Hailstorm damages lotus

[greatbarrierreef]

My lotus plant suffered a sudden hailstorm, which poured down for several minutes earlier today, and completely chopped up the leaves. It already had some pre-existing damage from what is believed to be caused by insect larvae (I made 2 posts about that over the last few days). Should I prune a few of the most heavily damaged leaves or let them be and see what happens? Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Bonus question: I’ve noticed that the leaves seem to be a popular landing/visiting site for paper wasps (or they might even be yellow jacket wasps). Do they pose any threat to the leaves or are just harmless?

 

[addy1]

I would leave them, the plant needs them to keep growing well. After a while you won't even see them.

 

[greatbarrierreef]

I would leave them, the plant needs them to keep growing well. After a while you won't even see them. View attachment 130993

Wow, is this recent? They look great and are thriving so well! I started up a seed on June 20th just in case my older one (the one in the post) doesn't make it through the following weeks, so it is basically a backup. Is June 20th too late to start a lotus?

 

[addy1]

Wow, is this recent? They look great and are thriving so well! I started up a seed on June 20th just in case my older one (the one in the post) doesn't make it through the following weeks, so it is basically a backup. Is June 20th too late to start a lotus?

That was a picture I took yesterday. I started all mine from tubers that I bought so not sure about seeds. But if it is growing let it grow, it will create a tuber. You just need to make sure the tuber is deep enough when winter hits that it does not freeze. Mine stay outside year round in a 300 gallon stock tank, fed water via a T from the big pond.

They are in kitty litter, never fed, never cleaned, the litter stinks if disturbed. I let the plants rot that fall in the water, I do let the leaves die as winter comes and do cut the off once the stem is dead, i.e. brittle and brown, not before.

Best to never cut off leaves, the stems are hollow, the water will go down the stem and might rot the tuber.

 

[greatbarrierreef]

That was a picture I took yesterday. I started all mine from tubers that I bought so not sure about seeds. But if it is growing let it grow, it will create a tuber. You just need to make sure the tuber is deep enough when winter hits that it does not freeze. Mine stay outside year round in a 300 gallon stock tank, fed water via a T from the big pond.

They are in kitty litter, never fed, never cleaned, the litter stinks if disturbed. I let the plants rot that fall in the water, I do let the leaves die as winter comes and do cut the off once the stem is dead, i.e. brittle and brown, not before.

Best to never cut off leaves, the stems are hollow, the water will go down the stem and might rot the tuber.

Thank you for the helpful tips . Okay, so then I'm just going to let it grow to form a tuber and keep as many of the leaves as possible, unless they are clearly dead. I'm keeping mine in a 14-inch diameter clay pot (as seen in the picture) that I bought for it, which should be fine since it's a dwarf lotus. I was thinking of transferring this one to a plastic container I have and give the newer one priority by potting it in the clay pot once the roots start coming out. Thoughts?

Also here is an update since yesterday:

 

[addy1]

give the newer one priority by potting it in the clay pot once the roots start coming out. Thoughts?

Nice now another tip they do not like being messed with once they are growing for the season. A real easy way to kill the plant. Best to have it where you want it for the summer and leave it be.

 

[AlyssaFish]

Paper wasps are not a danger to the plant. They land on the leaves so they can fill up with water, which they have to use to make their nests. I always get swarms of paper wasps visiting my pond every year, and they never hurt anything.

 

[greatbarrierreef]

Nice now another tip they do not like being messed with once they are growing for the season. A real easy way to kill the plant. Best to have it where you want it for the summer and leave it be.

I see. To give some background, I had transferred this lotus to its current clay pot about 1 month into starting the seed (I will attach a picture of it before I made the switch). Since then it has been experiencing issues with insect larvae, a pruned leaf stem rotted underwater and detached, and it endured a hailstorm. I don't see much activity of new stems emerging from the soil, except for the unopened leaf in the top right of the picture in my previous reply. Now I am torn between giving it a chance and letting it be, or transferring it back to a plastic container to see how it holds up and giving the new sprouting lotus the opportunity to occupy the larger clay pot in hopes that it develops better than the other. I have no prior experience with lotuses and would like to know what your take on it is. Thanks in advance!

 

[addy1]

@mrsclem maybe she will chime in. I had only one seed grow and it died, so not much experience with seeds. She has started them.

 

[mrsclem]

I would just let it be. You take a chance of damaging the plant by moving it. Give it time and once you get a couple of aerial leaves you can start to fertilize it.

 

[Lin]

My lotus plant suffered a sudden hailstorm, which poured down for several minutes earlier today, and completely chopped up the leaves. It already had some pre-existing damage from what is believed to be caused by insect larvae (I made 2 posts about that over the last few days). Should I prune a few of the most heavily damaged leaves or let them be and see what happens? Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Bonus question: I’ve noticed that the leaves seem to be a popular landing/visiting site for paper wasps (or they might even be yellow jacket wasps). Do they pose any threat to the leaves or are just harmless?
View attachment 130967View attachment 130968View attachment 130969

That is so sad. Poor pads. I agree with mrsclem. New ones will grow and the Bees need them to land on to get a drink without drowning. Bees need all the help we can give them to stay hydrated and will not harm plants. I see a beautiful pad already starting to form.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention it. The damage you think is from insect larv. In my pond it is usually those awful aphids. Flip the pad over and see if any are there. They are gooey and kind of a light brown in my pond. Wipe them off with a tissue and don't let any get back in the water. Repeat wiping as often as you see them. Keep an eye on the flipside of the pads as that is where trouble always seems to start.