Apricot Pink #13 Lotus Plant description
Apricot Pink #13 Lotus has rich, full, carnation-pink blooms edged in darker pink giving the flower depth and interest. This is a dwarf-medium lotus with multi-petal flowers in sumptuous shades of pink!
A standout in your water garden feature in your pond or on your patio. Also beautiful when placed in a terrestrial garden! Just dig a hole a little larger that the no holes container you plan to use–in an area that gets full sun (8+ hours per day), slip the container in the hole, add loam soil and plant your lotus in the soil, add three to four inches of water above the tuber. Do not fertilize until you have aerial leaves. Fertilize every three weeks only after aerial leaves are growing out of the water. Remember to add water to your lotus container throughout the summer, as some water will evaporate.
Pink/Dwarf-Medium/Multi-Petal
Planting instructions
Plant in a wide container, 20 inches wide, using loam soil while keeping the growth tips exposed.
Add two or three inches of water above the soil and place in full sun, outdoors. Lotus need at least 8+ hours of sunlight daily to grow and bloom. Always replace water that has evaporated.
Soon coin leaves will appear on the surface of the water.
DO NOT fertilize until you have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Fertilize every three weeks during the growing/blooming season, June through September.
We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use. Simply press the fertilizer tabs into the soil near the roots of your lotus, taking care not to damage the roots.
What Is Loam Soil?
Loam soil is a good mixture of Topsoil and Sand
If you are lucky enough to have good topsoil in your backyard, by all means, use your topsoil. All you will have to do is add fertilizer. If you are not so lucky–and your backyard is sand or heavy red or yellow clay, you can mix up a batch of loam soil.
You can create your own loam soil by mixing these two ingredients together
- 2/3 Inorganic Topsoil (Little or no organic material added)
- 1/3 Pool Filter Sand
Mix together thoroughly with a little water. Your soil should clump when squeezed. If your soil is mixed properly, it will not muddy your pond water.
You can purchase inexpensive bags of inexpensive / poor Topsoil at Lowes or Home-Depot. Good soil clumps together as a ball in your hand with only a little moisture.
Don’t buy brands like Scott’s or Miracle-Gro, as they will contain too much organic matter that can foul your water. Buy an unbranded bag of topsoil instead.
You can purchase Pool Filter Sand at any store that sells pool supplies.
Loam soil is well suited for all aquatic plants (except oxygenators). Oxygenators rarely need to be planted, just anchored in the substrate or in a container filled with sand or 1/8 inch pea gravel.
Sand holds little water but does allow for aeration and drainage.
Some DO’s and DON’TS regarding Aquatic Planting Soil
DO NOT use potting soils ( as they are too light and will float right out of the pot). Potting Soil has organic material that will rot and foul your water!
DO NOT add too much composted material (as it is too rich in organic matter and it will ferment underwater and destroy the ecology of your pond).
DO NOT use 100% calcined clay as there is no nutritional value in calcined clay.
DO NOT add rocks, stones or pebbles to the top of your planting container as this will inhibit the growth of your plants. Plants do not grow in rocks and stones in nature!
DO NOT purchase API Aquatic Planting Media or Microbe-lift Aquatic Planting Media as these products are NOT suitable for waterlilies, lotus or most other pond plants. They are suitable for submerged grasses ONLY!