Patricia Garrett Lotus
Plant Description
Patricia Garrett Lotus has creamy-yellow flowers with a blush of pink washed over the petals on this tall, versicolor lotus. The single-petal flowers on the Patricia Garrett Lotus are held above the foliage and have great visual impact with their flying/dancing form and subtle color! Dark-green foliage adds a dramatic touch to this lovely specimen. Patricia Garrett Lotus is an American hybrid and a real standout! This tall, large specimen would look great as the focal point in your pond or as a centerpiece in your water garden feature! This specimen needs plenty of room to grow and bloom. Grows to 4 feet tall, or taller if you plant your Patricia Garrett Lotus in a wide (24 - 48 inch, or wider container)
Versicolor/Tall/Single-Petal
Planting Instructions
Plant in very wide (24 - 48 inches or wider) container using loam soil. Dig a trench in the surface of the soil and place your lotus tuber in the trench, being careful not to damage the growth tips. Gently cover the tuber with soil leaving the growth tips exposed. Add four to six inches of water above the soil and place in a sunny location outdoors (8+ hours of sunlight daily). In a week or so you should have coin leaves on the surface of the water and in another week or so you should have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves you are ready to fertilize your lotus.
Fertilizing Instructions
Fertilize your lotus by simply pressing 4 to 6 fertilizer tabs into the soil around the roots of your lotus. Be careful not to damage the roots. Lotus are very heavy feeders, you must feed them once a month with 4 to 6 fertilizer tabs during the growing/blooming months (June through September). We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for optimum growth and best bloom! Your lotus should grow and bloom the very first year!
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!
