Re: Loutus from Seed Help

I started a lotus from seed last year.  Just knicked the seed, as the note
below says, put it in a glass of water on the windowsill (west window), and
waited for it to sprout.  Once the sprout was up to the surface of the
water, I potted it in a rich clay soil in a one gallon pot, with a layer of
sand over the top.  Sank that in a bucket of water, and off it went.  I
started it in late June, so it didn't get huge, but it looked fine this
winter, still in the  pot in the bucket of water. If you don't want to
fiddle with seed, I know someone who sells roots of the native American
lotus.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, unusual fruits, writing, more, at http://www.hevanet.com/lonrom

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>From: GSSP95B@prodigy.com ( EVA   THORN)
>To: propagation@mallorn.com
>Subject: Loutus from Seed Help
>Date: Fri, Mar 5, 1999, 2:37 PM
>

>Penny,
>
>The last two springs I have unsuccessfully tried to grow lotus from 
>seed. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes. 
>
>Two years ago I planted the seedlings in muddy soil after they had 
>sent out one or two leaves, kept them in a sunny window until it was 
>warm enough for them to go outside (I am also in zone 5) to a 
>container on a deck. I wanted them to gain in size before I planted 
>them in the pond where koi and goldfish might disturb the growth. 
>However, after two months they rotted.
>
>Last spring I decided to avoid the soil, thinking that it contributed 
>to the rotting, so I planted in sand. The seedlings did not look very 
>happy, so I planted a couple in the pond, hoping they would recover, 
>but unfortunately they just died. One seedling in the container on 
>the deck stayed alive until August.
>
>This year I will start the seeds later, maybe in April, to see if it 
>makes any difference when they don't have to stay in the house for 
>several months. I also have an instruction from Lilypons Water 
>Gardens about growing lotus from seed:
>
>"There is a raised peduncle near one end of the seed. File gently 
>beside this peduncle just enough to get from the shell to the meat.
>
>Then place sand in a dixie cup 4/5 full. Push the seed, filed side up 
>into the sand so that only a minuscule amount of sand covers it. 
>Water should fill the cup.
>
>Make sure the cup is in a window of southern exposure. Air 
>temperature should not be less than 75 degrees and water temperature 
>should not be less than 65 degrees F.
>
>Over the next 3-4 months you will need to transplant the seed as many 
>as 5 times. Each time add 20% soil until at last you are working in 
>all soil. The container size should grow with each transplanting. At 
>the last transplanting you should be working with at least 30 quarts 
>of soil.
>
>In April, when the outside water temperature is at least 65 degrees 
>move the container of at least 30 qts. of soil to the pond. Make sure 
>only 1 or 2 inches of water covers the top of the container."
>
>Please share any good ideas with me. I would also love to have a 
>lotus in my pond.
>
>Good luck,
>
>Eva Thorn,
>Solon, Ohio, z5
>
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