Nelumbo nucifera
Lotus
Common names: Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Frost-sensitive
Photo: T.Voekler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Nelumbo nucifera, commonly known as the lotus, is a warm‑loving aquatic plant that produces large, shield‑shaped leaves that rise well above the water surface and striking pink to white flowers in midsummer. In a container pond on a balcony or terrace it thrives when sun and warmth are adequate. In Central Europe the rhizome does not survive the winter outdoors and must be wintered indoors in a frost‑free environment. After flowering, characteristic seed capsules form, which are also popular as dried decorations. The plant is a symbol of purity in many Asian cultures and is also used as a food source.
Care instructions
Plant the rhizome in a large pot with loamy soil (no compost) and place it flat in the pond so the leaf tips just barely protrude above the water. Choose a full‑sun, wind‑protected spot, as the lotus needs many warm hours for growth and flowering. Fertilize sparingly during the growing season with tablet‑form pond fertilizer pressed directly into the substrate. Before the first frost, remove the pot and winter the rhizome in a frost‑free, moist location (e.g., a cellar at 5 to 10 °C). Regularly remove wilted leaves and spent flower stems so the plant can redirect energy to new shoots.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJul–Sep
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, nutrient-rich, loamy, clayey
The sacred lotus grows as a marsh and water plant in the nutrient-rich mud at the bottom of a pond or tank, not in normal garden soil. A heavy, loamy to clayey substrate without gravel or sand holds the rhizomes firmly and stores nutrients well. The body of water above should be consistently warm and at least 40 to 80 cm deep all year round, so that the rootstock does not freeze through in winter. A pH of 6.0 to 7.5 in the substrate promotes strong growth.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Jul
As a heavy feeder, the sacred lotus welcomes well-rotted organic material during the growing season, worked directly into the substrate beneath the rhizomes. Compost or well-aged manure are suitable, but should never come into contact with the delicate shoots. From May to July a moderate top-up of organic material in the root zone is enough; after that you leave the plant to grow in peace. Too many nutrients in open water mainly promote algae, so feed sparingly and in a targeted way.
Overwintering
The sacred lotus is hardy as long as its rhizome lies in the substrate below the frost line, that is at least 40 cm below the water surface in sufficiently deep ponds. In shallow ponds or containers, the rhizome is better moved to a frost-free, cool and dark place, such as the cellar, where the substrate stays slightly moist. In early spring, as soon as no more severe frosts threaten, the plant goes back into warmer water. The leaves above the surface die back in autumn anyway and are replaced by new shoots only in spring.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
The most reliable method is division of the rhizome in early spring, as soon as new eyes become visible. Each piece needs at least one healthy eye and is carefully set into the nutrient-rich substrate without damaging the growing tip. Sowing from seed is possible, but much more protracted and only successful with a nicked or filed seed coat, since the hard coat otherwise absorbs hardly any water. Germinated seedlings first grow on in shallow, warm trays of water before they move to the larger pond. For named cultivars to come true to type, division is the more dependable choice.
For your garden
Grow Lotus yourself
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