How to harvest and divide lotus rhizomes

GianlucaJanuary 7, 2018Lotus, Uncategorized0 comments

Lotus is one of the most well known water plants, you can grow them in small and big pot, even in terrace or balcony without any problem.

Various are flower colors and plant size, starting from plants that can grow up to 2 meter high below water level and small plants that can grow up to 20-30 centimeters high and grow in small pots.

Best time to divide lotus plants is the beginning of spring, just finished cold season, when the plants has got dry stems and leaves, and not yet started to grow.
Cold season is necessary to grow new rhizome, where start with the new plant in spring.
If grown in small pot like the ones in the movie and pictures is necessary transplant every year.
To transplant and divide is necessary the pot with the plant to transplant, garden scissors, a hose for the water and lot of care to avoid rhizome broken.
Place the pot with the plant on a raised surface, cut away all the dry leaves and stems.
Remove rot leaves and surface roots.

Remove water in the pot and turn it backwards on a plain surface.
Remove the pot and the clod of soil with the lotus will be upside down on the work plan.

Using the hose rinse away the soil with the water, helping with hands if necessary, to remove all the possible soil.

When everything is clean enough is possible harvest the rhizomes looking for the white part, that are the new rhizome.
They must be cutted with the scissors after at least two knots of the rhizome, pay attention not to break the growing tips where will start the new plant.

Harvested the good rhizomes throw away the old roots, dark and rot.
To plant is enough use one only good rhizome, place it on the bottom of the empty pot, add some clay or muddy soil.

Broke two or three pondtabbs on the just put soil and add some more soil.

Label the pot with the name of the variety inside or outside the pot.
Add water to fill the pot.

The pot prepared this way can be placed where you like waiting first warm days of spring, when the plant will start to grow and develop.

To have a good quantity of flowers is necessary fertilize placing two or three pondtabbs, depending on the size of the pot, each 15 days starting when the plant will develop the first raised leaves over the water.
Is necessary use fertilizer until the plant will grow, for about 2-3 months.