Pink and Gold Lotus
Plant Description
Pink and Gold Lotus is marvelous in subtle shades of light-yellow to cream inner petals with soft-pink tips and yellow-gold receptacles and anthers. An Exquisite of Bowl Lotus with dainty flowers on this fairy-like lotus specimen. Pink and Gold Lotus is resplendent in every way and looks splendid in small containers on your patio! Grows to 2 feet tall if grown in wide containers that are 11 - 20 inches in diameter. Pink and Gold Lotus also be grown as an Exquisite of Bowl Lotus when grown in a smaller container.
Exquisite of Bowl-Dwarf/Versicolor/Single
Planting Instructions
Plant this tiny specimen in a wide (11 - 20 inches wider or wider) container using loam soil. Dig a small trench in the soil and carefully place your tuber in the trench with growth tips pointing up. Be careful not to damage or break the growth tips. Bury all but the growth tips with two inches of soil and carefully add a couple of inches of water above the soil. Place your container in full sun outdoors (8 - 12 hours of sunlight daily). Remember to replace any water that evaporates from the container, keeping a consistent amount of water above the soil. In a week or so you should have small coin leaves on the surface of the water, a week or so after that you should have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves, it is time to fertilize.
Fertilizing Instructions
Lotus are very heavy feeders! We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates. We recommend them for ease of use, optimum growth and best bloom! Simply take 2 fertilizer tabs and press them into the soil around the roots of your lotus, being careful not to damage the roots. Do this each month during the growing/blooming season (June through September). Your lotus should grow and bloom the very first year! If your lotus leaves become chlorotic, simply add another fertilizer tab to your fertilizing regime.
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!
