How to grow Lotus and outdoor plants properly?

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
Coeur de Lotus, Maryse Dugois Maryse Dugois Other spaces
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Lotus flowers are beautiful aquatic plants that are the symbols of divine beauty and purity. Some parts of the lotus plant such as the seeds and the stems can be eaten, and Chinese medicine has used these plants for ages. 

There are various colours and sizes of lotus, and seeds can be found in nurseries or through online shops. The most common colours are pink, red, yellow, and white. Lotus plants can grow through seeds or tubers. Plants grown from the seed are usually stronger, but they take up to a year to flower because they will grow into tubers first. This idea guide is a simple manual on how to grow lotus with the seeds. Let's get started shall we? 

Place it under the sun

Lotus plants love the sun, so make sure you place them under the sun, then watch them thrive. Give the plant as much sun as possible by removing other foliage from other plants that may block out the sun. However, if the temperatures reach above 35 degrees Celsius, then you should place them in the shade to prevent the delicate leaves from burning. 

Get seeds and scar the ends

To plant lotus with the seeds, you need to scar the ends first. This is a very important step that should not be skipped as the lotus will not grow if the ends are not scarred. In order to do this, file the pointed tip of the seed down to one layer. You can use a nail filer or the back of a nail clipper.

The beautiful artwork pictured here depicting lotus seeds is created by Maryse Dugois, artists and artisans based in Rennes, France. 

Place them in the cup of water for 1—2 weeks

Place the lotus seeds in a cup of warm water for 1-2 weeks. The water should not be chlorinated and must be changed everyday until the seeds sprout. The seeds should swell to about double their size after the first day of soaking. 

Floating seeds are almost always infertile. Take out the floating seeds and file them down again until you see a hint of white inside the seed. Then, put them in and see if they swell after a day of soaking. If they don't swell, throw them out so they don't cloud the water. 

Wait till 3 leaves appear

After the seeds start sprouting, continue to change the water daily. Be careful not to disturb the seedlings as it might affect their growth. Once you see 3 leaves, it's time to transfer it carefully to another home. The next step is finding a suitable container.

For more ideas and inspiration for your garden, browse through garden designs here on homify

Plant it in a vase with mud and water

Plant the seedling with its three leaves in a pot with one part mud and 3 parts water. The pot or whatever you choose to use should be able to contain eleven to nineteen liters. This is the ideal container size to provide the young lotus plant with enough space to grow. For best results, use a black plastic bucket as it can retain heat and keep the seedlings warm. 

The container should not have any drainage holes. This is because the plant can grow towards the drainage holes and start growing outside of them, causing the plant to not grow properly. 

Wait till next year

Now all you have to do is wait till next year. Yes, it's a long wait, but it will be worth it! In the mean time, you can check out these beautiful lotus floor murals that can hold candles! Lastly, remember to transplant the lotus plants to a larger container once you see that they are growing more. 

We hope you enjoyed this simple and easy guide to growing a lotus properly. For more home tips and ideas, have a look at how to choose the right material for the wall panels

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