Twilight Lotus
Twilight Lotus captures the magic between daylight and darkness. Rich, dark-pink buds open to exquisite, dark-pink, single-petal flowers that make a an enchanting statement in your water garden. Golden-yellow centers and handsome green foliage add just the right touch to this tall, captivating lotus. Twilight Lotus grows to four feet tall or taller and is beloved worldwide!
How To Plant Your Lotus
Plant your large lotus variety in a wide (20 inches or wider) container using loam soil. Add 4 - 6 inches of water above the soil and place your lotus in an area that receives 8 - 10 hours of sunlight or more, each day. Do not fertilize until you have aerial leaves growing out of the water.
How and When to Fertilize Your Lotus
Once you have aerial leaves growing out of the water you may fertilize your lotus. Lotus are very heavy feeders. Your first dose of f fertilizer will be 1/2 dose. Push the fertilizer tabs down into the soil taking care not to damage the roots. A 1/2 half dose is 2 tablets for a large lotus. Every three weeks thereafter, feed your lotus 4 - 5 fertilizer tabs until September. Your last fertilizing should be in late August or early September. This way your lotus can go into dormancy naturally.
We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs for best bloom and optimum growth.
*Please see our 'Complete Lotus Growing Guide' included with your purchase.
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!
