Lotus Plant Description
Ancient Capital Maple Leaf Lotus is a tall, deep-red lotus with luxuriant, magenta-red blooms that adorn this magnificent specimen! Yellow-gold receptacles and handsome green foliage add just the right touch on this impressive lotus variety!
Tall
Deep-Red
Multi-Petal
How to plant your lotus
Plant your lotus in wide containers using loam soil. Fill the container 2/3 full with loam soil. Dig a trench across the surface of the soil and gently place your lotus tuber in the trench, taking care not to break or damage the growth tips. Gently cover all but the growth tips with an inch or two of soil, leaving the growth tips exposed. Add 5 - 6 inches of water above the tuber and place in a sunny location (8 - 12 hours of sunlight daily) outdoors. In a week or two you should have coin leaves on the surface of the water. A week or two after that you should have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves it is time to fertilize your lotus. We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs for optimum growth and best bloom.
How to fertilize your lotus
When you fertilize for the first time, use 1/2 the recommended dosage. Fertilize a second time two weeks after the first fertilizing with the recommended dosage of fertilizer. After this, fertilize once a month throughout the growing/blooming season. Fertilize for the last time in early September as this will allow your lotus to go dormant naturally.
Please read our complete planting guidelines included with your lotus order.
What Is Loam Soil?
Loam soil is a good mixture of Topsoil and Sand
If you are lucky enough to have good topsoil in your backyard, by all means, use your topsoil. All you will have to do is add fertilizer. If you are not so lucky--and your backyard is sand or heavy red or yellow clay, you can mix up a batch of loam soil.
You can create your own loam soil by mixing these two ingredients together
- 2/3 Inorganic Topsoil (Little or no organic material added)
- 1/3 Pool Filter Sand
Mix together thoroughly with a little water. Your soil should clump when squeezed. If your soil is mixed properly, it will not muddy your pond water.
You can purchase inexpensive bags of inexpensive / poor Topsoil at Lowes or Home-Depot. Good soil clumps together as a ball in your hand with only a little moisture.
Don't buy brands like Scott's or Miracle-Gro, as they will contain too much organic matter that can foul your water. Buy an unbranded bag of topsoil instead.
You can purchase Pool Filter Sand at any store that sells pool supplies.
Loam soil is well suited for all aquatic plants (except oxygenators). Oxygenators rarely need to be planted, just anchored in the substrate or in a container filled with sand or 1/8 inch pea gravel.
Sand holds little water but does allow for aeration and drainage.
Some DO's and DON'TS regarding Aquatic Planting Soil
DO NOT use potting soils ( as they are too light and will float right out of the pot). Potting Soil has organic material that will rot and foul your water!
DO NOT add too much composted material (as it is too rich in organic matter and it will ferment underwater and destroy the ecology of your pond).
DO NOT use 100% calcined clay as there is no nutritional value in calcined clay.
DO NOT add rocks, stones or pebbles to the top of your planting container as this will inhibit the growth of your plants. Plants do not grow in rocks and stones in nature!
DO NOT purchase API Aquatic Planting Media or Microbe-lift Aquatic Planting Media as these products are NOT suitable for waterlilies, lotus or most other pond plants. They are suitable for submerged grasses ONLY!
A new digital version of
Our new Lotus Booklet now comes FREE with all Lotus Purchases!
