First thing, drag the pirate flag out of the
pond. No, the fish haven't mutinied. The kids
hung a pirate flag on their fort in one of the
cherry trees (a looong time ago) and this winter
a windstorm finally dislodged it, and of course,
it went straight into the pond. Arrrrr!

Brought home a bunch of watercress from the store
and placed it in the water fall. Last years, dead
stems are sending out shoots and the stuff that wintered
over at the surface is going great.

Found that I have enough plant baskets in the shed
to repot jan's lilies.

Informed DH that I want to build a second island
this year in the pond :-))))

DH turned on the sprinklers, very early for us but
we haven't gotten rain in so long. There is always a
little rain cloud at the end of AOL's weather forcast
but it is always revised by the time that day rolls
around.

AND my lotus from jan is GROWING and is still alive.
Our night time temps are going back down into the
20s for a while... I may cover it up at night.
It is in a deck pond.

kathy - still here

"kathy" wrote in message
oups.com...
AND my lotus from jan is GROWING and is still alive.
Our night time temps are going back down into the
20s for a while... I may cover it up at night.
It is in a deck pond.
=====================
My lotus never become active until sometime in April when even the nights
are mild. I must have a different variety. I got mine from a friend at the
Pond Club we once belonged to. She didn't know it's name. It must really
be a heat lover.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"To persevere in one's duty and
be silent, is the best answer to calumny."
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

I think this lotus, and jan can correct me here if
I'm wrong, is one that came from a project pond set
up by Washington State University.
The fellow was testing lotus to see if they could become
a food crop in Washington for the Pacific Rim market.
He retired and his project was not continued. Folks were
able to come in and dig them up. A very nice fellow from
Yakima dug up some and brought some of them to jan
and me. (I killed mine, then I killed the divide jan gave
me last year.) So this is my third attempt at this particular
plant. (Also killed some I started from seed sent to me
from someone on the watergardening board... but that's
another story).

Anyway, these lotus, I expect, should be hardy to, at least
zone 7, but I think they are hardier than that if he was testing
them for overall Washington which probably ranges from zone
9 to.... oh, I'd say zone 5. My SIL, who is just over the boarder
in Idaho is in zone 4. She hasn't tried lotus yet but has ten
green fingers so I wouldn't be surprised if she does someday.

kathy

"kathy" wrote in message
ups.com...
I think this lotus, and jan can correct me here if
I'm wrong, is one that came from a project pond set
up by Washington State University.
The fellow was testing lotus to see if they could become
a food crop in Washington for the Pacific Rim market.

## The "tuber" is edible? I never knew that.

He retired and his project was not continued. Folks were
able to come in and dig them up. A very nice fellow from
Yakima dug up some and brought some of them to jan
and me. (I killed mine, then I killed the divide jan gave
me last year.) So this is my third attempt at this particular
plant. (Also killed some I started from seed sent to me
from someone on the watergardening board... but that's
another story).

## I've tried them from seed several times but they'd always rot. I never
could figure out why. They'd get one or two small leaves, turn yellow, get
smelly and die.

Anyway, these lotus, I expect, should be hardy to, at least
zone 7, but I think they are hardier than that if he was testing
them for overall Washington which probably ranges from zone
9 to.... oh, I'd say zone 5. My SIL, who is just over the boarder
in Idaho is in zone 4. She hasn't tried lotus yet but has ten
green fingers so I wouldn't be surprised if she does someday.

## If she had a deep enough pond they should survive. Or perhaps she can
bring it in in the winter, to a garage or somewhere it gets cold but doesn't
freeze. The person who gave me my Lotus told me not to allow the tubers to
freeze (and fertilize it well). Our winter's here are on the mild side, so
that's not a problem. I use those Jobe's Rose spikes broken into thirds.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"To persevere in one's duty and
be silent, is the best answer to calumny."
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

On 13 Mar 2005 10:22:08 -0800, "kathy" wrote:

I think this lotus, and jan can correct me here if
I'm wrong, is one that came from a project pond set
up by Washington State University.

No, as far as I know all those died. I think they were handled too roughly.
This one is Momo Botan, a smaller lotus. Gets about 18" high with 8"
diameter leaves. I think I paid $40-50 for it, obviously back when I had
"money". s

A very nice fellow from
Yakima dug up some and brought some of them to jan

Mac Knight, he use to post here. I still send him my Tidbits, but haven't
heard from him in ages.

Speaking of spring work, I'm feeling yesterday's muck out of the lily pond.
Definitely time to put in that filter so I don't have to keep doing this.

Koi club today, so I won't be doing any thing silly (like yardwork) today.
~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

First I'd heard about eating them when this
fellow's project was written up in the local
paper.
Here is an interesting website about eating lotus tubers.
http://ihmp.net/@/l
or
http://www.victoria-adventure.org/aq...s_general.html

kathy

"kathy" wrote in message
oups.com...
First I'd heard about eating them when this
fellow's project was written up in the local
paper.
Here is an interesting website about eating lotus tubers.
http://ihmp.net/@/l
or

http://www.victoria-adventure.org/aq...s_general.html

kathy
===========================
Thanks Kathy,

If the grocery stores here start selling them I'll buy the tubers and plant
them in my ponds. :-))) They're too valuable to have for dinner. I'll
stick with potatoes.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"To persevere in one's duty and
be silent, is the best answer to calumny."
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o