Choosing a Pot

The right container is:

• Round
• Water tight
• Wide enough and deep enough
  

You want a circular container so your lotus roots can coil around the bottom. Because the roots grow horizontally, you will want something that is more wide than tall. As long as it’s the right shape and size, just about any water-retaining container will work. I’ve used ornamental ceramic pots, wine barrels, plastic buckets, Chinese foot bath tubs, and even plastic take-out food containers for the very smallest lotus. I like to use up what I have laying around, but if you want something tried and true, then go for something like this.

The container size will depend on the type of lotus. Wider is always better. Your lotus will have more room to spread and take longer to outgrow its pot. But the bigger the pot, the more soil and fertilizer you will need.

Follow this rough guide for MINIMUM size requirements:

 

• Micro 6” x 4”
• Small 12” x 6”
• Medium 15” x 8”
• Large 20” x 12”

Soil

Topsoil from your backyard (if you have one!) is usually the best option, so long as it is free from pesticides. I use a mix of clay and sand sourced from a local landscape supplier. Any combination of clay and sand will work. Do not use potting soil or organically enriched soil.

Full Sun

Lotus require six hours of direct sun a day to thrive and bloom. When lotus do not have enough direct sun, they often grow taller, but they produce less flowers. If you experience extreme heat, a bit of shade during the day can actually be a good thing. But in general, your lotus will thrive the more sun you give it.

Temperature

Lotus grow best in regions that have sustained temperatures of at least 75 degrees F for three months of the year. Plant your rhizome when nighttime temps hold above 50 degrees F. If you receive your Ubu lotus shipment before its warm enough, then keep the rhizome in the fridge. Do not let it dry out. Store it with wet paper towel in a sealed plastic bag until conditions are right to plant.

Handling Your Rhizome

When you order from Ubu Lotus, you will receive one bareroot rhizome for each unit purchased. They will be packaged in a sealed plastic bag and wrapped in bubble wrap or something else to keep them from jostling during shipment. Take extra care when you remove them from the bags.

***DO NOT BREAK THE GROWING TIPS***

Ubu sends rhizomes with at least two growing tips. You can see what those look like here on this Autumn in Moling rhizome. If you break them, the plant will not grow. 

 

Keep the rhizomes cold and moist until you are able to plant

If you need to wait to plant your lotus, make sure it is kept wet, either by storing it sealed in a bag with wet paper towel or by immersing it in water. You should keep it at refrigerator temps until you’re ready to go. This will ensure it does not break dormancy.

Planting : Step By Step

• Fill your container with 4 to 12 inches of soil, leaving at least two inches at the top for water.
• Work some water into the soil until you’ve got a pot of mud.
• With your hand, carve a groove into the mud about the size of your lotus rhizome, following the curve of your pot.
• Nestle the rhizome into the groove with the growing tips positioned upward. Gently push the mud around the sides. The rhizome should be partially buried with the growing tips exposed.
• [Optional] Anchor your rhizome in place with some U-shaped object. A bent stretch of wire, a broken piece of pottery, a landscaping clip. Or, use a carefully placed rock at the cut end of the rhizome. Do not scrape or puncture the rhizome and do not make contact with the growing tips. The anchor should only be tight enough to keep the rhizome from floating up, which can happen after a heavy rain, or as the soil in your pot settles. 
• Fill the pot with about an inch of water. Hold your hand, palm up, under the stream of water and pour slowly so that you disturb the soil as little as possible.
• DO NOT fertilize yet. See instructions for feeding below.
• As the first leaves emerge you can add more water. Bring it up to at least 2 inches of water over the soil. Do not exceed 19 inches for a mature plant. Smaller varieties require lower levels of water.

Next Steps

The first growth on your lotus will be small leaves that float on the surface of the water. These are your “coin” leaves. After about a week, you will get your first “aerial leaf.” It will grow on a stiffer stem and rise above the water. At this point you will start fertilizing. You will have many leaves before you see a bud. And then begins the agonizing wait for it to open. 

Fertilizer

Lotus are heavy feeders. They require twice as much fertilizer as water lilies to reach peak blooming. However, timing is important. You need to start and stop feeding them at the right points in the growth cycle.

After planting, when you have either three floating coin leaves OR your first aerial leaf, it’s time to start fertilizing. At Ubu, we use Pondtabbs, applied every three weeks. But there are other equally suitable products. Follow the dosing recommendation for your product. Keep in mind that your lotus will use more fertilizer as it grows, and use your instincts to adjust the dose with the level of growth. If you see yellowing in the newly sprouted leaves, you are feeding too heavily.

Stop fertilizing your lotus a few weeks before the end of the season. Give it enough time to exhaust the supply in your soil. This will encourage the plant to begin bulking up its rhizomes for winter storage.