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Lotus is one of the most famous and beautiful plants for ponds, which are not at all difficult to maintain. large, fragrant flowers lotus always attract the attention of the audience.

Although lotuses are known as tropical plants, or as moody, they require no more care than water lily. The main thing they need is 2-3 months with daytime temperatures above 27°C. The ideal summer weather is sunny, hot and humid, without excessive rainfall.

The lotus genus consists of only two species: nelumbonucifera - East Indian or walnut lotus, often pink or white, and nelumbolutea, the yellow lotus or American lotus. But breeders have bred many hybrids of these two species, reaching from 60 cm to 2.5 meters in height.

Flowering falls in July-August, and in September the fruits ripen. Lotus flowers are fragrant and sometimes the size of a basketball. The flower usually lives for three days, often changing shade daily, blooming before dawn and closing before noon. On the last day of flowering, the petals fall off by noon. Then matures full of seeds multi-box.

The seeds and roots of the plant are edible. Eating a lotus is reflected in one of its names - a pond nut.

Lotus foliage is also decorative. Large, up to 70 cm in diameter, the leaves are covered with a wax coating, the dew on which shimmers and sparkles.

lotus planting

Lotus can be grown in the main fish pond, a separate plant pond, or in decorative water bowls. When planting a plant without a container, the pond should be at least 3 × 3 meters, standing water or a weak current is desirable.

For one rhizome, you need a round container with a diameter of 45-90 cm and a depth of 20-40 cm. It is very fragile, and begins to rot if damaged. A large enough container will help keep the rhizome intact. Also, the supply of space will allow you not to disturb the roots of the plant for several seasons. It is necessary to replant the lotus carefully, trying not to damage the fibrous roots, especially carefully handling the seedlings.

At the bottom of the container pour 5-8 cm of nutrient garden soil, then the rhizome is horizontally laid out on the bottom of the container and covered with soil from above, leaving the bud or sprout open. Without a sufficient layer of soil, the plant will shrink.

For normal development, lotuses need to be fertilized. Apply dry fertilizer to the soil when the lotus begins to grow, then feed twice a month, stopping feeding a month before the cold weather.

The sprout is immersed in water by 5-7 cm. So that the heavy soil does not rise and does not come into contact with the sprout, it is sprinkled with gravel over the entire surface. But some hobbyists immerse the plants much deeper, leaving up to 30 cm between the sprout and the surface. The soil must be at least 20 cm below the water level. The leaves must not be sunk: this is detrimental to the plant.

If growing lotus in a main pond, inspect the container from time to time, especially the edges and drainage holes. The rhizome that has grown beyond it will give new buds, and the lotus can suppress other plants. in a container right size lotus can grow without a transplant 3-5 years.

wintering lotus

Leaves are removed only after they turn brown. If you cut off a still living leaf, the plant begins to rot. late autumn the rhizome can be removed from the water and placed in a cold, non-freezing place, preferably around + 12 ° C, leaving a few centimeters of water on the surface of the container. Until spring, you need to ensure that the plant does not begin to vegetate.

You can leave the lotus at a depth of one meter in a pond with a non-freezing bottom, or simply dig a container in the ground, covering it from the wind from above. In a shallow reservoir, you can drain the water and cover the container from the wind. When frozen, the root will die.

lotus breeding

Reproduction of lotuses is interesting and not at all difficult. They can be grown from tubers or seeds.

To grow a lotus from seeds, you need to wait until the green cone-shaped box (multi-nutlet) matures and turns brown. This usually happens in late August-October. Then the fruit is dried and stored until spring.

Before planting, the seeds need to be scarified - file a hard coating to help the sprout break out. Seeds thrown into water at 18-25°C germinate within 10-20 days. After the appearance of the third leaf, they are planted in a container with a water depth of 15-20 cm and a mixture of soil and clay. In accordance with the growth of the seedling, water is poured into the container. Tender young plants can be planted in the pond only after the end of spring frosts.

Flowering when grown from seeds usually begins at 2-3 years. Lotus seeds are easier to propagate, they are better adapted to their habitat.

When grown from rhizomes, you will get an exact copy of the parent plant. While seed-grown lotuses will differ significantly genetically, they may not retain the characteristics of the variety.

