Fire Crane Lotus Plant Description
Fire Crane Lotus adds a delightful POP of color to the edge of your pond or in containers placed in a sunny area of your deck or patio! This small, red, multi-petaled lotus blooms beautifully throughout the summer in rich shades of red! This is a dependable bloomer and blooms consistently throughout the summer. A much better bloomer than Momo botan. Dwarf/Red/Double
How to plant your lotus tuber
Plant your lotus tuber in a wide, no holes container using loam soil. For small or dwarf lotus we recommend a 16 - 20 inch in diameter or wider container. Fill the container 3/4 of the way full with loam soil. Dig a shallow trench with your hand in the surface of the soil. Gently place the lotus tuber in the trench and cover the tuber with an inch of soil, while leaving thee growth tips exposed. Gently add 3 - 4 inches of water above the soil. Place the container where it will receive 8 - 12 hours of sunlight daily. 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 you may fertilize your lotus with a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs.
How to fertilize your lotus
Do not fertilize until you have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves you may begin with 1/2 dose of the recommended dosage. Two weeks after the initial dose you may fertilize your lotus again with the full recommended dosage. After that, fertilize once a month. Your last dose should be in early September. This allows your lotus to do into dormancy naturally.
Please read our Lotus Planting Guidelines included in each 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!
