How to Plant Lotus and Lotus Root? Detailed Planting Methods and Tips

Lotus root is slightly sweet and crisp, can be eaten raw or cooked, and has quite high medicinal value. Its roots, leaves, flower stamens and fruits are all treasures, and all can be used as nourishing medicine. So, how do you plant lotus and lotus root?

1. How to plant lotus and lotus root?

Choose a lotus field with deep soil, rich in organic matter and slightly acidic clay soil. For the lotus root seed, choose a mother lotus root or a fully mature daughter lotus root with plump root heads, intact terminal buds, a thick and large root body, small root nodes, thick and strong rear fertilizer, and bright color. When sowing, dig, select and plant as you go. Keep shallow water of 5-6cm in the early stage to promote sprouting and leaf growth, a water depth of 15-16cm in the middle stage, and then release shallow water again in the later stage to facilitate root formation. When harvesting, do not break the leaf stalks, so as to avoid water entering and causing the plant to rot.

2. What should be noted when planting lotus and lotus root?

1. Temperature

Lotus root likes warmth. Planting lotus root can only germinate above 15°C; the vigorous growth period requires a temperature of 20-30°C and a water temperature of 21-25°C. The early stage of root formation also requires a relatively high temperature, which is beneficial to the expansion of the root body; in the later stage, a relatively large temperature difference between day and night is required, around 25°C during the day and around 15°C at night, so as to facilitate the accumulation of nutrients and the filling of the root body. During the dormant period, it is required to maintain above 5°C; below 5°C, the root is susceptible to freezing.

2. Light

Lotus root is a light-loving plant and is not tolerant of shade. During the growth period it requires sufficient light, and it is not strict about the length of daylight. Sufficient light in the early stage is beneficial to the growth of stems and leaves. Sufficient light in the later stage is beneficial to flowering, fruiting and the filling of the root body.

3. Water

Lotus root must not lack water throughout the entire growth period. The budding and growth stage requires shallow water, with a water level of 5-10cm being suitable. As the plant enters the vigorous growth stage, the water level is required to gradually deepen to 30-50cm. Afterward, as the plant flowers, fruits and forms roots, the water level should gradually become shallower again, until the lotus root becomes dormant and overwinters, when only fully moist soil or shallow water is needed. If the water level is too deep, it is easy to cause delayed root formation and a thin and slender root body. If the water level rises sharply and submerges the lotus leaves for more than 1d, it is easy to cause the leaves to die.

4. Soil nutrients

For lotus root growth, loam and clay loam rich in organic matter are most suitable. The soil organic matter content should be at least above 1.5%, and the soil pH should be between 5.6-7.5, with 6.5 being the most suitable. Lotus root requires equal emphasis on the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and there are also certain differences among varieties. Varieties of the seed lotus type have a relatively high demand for nitrogen and phosphorus; the root lotus type, on the other hand, has a relatively high demand for nitrogen and potassium.

The lotus has high ornamental value, and the lotus root is highly edible. Seen this way, every part of the lotus and lotus root is a treasure, and planting them can bring good economic benefits.