Hi winemaker,
I've never had a Chawan Basu, but a couple of my lotus didn't flower until the second year. But yours is putting up lots of leaves, so it wouldn't surprise me if yours still blossoms this summer.
How much soil do you have it in? Is it getting alot of sun?
Yes, their leaves can turn brown, but its usually more the floater leaves and not the aerials. Of course they turn brown closer to the end of the season.
I have a 300 gallon stocktank lotus bog and its putting out tons of aerials, but no blossoms yet, so maybe things are just slow this year. I'm in zone 5 (Indiana).
When you say you have it in a "water feature", what do you mean? Does it get any splashing water on it?
what do you use for fertilizer?
Sorry for all the questions!
Any pictures you could post?

***FOLLOW-UP***
The water feature is a 1/2 whiskey barrel that has a small water fall (single stream) falling into it. The Lotus may be getting splashed, but I have not noticed water standing on the leaves. The soil is clay dug from my garden (that was what the vendor suggested). I placed a smooth flat rock on top of the tuber and pebbles on top of the rest of the soil. The fertilizer I used is the same "pellets" that I use for my lillies (about 1/2 inch diameter pellets) that you push into the soil a few inches from the tuber. The Lotus gets TONS of sun (about 10 hours) a day. Now one thing you mentioned that has me thinking is the "arial" leaves. All of these leaves are floating on the water. Do I maybe have it too deep?

I have a Chawan Basu that I purchased three years ago. It bloomed the first year, just a couple of blooms, but has done better each year thereafter. Mine is not planted deep, it only has about three inches of water over the tuber. In fact, it's right at the edge of the pond in a bog pocket just large enough to accommodate the pot.

I'm a little uncertain what the problem could be with your plant, but I'm wondering if Catherinet may be on to something with the water splashing on the leaves. Mine is in calm water in a corner. They are heavy feeders, but it is still possible to overfeed. I overfertilized my lilies one year, and the leaves turned brown.

Here's a picture of it with a blossom on it. It put up three blossoms this year, but none of my leaves have turned brown yet. Usually they do this at the end of the season.

{{gwi:194589}}

Thud! I just fell over looking at Nancy's photo of her lotus. Gorgeous!

hi winemaker,

I dont have a chawan basu, but I do have several american yellows and the floating leaves on them also tend to turn brown over time. They put out the floaters early in the season, then the arials, and once the arials go up, the floating leaves start turning brown, some die off, others are produced. I cut out the bad ones and the plants always seem healthy (so far.)

Alot of my neighbors have various lotuses and all exhibit this behaviour - I dont think its trouble - as long as your arial leaves are not turning brown ... that may signify something bad going on.

best of luck