Help with lotus plants.

[big ron]

My lotus plants have a lot of coin leaves but no aerial leaves as yet. My understanding is after 2-3 aerial leaves you can then start fertilizing. My question is will these plants bloom this year as they appear to be small compared to the other ones I have seen ? Maybe after ferts they will hopefully take off. This is my first year with them and I am trying to get the beautiful blooms I have seen with others. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[mrsclem]

Are these plants from seeds this year? I am just starting to get aerial leaves on my seedlings and have been fertilizing. Hoping to get some blooms but the plants are still small. I divided my older plants this spring and am now seeing buds.

 

[Mayank]

Ours has two aerial leaves and yesterday I noticed a small bud! I started it from a rhizome last year, did not expect it to flower, and it pushed out four blooms last year.
Our other one was bought from a nursery, seemed older and well established, lots of aerials last year, ZERO blooms. This year it already has a ton of aerial leaves, no bloom yet (but it is early in the season). If it doesn't flower this year, I'm moving on. I mean there is only so much real estate available in the pond and I can't have a non-blooming lotus just chillin' there LOL.

 

[mrsclem]

Lotus don't have to be in a pond- mine are all in 20 gallon containers with the exception of my 75 gallon preform.

 

[big ron]

Are these plants from seeds this year? I am just starting to get aerial leaves on my seedlings and have been fertilizing. Hoping to get some blooms but the plants are still small. I divided my older plants this spring and am now seeing buds.

No these plants were bought at the end of the season last year. I divided them and started them this April.

 

[mrsclem]

They should be a lot further along than that. How deep did you plant the tubers?

 

[big ron]

They should be a lot further along than that. How deep did you plant the tubers?

The tubers were planted about 1"-1 1/2" under the dirt, just enough to keep them from floating.

 

[big ron]

They should be a lot further along than that. How deep did you plant the tubers?

 

[big ron]

Finally got blooms and lots of them ( Empress Lotus ). What should I do with the stem after they bloom. Cut it off above the water line ??

 

[Mayank]

Wow in two weeks you went from no aerial leaves to lots of blooms!? Post some pics please.

 

[Mayank]

Ours today

 

[mrsclem]

Do not cut them off!! The center is where you will get your seeds from.

 

[Mayank]

Do not cut them off!! The center is where you will get your seeds from.

Are the seeds really useful? I thought of saving them last year but I think birds are them. If I was to try and grow more lotus wouldn't it be quicker to just use the roots that are already escaping the pot and starting to spread over the liner?

 

[mrsclem]

You can divide the tubers in the spring or start seeds. This year I did both. You don't want to cut any stems until the plant has completely died back in the fall. People actually pay money for the dried seed heads! They can get quite large, 4-6".

 

[big ron]

Wow in two weeks you went from no aerial leaves to lots of blooms!? Post some pics please.

I did have a few aerial leaves , but then three blooms started on one plant and 2 on the other after applying fertilizer. Pretty