Lotus is an amphibian flower perennial shrub. See large white or pink flowers in nature is possible only in southern countries. Healthy seeds of this plant are also collected there. Flower growers have found ways to grow lotus at home, but not everyone can grow and get seeds. The reason for this is the European climate with its very cold winters. Therefore, the difficulty in growing a lotus at home lies precisely in getting used to frost. If this happens, then it can be argued that the cultivation of the plant will be flawless.

Lotus breeding methods

At home, two methods are used:

1. rhizomes (their division);
2. seeds.

root way

This home method good because it portends accelerated flowering. Lotus roots are fleshy and juicy. They are shaped like bananas. One of the shoots is torn off and placed in the soil covered with water. The sprout appears quickly, takes root, and for a year or two you are provided with beautiful flowers.

Growing lotus at home with seeds

This way home growing good because it allows the plant to better adapt to European terrain. The lotus sprouted from seeds will better endure summer droughts and coolness.

Lotus seeds ready for propagation are similar in appearance to black nuts. They are just as hard and have a woody, very durable pericarp. Their size: height is approximately 1.5 cm, diameter - 1 cm. In order for the lotus seed to sprout, it is scarified. This means from the blunt end (where the hole is) it is filed. You can use rough sandpaper so it's faster and easier. It takes about 5 days for the first root to appear.

Take shallow glassware, or a plastic cup at worst, a little warm water is poured (approximately + 18-25 degrees) and the seeds are lowered there. We are waiting for the first sprout to “hatch”.

In two or three weeks, we are preparing a new container for transplanting the sprouted lotus. It can be a pot (for indoor breeding) or a summer pond in the country. The container is filled with earth or peat and poured over with water. Lotus seeds that have taken root and leaves deepen 7-8 cm into the ground, and the leaves should be on the surface. As it grows, water is added: it is necessary to ensure that the leaves always float on the surface. If the sprouts with leaves are drowned, then the young plant will die.

Flowers do not appear as soon as we would like. Up to this point, the leafy part of the lotus bush just floats on the surface. First beautiful flower can be expected no earlier than in 2.5-3 years. After the color fades, a box of seeds will appear.

sprout care

Proper home care for lotus sprouts is very simple: the main thing is not to forget to add enough water, give a lot sunlight and warmth. You can take the flower outdoors after all frosts are completed. Low temperatures destroy the lotus.

Capacity selection

lotuses grow well large pots or open water bodies (pits). The soil should be no thinner than 3.5 cm for an adult plant, and the water should be approximately 0.5 meters. If a large and round pot is chosen for planting, then the lotus root is placed strictly in the center.

lotus in winter

In winter, the plant is not watered or disturbed. If the lotus is left in an open pond, then for insulation it is covered with ordinary foam with late autumn. At home, part of the water is drained from the pot, insulated with moss, placed in a dark, cool place and not watered. In the spring, it is important to ensure that the bush does not grow prematurely.

lotus diseases

Like most plants, there are pests on the lotus - aphids, caterpillars. Aphids can be washed off with water, it is better to do this in the morning. Specialized stores sell products for treating leaves from diseases and pests.

Video about heat-loving lotus flowers that can be grown in Russia:

Pictures of lotus flowers:

Lotus is a beautiful amphibian and perennial bush type. The seeds of the plant have medicinal properties and are used in the creation of numerous decoctions, tinctures, poultices, etc. The European climate with enough harsh winters becomes a kind of obstacle to the normal cultivation of plants in our country. But, in this article we will talk about how to independently, at home, carry out the process of growing a lotus from seeds. Today, there are two main ways to grow a plant:

• With the help of rhizomes - the process of division;
• Planting seeds (previously properly germinated and prepared).

Growing lotus seeds at home

This method is ideal for our area, since it is in this way that aspects of plant adaptation to European terrain can be ensured. It should be noted that the lotus, germinated from seeds, is much more stable, it perfectly tolerates summer droughts, and even the negative effects of low temperatures.

