How to Grow Lotus Pods

Lotus flowers are popular pond plants.

The lotus plant (Nelumbo) is a pond plant that produces a large flower that blooms in the late summer. The plant produces seed pods that can be harvested and replanted. Growing the lotus from seeds allows you to choose the color and size of plant that you would like to plant. The seeds from a successful plant will usually produce a successful duplicate. The plants are easy growing and hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 5 to 10.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Paper towel
• Containers
• Soil
• Heating pad
• Pond fertilizer tablets

Instructions

1. Remove the seed pods from the existing lotus plant by cutting them with a sharp pair of scissors. Lay the pods on a paper towel in the sun to dry.

2. Open the pods and remove the seeds of the lotus.

3. Place the seeds in a shallow pot with a few inches of pond water and set in a warm, sunny location. Check your plants every few days for sprouts. It generally does not take more than a week for the seeds to germinate and begin to open up its first set of leaves. Transfer the seedlings to a deeper container when they are approximately 8 inches long.

4. Fill a container with 3 inches of pond water. Add 2 to 3 inches of soil from an outside garden to the bottom of the container. Allow the mixture to settle overnight.

5. Push the seedlings an inch into the soil and place them in a warm, sunny location until the pond water reaches a temperature of at 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the container on top of a heating pad in order to maintain this temperature.

6. Drain all of the water off the plant. Turn the plant upside-down to remove it from its container. Be careful not to break the tubers. Gently turn the plant upright and place it into its new pot. Add additional soil if needed.

7. Transplant the seedlings into your pond by placing them into larger containers and placing them into the pond. Add one pond fertilizer tablet per gallon of water while your lotus is growing.

References

• Bonnies' Plants: How to Grow Lotus Tubers
• Sweet Briar College: Growing Lotus From Seed
• The University of Texas at Austin: Native Plant Database