeeAnne151]

I'll just put it outside or in the shed and see what happens.