How to plant lotus

Preparation for planting lotus

Planting time

Many flower lovers like to plant bowl lotus at home. It is as beautiful as the lotus in shape. Although it does not have the proud figure by the Daming Lake, a small pot of bowl lotus at home is enough to let you feel the beauty of the scene. But here comes the question, when should I buy the seeds and when should I plant them?

In fact, water lily seeds can be sown in all seasons. As long as the water temperature is controlled at around 16°C, the seeds can germinate normally. The suitable growth temperature after the seeds germinate is 15~30℃. For families with lower indoor temperatures in winter, you can choose to sow in spring.

Material preparation

Water lily seeds, files, silt, white flower pots, sand.

How to plant lotus

Seed treatment

First, crack the seeds. When you eat lotus seeds, you will notice that there is a layer of green skin on the outside of the lotus seeds. When the lotus seeds are ripe, the outer skin becomes black and hard. It is said that as long as the white skin is preserved, the lotus seeds can be buried in the soil for a hundred years or even a year without rotting. If you don't process the seeds before planting water lilies, you may never see them sprout in your lifetime.

Lotus seeds are pointed at one end and round at the other. Make a small hole in the round end, either by grinding it on the rough cement floor or breaking it with a file. In short, you must open the seeds to allow water to penetrate into the seeds and germinate as soon as possible.

Seed soaking and germination

The next step is to soak the shelled seeds in 30℃ warm water to germinate for 2 to 7 days, changing the water 2 to 3 times a day. Generally, seeds will sprout on the 5th day. If they have not sprouted after 7 days, they will not germinate anymore and should be thrown away.

In addition, the water temperature for soaking seeds should be controlled at around 30℃, not higher than 40℃ or lower than 20℃, otherwise the seeds will germinate slowly.

Hydroponic seedlings

After the seeds germinate, place them in a hydroponic environment at 25°C for 5 to 7 days. During the hydroponic process, ensure that the water level is about 10 cm and the light is sufficient. Do not change the water or turn the soil frequently to avoid affecting the growth of the leaves.

After a period of hydroponics, the first leaf unfolds, the second leaf is about to unfold, and white roots grow. Now it can be planted in mud.

Select pot and plant

According to planting needs, put the prepared silt or fine sand into the flowerpot, add soil, water and fertilizer, stir evenly and let it stand. After the water surface is clear, plant the water lily seeds. All the seeds should be buried in the mud, and the leaves should stretch freely on the water surface. The water must not cover the leaves. In addition, during the planting process, be careful not to break the petiole.

For home planting, for the sake of aesthetics, after planting the seeds, spread a layer of pebbles on the water surface to ensure the water is clear and increase the ornamental value.

flowering

Different varieties of water lilies bloom at different times. Generally speaking, flower buds slowly begin to appear after the water lilies grow 5 to 17 upright leaves. However, some varieties will soon grow flower buds and bloom after growing erect leaves. As long as you take good care of it, it is only a matter of time before the water lily blooms!

Things to note when planting lotus bowls

The container should be large

The container for planting bowl lotus should be appropriately larger. If you only use an ordinary bowl at home, it is too small and shallow, and there is too little nutrient soil in it. The bowl lotus cannot grow fully, and the roots and leaves cannot stretch well. There is no point in planting bowl lotus in this way!

Sufficient sunlight

When caring for bowl lotus, you cannot just focus on placing the bowl lotus indoors to decorate the environment. If you keep it indoors for a long time, the bowl lotus will not see sunlight and will grow slowly. Take the water lily outdoors often to expose it to sunlight. Only when the soil in the pot is warmed up can it grow more vigorously.

Fertilization should be light

Bowl lotus likes fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer. It is necessary to ensure sufficient nutrients during the growth period. In addition to adding enough nutrients to the soil before planting, it is also necessary to apply top dressing in time. Top dressing is based on the size of the flower pot. If the plant is small, less fertilizer should be applied in a small flower pot. If too much fertilizer is applied, the plant will only grow leaves but no flowers will bloom. In more serious cases, the plant will die.

Cut leaves when they are long

During the maintenance process, the leaves of the water lily will become longer and denser, which will affect the growth of the water lily to a certain extent. It is necessary to appropriately remove some leaves to promote the respiration and air permeability of the plant.