Plant description
Little Tri-Color Lotus begins blooming in late spring and blooms all summer long with lovely, angelic, blooms. First day flowers are pink, followed by beautiful combinations of yellows, whites and pinks on this single-petaled lotus. Little Tri-Color Lotus brings beauty and grace to your water garden setting!
Versicolor/Dwarf-Medium/Single-Petal
Planting instructions
Lotus should be planted by the month of May, when night time temperatures are consistently in the 50’s and day time temps are in the 60’s and 70’s. Plant your Little Tri-Color Lotus in full sun, outdoors (8 – 12 hours of sunlight per day) in a WIDE container using loam soil and 2 – 4 inches of water over the lotus tuber. NEVER fertilize until you have two standing leaves growing up, out of the water. Fertilize monthly with fertilizer tabs.
Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates are one of the very best fertilizers you can buy for your aquatic plants. Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates come in convenient sizes and provide the proper nutrients for vigorous growth and best bloom! Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates are very easy to use–simply press the fertilizer tabs into the soil near the roots of your aquatic plants, being careful 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!