Starting lotus seeds

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I have some lotus seeds I am going to start again this year. I've done it twice before, had luck with sprouting the seeds, but maybe had them too big before it was warm enough to move them outside, and none of them survived. I have 4 large pots that hold about 10 gallons or so each, and already have kitty litter in the bottom third of the pots. Wondering if those would be a good place to put the seedlings once they have sprouted, and what is the procedure to have the best luck moving them outside, and when (i.e. certain temperature and above, etc.)

I understand Mrs. Clem is a pro, so going to send her a PM and ask her to comment on here.
 
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Hey CE, My daughter brought me back lotus seeds from her trip to Amsterdam last year along with an engraved glass with my name on it from the Heineken facility there. I tried planting the seeds in some pea gravel and nothing happened. I made a small hole on one end like the instructions directed me, but maybe it was too small? I still have the container in my pond but i doubt anything will happen. Priscilla, I hope yours work out better than mine!
 

mrsclem

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I have some lotus seeds I am going to start again this year. I've done it twice before, had luck with sprouting the seeds, but maybe had them too big before it was warm enough to move them outside, and none of them survived. I have 4 large pots that hold about 10 gallons or so each, and already have kitty litter in the bottom third of the pots. Wondering if those would be a good place to put the seedlings once they have sprouted, and what is the procedure to have the best luck moving them outside, and when (i.e. certain temperature and above, etc.)

I understand Mrs. Clem is a pro, so going to send her a PM and ask her to comment on here.
Hey CE- Sorry your pm didn't go thru. The seeds need to have the outer layer cut open till you see the white center. I used my Dremel tool (held the seeds with plyers). Soak the seeds in warm water and change it as soon as it gets cloudy. Keep in a warm sunny location. It takes several weeks for the seeds to sprout. I moved mine to a larger container filled with water until secondary leaves appeared. Then planted in clay cat litter and kept outside in warm weather but out of direct sunlight until leaves were forming and coming up to the surface. the trick seems to be not to fertilize until the plants are well established I had mine in 2 gallon black plastic buckets. one you have several leaves at the surface move to a sunny location. I kept mine with 3-4" of water over the plants. I had several that were doing really great but so far none of my lotus are showing any sigh of life including several I have had for years. This winter was bad! Good luck growing lotus everyone!
 

addy1

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so far none of my lotus are showing any sigh of life including several I have had for years. This winter was bad!
We had to drain the lotus tank, one side decided to settle this winter, leaving us only 1/4 inch of safety before it would overflow. In doing so we had to remove all the pots the lotus were in. Heavy suckers. In doing so I decided to dump the big rope handled pots to check the tubers. The water did freeze to the bottom I stuck my poor arm in to feel where it stopped. To my shock the tubers were firm and showed signs of growth. They were 2.5 feet down right on the bottom of the tank.

So we dumped the big pots out and just put the tubers back into the tank. Two of the tuber clumps are showing some leaves coming up, just, two are not yet. So far just three leaves from one clump,one from another. I thought they were goners. I was going to change the tank over to lilies if they had

lotus1.JPG
 

mrsclem

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I have one more container to check but doubtful that it survived. Mine have survived being frozen solid the last few years but not looking good this year. At least most of my lilies survived.
 
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Keith, I suspect your water is wayyy too cold yet to have them sprout and survive. Once they are established, then they will handle the cold, or maybe I'm wrong on that. I will get my seeds started inside, and then move them outside in container "out of the sun", which is something I didn't do in the past, I always put them in the sunniest spot right away! Then put them in the sun as Mrs. Clem has suggested. I have 4 large pots that hold I'm guessing at least 10 gallons of water.
Mrs. Clem, do you have any water movement in your pots or just standing water? Does anything else grow well in the pots with the lotus? I'm thinking duck weed or azolla to help shade the water ...
Thanks so much for your info, too. I appreciate it!
(Not sure why I cannot PM you, either. Tried again today, your name pops up, but it says I'm not allowed to start a conversation with you. :( )
 

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I think mine have come back I have 12 leaves above the water but I have lilies in the pond also .I had lily leaves that did not just stay on top of the water last year they grew about 2 inches above the water and then flopped down to the water after they uncurled.I think these are lotus leaves they are higher .I have just an aerator hose in the lotus lily pond
 

mrsclem

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Keith, I suspect your water is wayyy too cold yet to have them sprout and survive. Once they are established, then they will handle the cold, or maybe I'm wrong on that. I will get my seeds started inside, and then move them outside in container "out of the sun", which is something I didn't do in the past, I always put them in the sunniest spot right away! Then put them in the sun as Mrs. Clem has suggested. I have 4 large pots that hold I'm guessing at least 10 gallons of water.
Mrs. Clem, do you have any water movement in your pots or just standing water? Does anything else grow well in the pots with the lotus? I'm thinking duck weed or azolla to help shade the water ...
Thanks so much for your info, too. I appreciate it!
(Not sure why I cannot PM you, either. Tried again today, your name pops up, but it says I'm not allowed to start a conversation with you. :( )
CE- most of mine were just in standing water. I did have that were in a separate section of my pond that has some water movement with several lilies.
 

addy1

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Give them time mrsclem, one of mine just started to send up one tiny leaf way down in the water. They are growing very very slowly.
 
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Our plants all started to grow a month ago, with a week of 70's, then poof, everything was put on stand-by, at least by me, because temps went down to 50's for highs. This week back up to 60's again, and next week solid 70's, maybe even 80 mixed in there. I suspect EVERYTHING, including the algae, will rally starting this weekend. Excited!!!
 

mrsclem

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I checked the last lotus pot yesterday, a 10 gallon pot on the hillside going down to the ponds. It was filled with leaves but when I stared to pull them out- Yah- lotus leaves! so far this is the only one but got my fingers crossed.
 

addy1

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Keep waiting, I figured for sure mine were dead. One, the biggest, has leaves out of the water, two have one or two leaves just leaving the clay, two no leaves seen yet, so waiting.
 

addy1

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@mrsclem, hope yours are coming back, all mine are showing leaves now, even one that I know froze solid, it was in the small preform, I forgot about it.
 

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