Beauty Gui Lotus: From bud to bloom, this bi-color lotus is perfect! It flowers early and often, has dark, blue-green leaves and the flowers stand high above the sumptuous foliage. Creamy-white petals are kissed with a rich pink hue over the petal tips. Long, wide petals open to perfectly formed flowers. Buds are in creamy white and pink hues as well. This tall, versicolor lotus makes a splendid addition to your water garden feature.
Plant Height: Large/ Tall (48"+)
Flower Color: Versicolor, White with Pink
Flower Type: Single (less than 25 petals)
Pot Size: 18" or wider, 12"-18" deep
Updated Planting Information
***Keep the shipping box with the tubers in your refrigerator until outside temperatures are proper for planting. Planting a divided tuber too early or indoors will result in the death of the tuber. They should be planted when days are in the upper 70s or low 80s consistently. Cool nights will rot the tubers. Never start a lotus indoors, these tubers need full, direct sunlight. (Lotus need at least 8 hours of direct sunlight daily to grow and bloom--10 - 12 hours of sunlight is better!)
- A Heavy Loam topsoil from gardens or a backyard is good soil for Lotus and other Aquatics Plants.
If you live in an area without good garden topsoil avoid most anything bagged as it has too much organic material and mulch debris for aquatic plants.
A mix of 30% pool sand (pool sand is available where pool supplies are sold and is rinsed to prevent a cloudy appearance).
30% Sifted topsoil (sifted from landscape supply centers or your backyard topsoil if it is a healthy topsoil).
and 30% dampened peat. Work in the moisture with your hands, you want it wet but not soggy.
Fill your solid pot or container properly with enough of the mixed planting medium to support the lotus. A taller lotus should have at least 7 to 9 inches of planting medium in the container.
Dig a trench on the surface of the soil with your hand and gently place the lotus tuber in the trench with the growth tips facing up. Gently cover the lotus tuber with an inch or two of soil, while leaving the growth tips exposed. (See planting video)
Gently add the correct amount of water above the soil in the container, taking care not to disturb the soil.
Mini Lotus can only tolerate 2 inches of water above the soil.
Medium Lotus can only tolerate 4-5 inches above the soil.
Large Lotus can tolerate water as much as a foot between the soil and the surface of the water-- but do much better in 6-7 inches of water-- if you can manage that.
NEVER FERTILIZE A LOTUS BEFORE YOU HAVE 5 floating pads OR at least two pads standing above water.
The first two doses of fertilizer will be half doses, we suggest WaterlilyWorld Pond Tablets.
Fertilize every two weeks during summer, we suggest the 1st and 15th of each month.
If growing in pots outside the pond, gently flush the pots for 4-5 minutes with a garden hose at least once a month to get rid of fertilizer salts and heavy minerals that can build up and yellow your lotus leaves from continual evaporation. This is very important if you want the lotus to stay green and flower well into late summer. (Take care not to disturb the soil when gently flushing salts and minerals from the container.)
Trim back spent flowers and brown leaves as needed but always trim above the waterline during growing season.
Lotus should be placed in direct sun in order to grow and bloom, if less than 8 hours of direct sun, lotus is likely to not flower or will heavily reduced flowering.
For winter lotus, keep in a pond without being moved.
For lotus in pots outside the pond in plant zones 7-12 they should be fine, as is, outdoors.
In Northern plant zones, in a pot outside the pond you will have to bring the pots in and keep them dark, cool, and damp all winter.
Never harvest lotus tubers before spring. They wont last long enough to grow.
When dividing and replanting lotus, do so in spring just before they break dormancy, usually in March in the South or Late April to Mothers Day in Northern climates.
