How to grow bowl lotus with soilless culture? Latest method explained in detail
Bowl lotus, also known as white lotus, hibiscus, lotus, etc., is a perennial aquatic herbaceous flower of the genus Nelumbo in the family Nymphaeaceae. It not only has large, brightly colored flowers with a distant delicate fragrance and green leaves spreading over the water, but also has extremely strong adaptability. Since ancient times, it has been a precious aquatic flower for palace gardens and private home gardens, and in modern landscape architecture today it is increasingly favored by people. Now let us take a look at the soilless culture method for bowl lotus!
Cultivation advantages
Soilless culture of bowl lotus can avoid soil-borne pests and diseases. Applying inorganic fertilizers has no smell or odor, does not breed mosquitoes or flies, and is clean and hygienic. Moreover, bowl lotus grown without soil has dark green leaves, many large flowers, vivid colors, and a long flowering period. At the same time, it has the advantages of simple operation and being easy to master, and is most welcomed by home flower-growing enthusiasts.
Sowing time
Bowl lotus seeds have no dormancy period. As long as the water temperature can be kept above 16°C, they can be sown in all four seasons. Under suitable temperature and light conditions, from sowing to flowering takes 50~60 days in spring and 60~80 days in autumn.
Seed treatment
The outer shell of lotus seeds is hard and dense, so before soaking the seeds, the shell must be manually nicked. One end of the lotus seed has a small pointed tip, and the other end has a small concave dot. Rub the end with the small concave dot on rough cement ground until a layer of skin is worn through. Be careful not to damage the kernel inside, and do not remove the shell. The purpose of rubbing the skin is to let moisture penetrate through this opening, causing the seed to absorb water and swell.
Soaking seeds to promote germination
Soak the already shell-cracked seeds in warm water at about 20~40 degrees. When the water temperature is below 20 degrees, the seeds germinate and grow too slowly. When soaking a small number of seeds at home, they can be placed in a thermos to keep warm. The speed of germination is also related to temperature. Under the condition of 30 degrees, generally after soaking to promote germination for 3~5 days, they can sprout, and the embryo bud extends from the opening. During this period, change the water once every 1~2 days. Under normal circumstances, as long as the seed coat can absorb water and swell, it can germinate.