In order for germination to be correct and of high quality, you need to select the appropriate seeds. Outwardly, they look like nuts (large enough), always black. The coating is very hard, the height is not more than 1.5 cm, and the diameter of the seed is not more than a centimeter.

For a seed to germinate, it must be scarified.

Plant germination:

1. From the blunt end, where there is a hole in the seed, the hard coating is filed. You can use emery paper, which will help to quickly rid the fetus of strong protection;
2. After cleaning, you will need to take a fairly shallow dish. Glass is best, but a plastic cup will do. The container is filled with warm water, no more than eighteen degrees;
3. AT warm water the seeds are immersed, after which, it remains only to wait until the sprouts "hatch";
4. After two or three weeks, a sprouted lotus is formed, it will need to be transplanted;
5. Transplantation is carried out either in a summer pond in the country, or in an ordinary pot for indoor plants;
6. Immediately, earth or peat is poured into the pot, after which the surface is filled with water. Remember that the water must cover planting soil not less than 10 cm. At the same time, you need to make sure that the leaves of the plant are on the surface;
7. The seeds of the plant are deepened by a rhizome seven centimeters into the water (and into the ground), but the leaves must certainly be on the surface, in fact, they must float on the water;
8. As the plant grows, you need to add water, make sure that the plant floats on the surface of the water;
9. If the sprouts with leaves are drowned, then the plant instantly dies.

Important Points for Lotus Growing

Pay attention to exactly what proper care ensures the rapid development of the plant. After two years, you will already have the first flowers, over time, a box with seeds will form in place of the flower. Water should be added to the plant regularly, while heat and light are the main indicators of growth. Watch the flower get right amount sunlight. Also keep in mind that the plant can be taken out into the open air, but only after the end of the frost. Low settings temperatures will adversely affect the plant and its development.

Not less than important point plant development is considered right choice containers.

The tray grows well in large pots or in pits and open water. Experienced experts recommend that the soil layer be at least 3.5 cm for plants that are already adults, and the water level in this case should be at least half a meter. In the case of planting in a large pot, you need to ensure that the rhizome is directly in the center.

If the lotus is left for the winter in an open pond, then it will certainly need to be insulated. In this case, ordinary foam is used, which is used to cover the reservoir, already from late autumn. At home, some of the water will need to be drained from the pot, and moss will be used as the main element of insulation. On the winter period time the plant is placed in a cool, fairly dark place. The most important thing in this case is the absence abundant watering. In the spring, you need to make sure that the bush does not start active growth, this can damage development, therefore, with the onset of spring, the lotus is gradually "accustomed" to a warm and bright atmosphere.

Remember also that, like most plants, the lotus also has pests.

It can be caterpillars and aphids. In specialized stores, you can purchase products that are used to treat leaves from the negative effects of pests. When using such products, make sure that the instructions are strictly followed, otherwise you can burn the leaves and destroy the plant.

Experts advise using a special pot structure when planting a plant. The planting mixture is poured onto the bottom, approximately 30-35 cm. Small pebbles are superimposed on top - no more than 10 cm, and about 10-30 cm of water (water covers the soil and pebbles). This structure of the planting site is optimal. The most important thing is to ensure that the lotus leaves are not completely immersed in water, otherwise this will lead to almost instantaneous death of the plant.

Back in 1984, the students brought me two lotus fruits-multi-nuts, resembling a tip garden watering can with very large holes and 17 nuts - seeds that I planted on a small lake near my dacha.

Lotus conquers space

Back in 1984, my students brought me two multi-nut lotus fruits, resembling the tip of a garden watering can with very large holes and 17 nuts - seeds that I planted on a small lake near my dacha. According to the recollections of old-timers, a lotus once grew on this lake.

On the next year in the shallow part of the lake, rounded floating leaves appeared on the surface of the water. And a year later there was a drought, the lake became very shallow and powerful leaves on prickly petioles and almost two dozen pedicels up to 1.5 m long, bearing large pink flowers a quarter of a meter in diameter! When, two days later, I decided to go and admire the lotus, I saw the completely trampled shore of the lake and not a single one. blooming lotus. Pieces of lotus rhizomes lay on the shore, which were still weakly rooted and easily pulled out of the ground.

