Feathered Skirt Lotus Plant Description
Feathered Skirt Lotus is a delicate beauty with a breath of pink over the petals. Feathered Skirt Lotus has outer petals that are stellate in shape with shorter inner petals which give it a 'feathery' appearance! This small, versicolor lotus adds an element of beauty when grown in containers and placed in a sunny area of your outdoor living space. Bowl-Dwarf/Versicolor/Multi-Petal
How to plant your lotus
Plant your lotus tuber in a wide container (11 - 20 inches wide) using loam soil. Fill the container 2/3 full with loam soil. Dig a shallow trench in the surface of the soil and gently place your lotus tuber in the trench. Take care not to damage or break the growth tips. Cover all but the growth tips with an inch or two of soil while leaving the growth tips exposed. Gently add 2 - 3 inches of water above the soil and place in a sunny area outdoors (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 on the surface of the water. Never fertilize your lotus until you have aerial leaves growing out of the water.
How to fertilize your lotus
We recommend a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs for optimum growth and best bloom. Simply press the tabs into the soil near the roots of your lotus, taking care not to damage the roots. For the first dose of fertilizer use only 1/2 the recommended dosage. Two weeks after the first dose, you may fertilize your lotus again with the recommended dosage. After this, fertilize your lotus once each month throughout the growing/blooming season with the recommended dosage of fertilizer. Your last dose of fertilizer should be in early September, this will allow your lotus to go into dormancy naturally.
Please read the complete 'Lotus Planting Guide' included with 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!
