"Ann in Houston" wrote in message
oups.com...
Really, Carol! You're the first person I've ever heard from that used
anything but a round pot.

** I didn't have a round pot so used what was available. The Lotus is
doing fine.

I found out some more info, which leads me
to think I should still use a round one. I was afraid I was being a
real upstart, an iconoclast for even asking about the possibility of
thumbing my nose at such a 'lotus 101" tenet. If I had any kind of
successful track record with these beauties, I might be bold enough to
try, but hopefully that will come later.

** The only one that every really went wild for us and bloomed it's head
off was one let loose in my 800 gallon pond. When let loose like that -
these plants get HUGE. It circled the ponds several times rooting anywhere
it could. It about took over the whole pond by the 3 or 4th year and had to
be removed. It's now growing outside the ponds in a 20 gallon rec' tub.

I'm even wondering if the one
lotus tub I have is big enough. It is only about 6" bigger in diameter
than the length of the tuber. How much do they grow in length over the
course of a season.

** You need a very large tub if you hope to get flowers and a lot of pretty
leaves. They're also heavy feeders so feed them well. Mine grew many feet
each season. It formed runners with leaves and roots as it travels across
or around the pond or kiddy pool. It'll root anywhere it can. Again, those
150 gallon kiddy pools are excellent for Lotus if you can dig one into the
ground for it (use a black liner and fill the pool with good clay soil.
Surround with rock like a regular pond.) Make sure to leave room for
several inches of water over the soil. I'll be moving mine into one some
time this summer. I'll just let it run out of the tub and into the soil in
the kiddy pool.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers
for forgeries before flushing." :-)
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