At least in my zone (5), hardy waterlilies are much earlier to sprout than lotuses are. What temperature zone are you in?
What kind of container is your lotus in? When did you last thin it?

I am in zone 7b and this is the 2nd year in a big waterlily pot. It didn't bloom last year, just many healthy leaves, and I hoped it would this year. I am waiting to see if anything happens but wondered how long I should wait. This has been my 2nd experience with a lotus, The 1st one didn't do so well and I studied up more for this one.

Lotus require alot more heat than hardy waterlilies. What kind of lotus is it? Did you fertilize it last year? Did it freeze this winter?

sorry.......double post.

This post was edited by catherinet on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 21:20

I did fertilize it and it did not freeze this year. Its name is Carolina Queen and it is a pink color. I am afraid to dig around in it so I will just keep waiting.

Hi frankielynn,

I looked up that variety and it looks like its a large lotus.......meant for med-large ponds. It's quite possible that it's root-bound. But.......I had a lotus once that didn't blossom until the second year. That's not real uncommon.

Is it making leaves now? I would just wait and see.......but I'm thinking if it doesn't blossom this year, definitely thin it out in the fall or spring.

Another test you could do is to take a thin pole......maybe a small bamboo stake and just gently stick it down into the mud. If you meet tons of resistance.....then it's probably root-bound. Lotus grow like nobody's business!
But......even if it is pot-bound, I would wait until fall to thin it.
If there's no growth yet (leaves) you could probably do it now.

I have a small lotus bog (a 300 gallon stocktank put in the ground and filled with soil).........and it didn't bloom at all last year. It's been there for about 8 years and I fear it might be root bound too. What a drag. Wish they would grow a little slower. haha

Hi catherinet! I'm in NE Georgia, Zone 7b and my lotus just sent up it's first leaf this week.

Don't give up, our weather is just crazy this year, so your lotus is probably still dormant.

Lotus grow based on light cycles (not temperatures alone) and only come out of dormancy when the daylight hours get longer. We've got some time yet for them to break.

I just got 2 lotus plant tubers this past winter from a fellow ponder and he got my baby fish in trade .Mine have already sent up leaf shoots and i put a very small heater in the tank to help them get started .They like lots of sun and warm water to get started .Once first leaf is above the water then you put in a fertilizer tab .So far my shoots are 8 inches long .I have 3 leaf shoots on each tuber .

I have a leaf today. Yeah! It is still alive. Now I am waiting impatiently for my tropical water lilies to send up a few leaves.

That's good to hear frankielynn!