Just got my Tricker's catalog today!

[Lisak1]

@Lisak1 have you had luck with lotus tubers? I've heard they are very delicate to start from tuber. I found some lotus in a lake and pulled a tuber, another one found tuber floating from a boat stirring them up and yanking a couple out. Both plants are growing, but neither have ever bloomed, and it's been 3 years for one and 4 for the other. Maybe this year one will bloom ...

We have, but I'll be honest - my daughter is the lotus grower. She follows all the "lotus rules" for fertilizing. But every tuber she's planted has flowered prolifically. We have some in pots in the pond and some in pots near the pond - all do beautifully. Probably because I leave them alone!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I've been to Trickers and it's awesome. Big old farm house and lots and lots to look at.

Tons of fish and plants as well as other supplies. I bought two of the yellow goldfish (I think they call them sunburst) they have kept their color for a few years now.

Fish and plants were all healthy. Bring lots of money

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Not the best picture but you can see one of the yellows in it

 

[addy1]

We have some in pots in the pond and some in pots near the pond - all do beautifully. Probably because I leave them alone!

I never touch my lotus, no fertilizing , dividing etc. They just bloom and bloom and bloom and grow of course. lol

 

[cas]

some in pots near the pond

How big are the pots Lisak1?

 

[Lisak1]

Hmmmm...how can I describe the size. I'm terrible with measurements. (Although I can pick the EXACT size container you will need for your leftovers - that's my super power!)

I know! I'll find a picture -

OK so the black one at the left is one of those standard plastic lily and lotus pots you can buy at pond stores. It's maybe 18 inches across the top. That one was new last year - beautiful pink and yellow flowers. That one stayed right there all summer. Not the prettiest pot, but the plant was so lovely you really didn't notice!

The other two beige colored ones are about 16 inches across - those are the two that went into the pond. We overwintered those two in the house the first two years. We were waiting for them to get a bit larger as the koi do find lotus root to be very yummy! Once they get aerial leaves they don't bother them anymore for some reason. And you can't see pot number 4 - it's behind that big blue pot in the front. That had a teacup lotus which was also really pretty snow white.

We had a 5th one that never bloomed and ironically was the only one that my daughter bought already potted and growing...and paid about $70 for - she was rather disappointed about that one needless to say. Hopefully it will come back this year and flower for us. All of these are overwintering in the pond this year - we tried it for the first time last year and they all came back, so we won't bother bringing them inside again.

The big blue pot in the front did have lotuses the two years prior, but it got to be too big of a pain to get them out in the fall so we stopped using it for a lotus pot. It was GORGEOUS when it bloomed! That was our first lotus attempt and it was addicting!

 

[cas]

Thanks @Lisak1 . I thought the lotus would need larger pots. I would love to try growing one. (A cheaper one. Not at $70 one. )

 

[CountryEscape]

So, you or your daughter raised all of them by seed, and they did better than the one you bought? Is that right? And, do you put them all in the pond so they don't freeze, or didn't you say some of them you leave outside the pond all winter? I have never seen them for sale at any store I've gone to, funny you find them in Northern IL! Anyone know of a reputable place to buy one cheaper than $70 (like $30 or less ... LOL) that is already growing? Maybe I need to check Craigs List this summer.

 

[sissy]

I got my seeds online the only problem I have is someone comes over for fish that I know and they say what plant is that and I give it to them .Then I start another one .I started 2 in the basement this year

 

[CountryEscape]

Sissy, tell me the process of growing them from seeds. I have some seeds someone gave me, and I'll try them again, but need to know the particulars to have them succeed after they sprout. I had no trouble sprouting them. However, when I tried to put them outside (maybe it was still too cool?) or plant them in a pot, they died pretty soon after.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh, sorry! That was confusing. My daughter found someone on Craigslist who was selling lotus tubers for $5 a piece. This lady had a whole backyard full of them, growing in her pond, pots, trash cans, buckets... she was a real lotus lover. It was kind of a crapshoot what you were going to get as she wasn't what you would call organized! So each of those pots was just one good sized tuber to start. We put those pots right in the pond (on a shelf about 16" deep) all summer and then last year decided to try overwintering a couple in the pond. So those two pots are two year old lotuses and stayed in the pond all winter. We dropped them down a bit so they stay well below the ice. The black pot is a different variety from the same lady and was new last year. She gave her several big tubers in exchange for some pond plants.

The one she paid $70 for she actually found at a nursery near Bloomington-Normal. And the very first lotus she grew cost over $100! It was a gift from her brother - some special variety from somewhere or another. Gorgeous, but tooooo much money! That one died after the pot cracked and all the water seeped out and the tuber froze. We had moved it to the garage - which was a big pain - and it would have been fine had the pot not failed. That was a sad day!

Here's what they look like in the pond - there's so much green here it's hard to see! They are just to the left of the waterfall.

Here they are before we moved them into the pond:

Here's a picture of the first one we grew - the Big Money Lotus. It was beautiful!

 

[sissy]

I just put them in a glass in my kitchen window and changed the water everyday .They need sun .You have to sand the one end of the seed off .I sand both ends off this way it gives the seed a better chance to sprout because half the time I can't tell which end you are supposed to do

 

[Jo Anne]

I was going to start a new thread but I saw this one about a catalog. Where I live there are no pond plants to be had but our weather is ready! The Nurseries don't get them until April; way too late. So, do y'all have suggestions of places that you like to shop that give good quality plants this time of year. I ordered on line several years ago and they all died.

 

[CountryEscape]

What kind of pond plants are you looking for? Some of the members on here divide lilies and other pond plants every year, so some may have them. However, most of us aren't getting into our ponds anytime soon to divide plants. LOL The water is still pretty cold. I'm in zone 6a south central IL. Where are you located, Jo Anne that you are ready for plants already?
@sissy I've done that with the seeds, and had them sprout just fine. What I need to know is what do you do with them after they have sprouted? Do you plant them into clay/sand/soil? and do you keep them below water line, I assume?
@Lisak1 those are gorgeous, and it looks like they are just in oil pan sized containers. I have several big pots that don't have holes in them, a few that get water/ice and they have not broken. If that was a ceramic pot, that's why it broke if it was where it could freeze. A trick I learned at a little seminar at a landscaping place is to line your ceramic pots with bubble wrap, then add the soil and plants. This way the soil can expand and won't break the pot. So far it has worked well. Those ceramic pots are too heavy to move! I'll be interested to hear how the ones did you put in her pond . And, that pond is gorgeous! OMG, so much attention to detail. My pond just looks ... wild. LOL

 

[Lisak1]

If that was a ceramic pot, that's why it broke if it was where it could freeze.

Actually we had moved it to the garage which was definitely a challenge since it was full of water! But that plant was just too pretty - it was worth the extra effort. Tragically, SOMEONE (ssshhhhh... it was my husband) tapped the pot with the car because he HAD to pull in just a tiny bit farther and that was enough to crack the pot. We didn't notice until the next day and by then the whole thing was a frozen mass. So sad.

This is the second year we've overwintered the lotuses in the pond. As long as they are below the ice, they should be fine.