Problem Encountered While Overwintering Lotus

[greatbarrierreef]

I have been overwintering my Lotus since mid-November in the garage. It wasn't until yesterday that I noticed a white film around the rim of my pot and on 2 stems that hadn't finished sprouting, which I assumed to be mold (although I'm not 100% sure and it might very well not be). I panicked and decided that I would instead try the method where you harvest the tuber and store it in something like a Ziploc bag until the spring. So I flipped the Lotus out of the pot and onto a plastic bag, where I would gently wash away as much of the soil as I could with a hose. After that I was left with the tuber attached to a nest of roots that still had some soil/clay trapped inside. I was relieved that the tuber showed no signs of rot/mold and seems to be in good condition. However, I regretted going through this entire process (I hope nothing was damaged during the cleanup) after seeing that the tuber was fine and since I'm not entirely confident in how to separate the tuber correctly, considering it's my first year growing and overwintering a Lotus. I ended up putting the tuber, along with its bundle of roots, back in the pot and filled it back up with water. Now I am unsure on whether I should go through with the harvesting method or if I can safely keep it the way it is now until spring comes around. Opinions or advice on what to do is welcome and much appreciated!

 

[mrsclem]

You would probably be ok to leave it as it is. The big concern is that the tuber does not freeze.

 

[greatbarrierreef]

You would probably be ok to leave it as it is. The big concern is that the tuber does not freeze.

Okay. I hope that there being hardly any soil won't be an issue. I will have to insulate the pot more as the tougher winter months are ahead.
Do you happen to have any experience with dividing lotus tubers? And know any good visual demonstrations on how to properly do it? I wanted to have that handy in case I choose to repot in the spring.

 

[addy1]

Look at the you tube videos there are a lot on how to divide, you mainly want to divide before they start growing.
The few times I divided I just clipped the skinny root looking thing between the two tubers. Mine just now grow without me touching them, ie I don't divide.

 

[Lisak1]

YouTube is indeed your friend. And you have time to study before you need to do anything. They're dormant right now - soil or water, doesn't matter. Just don't let the tuber freeze and you'll be fine.

Having said that, don't be discouraged if your first attempt at overwintering isn't successful. We've been doing this for about six years now and some years we have 100% success and others we have to start all over in the spring. Lots of factors that you can't control, so you just do your best and keep your fingers crossed!

 

[mrsclem]

Agree with checking out Youtube videos. I divided a small 5 gallon pot of lotus last spring. I got 7 plants out of it but had I studied the video more, would have had double that.