Thanks for all the great information. Today I am getting the tubers from my neighbors pond. I just want to be sure I am doing this correctly. I plan to pull several from the pond. So I can just plant these in pots with top soil, add water and store in my basement. I apologize in advance formy ignorance on this topic.
Winterizing Lotus and Lilly Tubers
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No apologies necessary!
I am not a lotus expert by any means, but when we overwinter tubers we do exactly as you said. However, you need a spot that stays relatively cold - if your basement is unheated, it may work. But they want to be stored between 35 and 50 degrees. Our basement is heated so that doesn't work for us.
We move our potted lotuses into the garage, make sure they are topped off with water and put them near an inside wall where, in theory, it's the warmest. We have wrapped the pots with bubble wrap or an old blanket in the past, but last year we just forgot and they were fine. I keep an eye on the water level until they freeze over - then I ignore them until spring. (My patented gardening method for most things!)
We have also stored bare tubers by wrapping them in damp newspaper and putting them inside a big plastic bag - you want them to not dry out but also not sit in water, if that makes sense. Those we did store in an unheated bedroom where the temperature was probably closer to 55 all winter and they did well. We made sure to check them every few weeks to make sure they weren't drying out. That was a bit more work than I am willing to do however, so we haven't done that recently!
My "out of the box" thought was to get a net bag and put the tubers inside and drop them to the bottom of the pond for the winter. The temperature should stay in the range they prefer and the won't freeze. Haven't tried that one yet, but we did overwinter a whole pot of lotus one year in the pond. That also worked - keeping it below the ice was key - until one of the dogs tipped the pot over into the pond in the spring and that was the end of that experiment! (They love eating the tubers for some reason!)
Hope this helps! If you get enough tubers, maybe you can experiment with a few different methods and see which works best for you!
I am not a lotus expert by any means, but when we overwinter tubers we do exactly as you said. However, you need a spot that stays relatively cold - if your basement is unheated, it may work. But they want to be stored between 35 and 50 degrees. Our basement is heated so that doesn't work for us.
We move our potted lotuses into the garage, make sure they are topped off with water and put them near an inside wall where, in theory, it's the warmest. We have wrapped the pots with bubble wrap or an old blanket in the past, but last year we just forgot and they were fine. I keep an eye on the water level until they freeze over - then I ignore them until spring. (My patented gardening method for most things!)
We have also stored bare tubers by wrapping them in damp newspaper and putting them inside a big plastic bag - you want them to not dry out but also not sit in water, if that makes sense. Those we did store in an unheated bedroom where the temperature was probably closer to 55 all winter and they did well. We made sure to check them every few weeks to make sure they weren't drying out. That was a bit more work than I am willing to do however, so we haven't done that recently!
My "out of the box" thought was to get a net bag and put the tubers inside and drop them to the bottom of the pond for the winter. The temperature should stay in the range they prefer and the won't freeze. Haven't tried that one yet, but we did overwinter a whole pot of lotus one year in the pond. That also worked - keeping it below the ice was key - until one of the dogs tipped the pot over into the pond in the spring and that was the end of that experiment! (They love eating the tubers for some reason!)
Hope this helps! If you get enough tubers, maybe you can experiment with a few different methods and see which works best for you!
mrsclem
mrsclem
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I have done the mesh laundry bags for lilies that I didn't feel like potting in the fall. They get enough light 4 feet down that by spring they have leaves starting.
Thanks for the advice! I put several tubers in pots and in my basement. Although my basement is not heated, it is warm. maybe I need to move the pots to the steps that enter my basement so that it is cooler.
The last time I replied to this thread was in 10/20. I appreciate all the advice I was given. Thank you. My neighbors pond was overgrown with Lotus. There was no way to actually get into the pond to retrieve them. They were very tangled. In October, I reached into the root and pulled out several of the Lotus. I put them in containers with water and mulch and placed them covered in the outside steps to my basement. There are metal doors covering the steps. Now that Spring is upon us, what do I do? How do I know if the Lotus survived? I know several stated that they are very fragile. Removing them was difficult and it was challenging to get them out of his pond. Any additional stpes would greatly appreciated. Hopefully at least 1 survived!
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Take a look at them see if the tubers are solid or mush, look for small growing tips. If you see growing tips, take the tuber, gently, put it on top of some kitty litter, anchor with a rock and let them grow. That is how I started mine.
Addy, You always have great information. I plan to grow these in pots since I dont have a bog area in my pond. Same concept? Kitty litter in a pot and water? Again, sorry for my ignorance.
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The lotus need room, more than lilies. I had some in a pot, one of those 5 gallon pots, ex plant pot, it jumped the pot and wandered all over the pond in one season.
At one time I had them in those walmart big pots with the rope handles.
Now I have all my lotus in a 300 gallon stock tank, set free. I never mess with them. Planted in kitty litter.
At one time I had them in those walmart big pots with the rope handles.
Now I have all my lotus in a 300 gallon stock tank, set free. I never mess with them. Planted in kitty litter.
Of course, I have more questions! LOL!!! (And thanks again). When can the lotus be planted and put outside? Any type of kitty litter? How much do you place in the pot? How much water? Can the lotus remain in these pots in the winter? I really want these to grow! LOL!! (I amy have 2 of these pots with rope handles.
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I had 3 or 4 of the rope handle pots in the 300 gallon stock tank which was full of water, after a few years I dumped all those lotus to run free in the stock tank. When in the pots I had around 1.5 feet of litter, in the stock tank I have around 2 feet of litter. The lotus will survive winter if the tuber does not freeze. Those pots would not protect them by themselves from freezing. I have the stock tank partially buried which helps protect it from freezing up.
Mine are just now putting leaves to the surface, it has been a cool spring.
Mine are just now putting leaves to the surface, it has been a cool spring.
Great! So i could plant them now?
Also, is there a certain litter brand that you use?
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Special kitty litter from walmart, plain clay.
I would you want them planted before they start growing.
