Plant Description
Rubies and Pearls Lotus
Rubies and Pearls Lotus is a gem of a lotus with stunning, deep, ruby-red, double blooms adorned with small, white 'pearls' on the tip of the petals. You will treasure this lotus for the magnificent bloom after incredible bloom all summer long! Rubies and Pearls Lotus blooms early and frequently throughout the season. Beautiful, emerald-green foliage is the perfect complement. Rubies and Pearls Lotus grows 4 feet tall or taller when grown in very wide containers. Rubies and Pearls Lotus will be the 'jewel' of your water feature!
Tall/Red/Double
Planting Instructions
Plant your lotus in a wide, no-holes container (24 - 48 inches wide, or wider) using loam soil. Dig a trench on the surface of the soil and gently place the lotus tuber in the trench. Cover all but the growth tips with an inch or two of soil--leaving the growth tips exposed. Carefully add 3 - 4 inches of water above the soil and place your lotus in a sunny location outdoors (8 + hours of sunlight). 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. Never fertilize your lotus until you have aerial leaves, as you may kill your lotus.
Fertilizing Instructions
Lotus are very heavy feeders! We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for ease of use, vigorous growth and best bloom! Start to feed your lotus with 1/2 the recommended dosage by pressing 3 - 5 fertilizer tabs near the roots of your lotus, taking care not to damage the roots. In a couple of weeks you may begin to feed your tall lotus specimen with 6 - 10 fertilizer tabs each month, June through September.
Pondmegastore Tip Lotus should be started and grown OUTDOORS in full sun. Lotus that are started indoors may become weak and die. We do not recommend trying to grow lotus indoors as lotus need very strong sunlight. Start your lotus in a wide, no-holes container in the month of May when nighttime temperatures are consistently in the 50's or warmer and the daytime temperatures are consistently in the 70's or warmer. Wide temperature fluctuations will slow down the growth of your lotus.
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!
