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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

My lotuses: Small Leaves on some and never any flowers on all

15 years ago

Since the spring of 2006 I brought 4 lotuses from www.waterplants.com and the tubers came in top shape. 2 Plants (Empress and Frankly Scarlet) got potted in 5 gallon, 12inch pots and were sunk into my 160 pond which is situated on the west wide of my house getting about 6 inches of water above the tubers. The other 2 plants (Mrs. Perry D Slocum and Red Scarf) were planted in 5 gallon 7 inch bowls that have about 2 inches of water above the tubers and are standing out in full sun at my grandparents (1 block away)

There are 2 problems I'm facing:

All 4 simply just have never flowered for me ever since I brought them. I just don't know what the problem is. I fertilized them once a month with the water lily tabs and follow the dosage. They are also planted in cow manure and receive plenty of sunlight.

While the 2 lotuses at my house are growing big enough to make any lotus grower proud (They have 5ft leaves and have even escaped out of the pots I grew them in so now I have to untangle them when they are dormant), The 2 at my grandparents house have extremely small leaves. All are 5 or less inches in diameter and rarely ever form aerial stalks. I just don't understand why. I was hoping this would be the results of my grandparents plants because they are both planted in the same bowl as this lotus here http://www.victoria-adventure.org/lotus_images/lotus_rs.html

Any ideas as to why this is happening? I live in Los Angeles in southern califonia and have never seen one flower bud form or any large leaves on my grandparents plants for the three years i've grown them all of them.

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Comments (5)

catherinet
15 years ago
Hi goldtrap,
I really think your whole problem is that your containers are too small. I use 18" diameter by 8" deep pots, and I still have to repot them almost every year. I'm not familiar with all of your lotus varities, but I do have Mrs. Perry D. Slocum and it is a tremendous grower.
Buy bigger containers, dump your lotus out in your slowest season (not sure what that is in zone 10), harvest 1 good tuber with 2-3 eyes on it, and repot).
Fertilize them all when you have about 6 floaters, or add fertilizer to the soil when planting (see Joyce's instructions in the Gallery section).
When you plant the tubers, just lay them on the top of the soil and anchor them with a landscape staple or a small rock.
I really think if you do these things, you'll get blooms......but maybe not until the year after.
You are going to have to thin your lotus every year or 2. When the roots are crowded, they can't even think about using what little energy they have to reproduce (by making a blossom). When you dump your's over, you'll find no soil.......just roots and tubers.
There's various posts here about how to thin lotus, if you need help with that.......or just ask.
Good luck!
nancyd
15 years ago
Two things caught my attention. I fertilize twice a month and use heavier clay soil - just your typical backyard stuff, not enriched in any way. I've been told by many lotus growers that lotus love the heavy soil and not to enrich it in any way. No compost, manure or potting mix. Keep it simple.
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goldtrap2690
Original Author
15 years ago
I don't think repotting right now is a good idea. They are in full growth and turning over the pots would make quite a mess (since the soil is like slike sloppy mud) and break the leaves already there.

I did fertilize them again making it twice a month already so I'll just wait and see what happens.
catherinet
15 years ago
Oh goldtrap, I didn't mean to repot them now. You need to do it when you are in your "winter" there....when they might be dormant. Absolutely not now!
Fertilizing them might not do much, since they are probably getting strangled in their roots, but I suppose its better than nothing. Just hang in there, and I'm sure after you repot them in their dormant state, they will really come back strong next year. Good luck!
goldtrap2690
Original Author
15 years ago
Oh silly me, lol, thanks

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