Price per jin of Vietnamese national flower lotus seeds and planting, blooming, pot cultivation and care methods
Lotus is also known as lotus flower, water hibiscus, lotus root flower, furong, water mushroom, water flower, water plant, Chinese lotus. There are many varieties, divided into two major categories, ornamental and edible, and it is widely cultivated. So how much does a jin of lotus seeds cost approximately? When to plant and when does it bloom? How to plant? How to care for potted plants? According to Mr. Wu from the Jiujiang Seed Company, the price of lotus seeds is about 20 to 30 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly due to differences in seed quality, variety, place of origin, market, and so on. The sowing rate per mu is 5 to 7 jin.
When is lotus planted and when does it bloom?
Planting:
For outdoor planting, the best sowing season is after the Spring Equinox. Depending on the weather conditions in different provinces, the timing varies. It is best to sow when the temperature is around 15 degrees. When temperature, moisture, and other conditions are suitable, the seeds normally sprout in a week.
Blooming:
1. The lotus flowering period is generally from June to September, opening in the morning and closing in the evening each day. The lotus flower grows singly at the top of the pedicel, with many petals embedded in the cavities of the receptacle. It comes in red, pink, white, purple, and other colors, or with colored patterns and rims. The nut is oval, and the seed is egg-shaped. The fruit ripening period is from September to October.
2. The lotus flowering process is divided into 3 stages: early flowering, full flowering, and final flowering. During the flowering period, it is strongly affected by temperature. Due to different regions and temperature differences, low-latitude and low-altitude areas bloom earlier than or longer than high-latitude and high-altitude areas.
3. The best time to view lotus is from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., when the lotus is most full of vitality. Generally, to ensure reproduction and successful pollination, lotus flowers open for two days. On the first day, they bloom in the morning, and near noon the petals all close up and become buds again. On the second morning, the previously closed stamens continue to open, and near noon the petals of these flowers fall off. The pollinated lotus seed pod remains on the stem and continues to mature slowly.
How are lotus seeds planted?
Nursery site selection
Lotus is widely distributed across the whole world and across China at altitudes of 100 to 3,100 m, including in deep mountain ponds and marshes in the Qinling Mountains and Shennongjia. In some remote places in China, there are even primitive and ancient wild lotus (lotus flower) varieties, but most are currently artificially cultivated. Lotus likes calm, gently flowing waters, swamps, ponds, and other places with water. What depth of water is suitable for planting lotus is determined by the variety. Some varieties are deep-water types and some are shallow-water types, but overall none exceed 1.8 m in depth. Most can grow only in water depths within 1.2 m. Lotus does not have great requirements for water quality, and it also has the function of improving water conditions.
Land preparation
1. Deep plowing: Lotus is generally not sown directly into water, but is planted on the bank after seedling raising, or planted into the lotus pond during the dry season. Some are also planted directly on the bank, but the sprouting rate is lower. The best method is artificial seedling raising followed by planting.
2. Making beds: no beds are made.
Sowing
Lotus seeds have hard shells, and under natural conditions the sprouting rate is low, so they need to be cracked manually or naturally cracked after sprouting encouragement. Manual shell cracking is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the effect is the best. The method is to crack the shell with scissors or a hammer. The second method is the water soaking method: soak the seeds in water for 1 day, then take them out and dry them in the sun for one day. At night, put them back in water to soak, and during the day take them out again to dry in the sun. After 5 consecutive days, place them in a ventilated and shady place and sprinkle water every morning and evening to keep them moist. After 5 days, most seeds will crack and the embryos will begin to develop. At this point, plant them in the paddy field.
Seedling stage management
Management of lotus seedlings is simple. Regularly put cow dung, pig dung, and so on into the water to keep the water in a fertile state, but be careful to use an appropriate amount and do not be greedy for more. Fish, shrimp, and other aquatic products can also be raised in the water, but sufficient feed must be provided, otherwise fish, shrimp, and the like will nibble on lotus stems, leaves, roots, tubers, and so on.
How are potted lotus plants cared for?
1. Potted lotus is usually propagated by dividing and planting lotus rhizomes. Around Qingming, select strong underground stems newly grown the previous year for planting. Generally, a 3-node rhizome section is taken as one planting rhizome, and the terminal bud, middle bud, and tail bud must be kept intact. The planting container is usually a lotus jar with a mouth diameter of 35-50 cm and a depth of 65-80 cm. Use fertile pond mud for the soil. If it is dry before use, first crush it, remove gravel and impurities, and mix it into a paste-like consistency to put in the bottom of the jar, 25 cm thick.
2. At the same time, add base fertilizer (such as soybean cake, bone meal, chicken feathers, chicken and duck manure, and chopped tender green grass, etc.), then cover with a thin layer of soil. Then plant the planting rhizome in the pot near the edge, with the head low and the tail high, and the bud heads between each node should all face upward. Generally, plant one rhizome per pot. If the pot is small or the rhizome is small, two rhizomes of the same variety and similar size can be planted. Do not mix different varieties, because their growth vigor differs and this will cause the ornamental effect to fail. Cover the rhizome head with soil about 6 cm thick, and cover the tail with soil only enough to leave it slightly exposed. This is what is commonly said. Because the rhizome head first extends straight upward for several centimeters according to its growth habit, and only then begins to spread horizontally in the shallow layer of the pot.
3. After planting the rhizome, place it in a sunny place such as a balcony and expose it to full sun. During heavy rain, temporarily shelter it, or cover it with plastic film. When the soil dries and cracks, clean water can be added, with a water depth of about 5 cm above the soil surface, so that the jar mud dries into blocks and can fix the planting rhizome. After a second sun exposure, when the water has been absorbed until the mud is soft but not sticky, water can be added formally, maintaining a water depth of 6 cm. After the middle of May, when small leaves are seen emerging from the water surface, apply topdressing once (dead fish, rotten shrimp, and so on can be buried under the mud on both sides of the rhizome nodes), and add water to a depth of 10-15 cm. After the standing leaves emerge, apply topdressing another 1 to 2 times to promote leaf growth and flower bud growth. As the temperature rises, when two or three standing leaves have grown, the floating leaves have usually covered the pot surface tightly. At this time, press the old and remaining floating leaves into the mud to keep the pot surface properly ventilated and exposed to light.
4. If the leaf color is pale and thin, apply 0.1% urea and 0.05% monopotassium phosphate into the water, or about 10 cake fertilizer blocks the size of a fingertip, inserted separately into the pot mud. If the leaves are thick and slightly bluish, it indicates the fertilizer amount is moderate. If the leaves are uneven and bumpy, it indicates the fertilizer amount is too large. Entering August, topdressing can be stopped.
5. Potted lotus can also be propagated by sowing. Lotus seeds mature from July to August and can be sown immediately after collection, but usually they are sown in April of the following year when the climate turns warm. The lotus shell is hard. Before sowing, grind and break the slightly porous tip of the thick end of the lotus seed, but do not damage the lotus kernel. Then soak it in water at 25-30°C, with a water depth of about 8 cm, changing the water once a day. It will sprout in 7 to 10 days. After two or three leaves have spread out, it can be planted in a pot.