Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

We don't have a pond anymore but a lady gave me a bunch of Lily pads and some lotus. 99% off the lotus were mush and dead material so confused on that. But one little piece is alive. I have everything in five gallon buckets potted. I can store them in my garage in the buckets or I read if they are kept damp in a black garbage bag they are fine. What has anyone else done?

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

If you don't have a pond why keep em.

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

Because we will when we move and they are awesome plants. They will grow in pots that hold water or plastic kids pools.

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

What kinds? (Not that I know anything about the dormancy of the types.)

There are lots of lily pads ... many grow from the center of the leaf. Some are more tropical than others.

Lotus - at least 2 kinds. The "hasu" kind is tastiest, tropicalish, loves super deep (waist) soft mud. The kind that grows in cold areas like Iowa is yellow, American lotus (nelumbo lutea). It overwinters in the wild in shallows, like 2' deep, under thick ice, so it can't require much.

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

There are a lot more of these youtube videos to help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHY_0zTQTbk

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

10-4

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

I have had success each year with the lily pads called red attraction I bought from Lowes by just sticking the whole pot in an almost airtight bag very damp. I don't even chill mine, just sit it on a shelf in a pretty dark place, and check occasionally to make sure it is still alive. Sleeps that way every year till spring. When I first got the lily, I did keep the tuber/root in a ziplock bag. I am not sure about Lotus though, the wild native yellow lotus I used to see at a local lake just had ice over them each year at the water's edge so must be pretty hardy. Lowes also has large water trays, or you could plant the lotus in a tub in the summer. Sacred lotus I dont think is as hardy.

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

I have a Koi pond and have never taken the Lotus out. They stay dormant all winter. I think keeping them as wet as possible is a good idea.:0517:

Re: Lily pad and lotus plant dormancy questions?
 

Off topic, but speaking of Lotus, I installed about a dozen medium-large Lotus starters in my lake (pond?) and the turtles made quick work of it overnight.
They don't touch the spatterdock though.

Our member jnstropic (Jordon Steele) has (had?) some wonderful Lotus. Have not seen or heard from him in a while. Anyone know anything?