It was necessary to look for a new place for the lotus. By this time, I tried to study everything related to this "Red Book" plant. And here's what I dug up.

Pink or walnut lotus (Nelumbium nuciterum) belongs to the only genus of the lotus family. This is a typical aquatic plant with a two-meter, highly branched rhizome, from the numerous nodes of which petioles of floating and emersed leaves and flower stalks depart. Rounded floating leaves up to 30 cm in diameter remain until autumn. Large surface bluish-blue leaves with a diameter of 60-80 cm appear less often (at low water), they are cup-shaped, their petiole is prickly and is attached in the center, looking like a huge glass. The leaves are covered with a wax coating and the water that has fallen on them does not wet their surface, but collects in drops that sparkle in the sun like mercury. The wax coating prevents the leaves from rotting. Powerful prickly pedicels up to 2 m long are large flowers up to 25 cm in diameter with numerous petals from pale pink to lilac color. On a massive receptacle of a reverse-conical shape, nut seeds develop, growing into a growing receptacle.

In general, the first failure did not bother me and we planted in four more lakes, difficult to access, surrounded by bogs. He took root well on the backwaters of the Ussuri River near the frontier posts. I sent lotus seeds to the Jewish Autonomous Region, Khakassia, Ulyanovsk, and everywhere it rose and even bloomed. But seeds do not ripen in Ulyanovsk.

Lotus can grow in almost all water bodies in well-warmed shallow waters., at a depth of 50 to 150 cm. The rhizomes go into the ground by 20-30 cm. If this is a man-made reservoir, then it is necessary to create a layer of such a thickness from lake silt or plant it in containers filled with silt. As containers, you can use perforated fruit boxes. For the winter, they are removed from the reservoir to the basements, where the temperature is kept within 6-8 degrees, and when the water in the reservoir warms up to 25 degrees, they are lowered to the bottom, creating curtains next to the thickets of other aquatic plants(reed, cattail), protecting the southerner from the winds and creating a favorable microclimate. Lotus is propagated vegetatively (by dividing the rhizomes) and by seed-nuts. Up to 3 dozen seeds ripen in the lotus fruit, but in the last 8-10 years, collecting nut seeds has become a problem due to freebie lovers. In addition, the muskrat multiplied strongly, for which the lotus is one of the favorite delicacies.

Lotus seeds have a very dense shell and may not germinate for a long time.. Before planting with a small nail file, you need to file the seed coats (scarify) without damaging the embryo. Seeds usually germinate the following year when sown in autumn or the same year in summer when sown in spring.

True, there is one trick that allows you to make the seeds sprout faster. To do this, they are placed in a half-liter jar, poured hot water(80-90 degrees), and leave in cooling water. In just 6-9 days, the seeds will germinate. Then they sculpt something like a snowball from bottom silt, rotting algae, chopped dried cattail and clay. In this lump, a recess is made into which the germinated seed is placed. The lump is lowered to a depth of 50-70 cm to the bottom or placed in a container with sludge (water temperature + 25 degrees).

Experience suggests that the lotus can vegetate in water bodies at a water temperature of 20 degrees. I think he would feel good in reservoirs with waste warm water from power plants and factories.

You need to plant a lotus on your own sunny place. The plant does not like shading and competition. With container growing, as already mentioned, boxes with rhizomes are taken out of the reservoir for the winter and stored in the basement, regularly wetting. Do not allow the rhizomes to dry out, cover the container with moss with phagnum on top, but do not cover it with a film.

Finally, one cannot fail to say that if in Russia the lotus is a rare Red Book plant of amazing beauty, then for our neighbors - China, Korea, Japan - it is an ordinary vegetable (I didn’t make a reservation!), Widely cultivated on plantations, like rice.

Lotus rhizomes are thick, white, taste like potatoes cooked in Korean, slightly sweet. It can be eaten raw, boiled or pickled. In China, it is pickled like we have cucumbers. It is also worth trying a piece of meat baked in a lotus leaf, which gives this dish a specific taste and aroma. Unripe lotus fruits, similar to olives, can be eaten raw or dried with cheese or sour-milk products.

I hope that in a few years the Far Eastern lotus will also grow in Moscow ponds.