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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Question about fertilizing a small lotus bog

8 years ago

I have a lotus bog that is about 8 years old. It's a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank, sunk into the ground with soil added back to almost the top. For several years, it quit making blossoms. Last year, DH and I tore up about the top 1' of lotus roots and I began to fertilize it more aggressively with fruit tree fertilizer spikes. It made 1 blossom last year. Here's my question: I know with new lotus you're not supposed to fertilize them until they have at least 2 aerial leaves. But would that be true for this lotus bog too? Seems like it could stand the fertilizer now, but I'm not sure about that aerial leaves rule in this situation.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

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Comments (6)

tropicbreezent
8 years ago
I have a lotus pond that I first planted middle of last year. The lotus multiplied quickly spreading throughout the pond and then put out a lot of flowers. Recently they stopped flowering so I gave them 6 monsoon tablets (probably similar to your fruit tree fertiliser spikes). That was a week ago. They've put out another flower now, but that would have been on it's way before I gave the fertiliser. I understand that they do like a lot of fertiliser and probably yours will come good since you gave them that boost. Most likely because they had been so 'starved' they've just needed time to take it up. What you give them now would probably deliver results in the following season. That's often the case with plants that have storage organs.
catherinet
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks tropicbgreezent..........but do you think it's safe to fertilize the pond now (it's very early spring here) when it hasn't put out any leaves yet? They've always said never fertilize a lotus until it has aerial leaves.........but I'm thinking that's for small potted, new lotus.
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Hi Marcia, I live in zone 5 too. Up until recently, I have been just burying my lotus containers in the ground over the winter....not very deep......just below the soil surface, and then covering them with leaves. You have to water them several times during the winter, if they are in a protected area that doesn't get rain. Last April, we made a lotus bog. It is a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank that was sunk into the ground, and then dirt put back in to about 10" from the top, then filled with water. We just started it last April, so this is the first winter its gone through. It hasn't sprouted yet, but I'm sure it will. And it was ALOT of work to dig that big hole. Some people here have just dug a hole near their pond and keep the lotus in that (protecting it with mulch over the winter). I'm going to try that next year, but instead of just putting the container down in the hole, I bought a 40 gallon Tuff Stuff tank and will sink it into the ground, and then put a 25 gallon container of lotus into that one, making it easy to take it out to thin it, and then put it back in. Hopefully it will be okay over winters, with a layer of mulch/leaves over it. I was going to do it this year, but wasn't sure where I wanted the lotus, so I'm just keeping it on the ground this year, until I decide. I hope I haven't confused you.
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Please read the link to my fertilizing recipe, and most questions will be answered. But like any recipe, if you don't follow it exactly, such as using straight cow manure, disasters can result. Please don't blame me on your mistake(s)! kyponder posted the link above. Thanks kyponder! I try to repot every year. When I don't (like the last 2 years) because of my cancer battle, I just leave them be. They do OK and bloom a bit but by Mid August they are done and looking hungry. But my health comes first. This year I have had a chance to repot most. The others that were not repotted, I made four 12" deep holes with the handle of a shovel (equidistant from each other like north, south, east, west) and added about 1/8 cup in each, then stuffed them closed with my homemade compost and stopped off with a rock. I do not use plant spikes, tabs, tomato spikes, whatver the stuff is that is NOT time/temp senstive, so it dissolves too quickly and ends up causing fertilizer burn. And besides most people do not push them in deep enough, seal them off well enough, and a lot seeps out and causes algae blooms. It's also a lot more expensive to use spikes/tabs than my once a season Osmocote application. This is why I do the once a season Osmocote method. Saves time, money and work! :) But each to his own. Do what makes you happy, what works for you. My method seems to be working for me, as you can see from my photos. I am happy with it! :)
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Hi all, This is my first year with a lotus bog. It is a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktank sunk into the ground, and then about 14" of dirt put back in and about 8" of water on that. The lotus is doing great in there. Is it still important in the fall to keep leaves from falling into the bog, or would they decompose and be good for the soil in the bog?? Thanks.
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I use fertilizer tablets, lots bigger than stakes. I get them with no packaging from my pond club; they get them in bulk at the farm supply. They're slow release, so great for ponds, but all kinds of other plants like them, too.
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tropicbreezent
8 years ago
I'd leave it til they got the aerial leaves. As I mentioned, they'll have stored what you gave them last season and use it when they start to grow this coming season. The plant's main source of food is photosynthesis in the leaves. Fertiliers are sort of like 'vitamins' in a way, they assist the processes in the plant. They're most advantageous when the plant is in 'full production' with its leaves.
catherinet
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks tropicbreez! I guess I'm getting impatient with this cool weather and feel like I should be doing something! haha I'm aware of how aggressive lotus are, and I have concerns that the roots have replaced all the soil in this 300 gallon tank. If it continues to not make many blossoms, we may have to dig it all out and put in new soil.......which doesn't sound like a very fun job. (for my husband, that is!....haha). He's my slave and does a really good job of beating back the weeds, doing the hard physical labor, etc.

Thanks for your help tropicbreez!
tropicbreezent
8 years ago
"Patience Grasshopper!" (That's a line I heard in a movie but can't remember which.) Good luck with it, for the sake of your husband at least,LOL.
catherinet
Original Author
8 years ago
It was from the Kung Fu series! lol! I say that line myself!

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