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Tue, Oct 18, 11 at 6:38
| This year was my first year for lotus. Got myself a bowl lotus tuber off of ebay (I didn't want to spend big $$$ for my first attempt at growing one) and potted it up in a large pot as I read somewhere here on the forum. The plant did well, lots of floating leaves and ariel leaves, and no blooms, which I expected since it was its first year. Now winter is approaching...we are to have our first frost here this weekend, and I am wondering about what to do with my lotus over the winter. I live in zone 6 and do not have a heated garage to put the pot in for the winter. I know I should have thought about this before I bought it, but as we all know...hind sight is 20-20!!! So folks, do I let it get frosted a few times, drain off what standing water there is in the pot and let it rest in my unheated building or protected place? Do I drain the standing water, let it get frosted and cut it back and dig it up and put it in the extra fridge until spring? I'd appreciate any input anyone has.
Carla |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by nancym1956 6b (My Page) on Thu, Oct 20, 11 at 13:30
| I have a lotus that I kept for two years in a large container, not in the pond. The first year, I dragged the whole pot into the shed, which gets cold, but which keeps the frost off. The next year, I merely covered the pot with painter's plastic, the kind you place on the floor when you're painting to catch the drips. I used the thicker plastic, not the thinnest they have, and since it was large enough, I folded it for added thickness. I erected a frame of some kind over the top so that the snow and rainwater would not puddle. A suggestion would be the wire basket that hold the coco fiber in some hanging baskets, or something that can tepee over it. On warm days, I opened it up to keep the heat from building too much, but my lotus did very well and two years later is now in the pond and blooming every spring. I added water as needed to keep it moist. I actually overwinter my tropical water lilies in this fashion too, by building a lean-to over the large pots that I place them in, and covering it with plastic. I also place a small aquarium heater in the pots for the lilies, but I did not do this with the lotus. I have never lost a tropical lily by wintering them in this way. |
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