Magnificent 15 Lotus
Plant Description 'Gui Li 15'
Magnificent 15 Lotus has large, beautifully formed dark-red blooms on this majestic lotus specimen. Blooms are a little darker on Magnificent 15 than on the Magnificent Lotus. Attractive, green foliage adds the perfect contrast for this good bloomer! Magnificent 15 Lotus is simply lovely in pots or in your pond! one of our deepest red sacred lotus flowers. Magnificent 15 Lotus sacred lotus adds beauty and grace to any area of your water garden feature. The Magnificent 15 Lotus grows up to 4 feet tall or taller when planted in very wide containers.
Sacred Lotus Flower Planting Instructions
Plant your lotus tuber by mid-May-- when nighttime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees or warmer and daytime temperatures are consistently in the 60's or warmer. Wide temperature fluctuations will slow down the growth of your lotus.
Plant the lotus tuber in a wide, no-holes container (24 - 48 inches wide or wider.) Fill container with loam soil and dig a trench across the surface of the soil. Gently place your lotus tuber in the trench, being careful not to break or damage the growth tips. Cover all but the growth tips with one inch of soil and carefully add 3 - 4 inches of water above the soil. Place your lotus container in a sunny location (8 + hours of sunlight) outdoors. 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 growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves, you may fertilize your lotus.
Fertilizing Instructions
Once you have aerial leaves, you may fertilize your lotus with 1/2 the recommended dosage. We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for ease of use, best bloom and vigorous growth. For the first dose of fertilizer, simply press 3 - 5 fertilizer tabs into the soil around the roots of your lotus, being careful not to damage the roots. A couple of weeks after the first dose of fertilizer, start your tall lotus on a feeding schedule of 6 - 10 fertilizer tabs per month, June through August.
Pondmegastore Tip Lotus are very heavy feeders! Make sure you fertilize your lotus once a month during the growing/blooming season, June through August.
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!
