Has anyone ever transplanted lotus this time of year? I normally thin mine out in late winter before they start to grow but this year I need to empty the pots they are growing in now. The plants did badly this past summer as did a number of other plants, the weather seemed to confuse them. I am not sure how good the roots will be, they needed good leaves to be healthy and that never happened this year, I had few leaves and even fewer and smaller flowers. Very strange. I want to give the roots, pitiful as they may be, to a friend but can it successfully be done now?
transplanting lotus
I take it you have not looked at the roots yet? It almost sounds like they need to be divided. If your plants are dormant, there is no reason you cannot divide them now as opposed to later in the season. Just make sure each section has a growing point.
Thanks, I have not looked at the roots yet but they were divided last winter so they should not be more than normally overcrowded. We have to divide each year here because our season is so long they just grow and grow. I think the weird lack of winter last year confused everything including the lotus, I guess they could have strangled themselves. They have always been lush and beautiful until this summer. Others in this area experienced the same lack of flowers this year. .
I'll take them out and see, they may not even be worth saving. There is a very smelly job awaiting me, LOL, I have three huge ceramic containers that need to be emptied.
This message was edited Nov 17, 2012 10:46 AM
Hi, everyone.
Sadly, my lotus didn't do much this summer, either. I fertilized them on a regular basis, they got as much Florida sun as they could manage and I removed the goldfish that were eating the new growth shoots because it was like candy to them. With no fish in there to eat the mosquito larvae, I started adding mosquito dunk pucks. I want lotus, not clouds of mosquitos to make our life miserable.
At any rate, I got a few blooms, but no seed pods. The leaves were not as high off the water level and not as large as last year. I, too, am seriously thinking of checking out what is going out in the lotus container. I wonder what I'll find. I believe they went dormant at this time of the year, although our nighttime temperatures are in the upper 60s and our daytime temperatures reach 80 degrees F. The days are getting shorter. I guess they respond to that, too. I am hoping they went dormant and that next year will be a good year for them.
I'll add this to my to-do list and keep you posted as to what I find. Wish me luck.
Sylvain.
In my zone, I allow my lotus to rest naturally when they may. Usually they turned dormant as soon as their blooms and seeds production are done. I keep mine outdoor with shallow water just barely over the soil level during winter. Than gradually add more water in the Spring when they show signs of breaking dormancy. If I were to devide them, I'd pick spring time to do it.
I unpotted mine and the roots are all fat and beautiful - what a mystery this is.
Are there any signs of new growth? What will you be doing next?
Sylvain.