What are the latest propagation methods for lotus?

Lotus is a perennial aquatic herbaceous plant. Relatively stable calm shallow water, lakes and marshes, swamps, and ponds are its suitable habitats. It is divided into two major categories: ornamental and edible. It has a cultivation history of more than three thousand years in China. Its propagation methods mainly include rhizome division propagation, lotus shoot propagation, lotus whip propagation, and seed propagation. Let us take a look at these propagation methods for lotus!

Rhizome division propagation

Lotus rhizome division propagation is usually carried out from mid-March to mid-April. Planting too early will be affected by cold waves, and the seed rhizomes are prone to frost damage. In northern regions, transparent agricultural film can be used for covering when cold waves occur. Before planting, the pot soil should be mixed into a paste. When planting, insert the top end of the seed rhizome obliquely into the mud along the edge of the pot at 20 degrees. For bowl lotus, the depth is about 5 cm. For large lotus, the depth is about 10 cm, with the head low and the tail high, and the tail half tilted up so that water does not enter the tail of the rhizome. After planting, place the pot in the sun to dry so that slight cracks appear in the surface soil, which helps the seed rhizome bond completely with the soil. Then add a small amount of water. After the buds grow out, gradually deepen the water level, and finally maintain a 3-5 cm water layer. For pond planting, the water layer in the early stage is the same as for pot lotus, and later it should be kept at a level that does not submerge the lotus leaves.

Lotus shoot propagation

The lotus shoot is the terminal bud at the front end of the main rhizome, secondary rhizome, and tertiary rhizome. They are all vigorous meristematic tissues, wrapped externally by thick scales, with internal tissues layered one inside another, containing young leaves, terminal buds, axillary buds, and flower bud organs at successive levels. Cutting the terminal bud for cuttings-based propagation is a technique that uses the continuous growth of the terminal bud to reproduce a new generation. It is usually carried out only when the spring temperature rises to 15°C and the buds begin to sprout. Using terminal buds to propagate lotus is most suitable for culinary rhizome production. It not only saves a large amount of seed rhizomes and facilitates transport, but can also reduce diseases. It is a propagation technique worth promoting.

Lotus whip propagation

Lotus whip propagation is usually carried out during the growing season when the lotus whip elongates and many standing leaves grow from the whip nodes. For pond planting, you can enter the pond and follow the direction of the rhizome, feel for the shoot bud, leave 2 leaves, break off the lotus whip, take it out, and transport it to the pond to be planted or plant it immediately in the same pond. For lotus grown in tubs or pots, from June to August, when flowers are abundant, leaves are lush, and new rhizomes have initially formed, you can turn over the pot to take lotus whips and new rhizomes while retaining a few lotus leaves, then repot and transplant to encourage blooming again. When using lotus whip propagation, materials must be obtained locally and planted on site, and the terminal buds and standing leaves must be protected from being broken or damaged for success.

Seed propagation

1. Seed selection: Lotus seeds have a very long lifespan; seeds several hundred or even a thousand years old can still germinate, and their sprouting ability is very strong. Sometimes, in order to speed up propagation, in mid-July, when the seed coat changes from green to yellowish-brown, sowing immediately can also result in germination. However, if sowing is to be done after the following year, harvesting should wait until the lotus seeds are fully mature and the seed coat is black and hardened. The harvested seeds should be dried and stored indoors in a dry, ventilated place. Therefore, when selecting seeds, mature and plump seeds should be chosen for propagation.

2. Sowing: Sowing lotus seeds is more suitable when the daily temperature is about 20°C. For seed lotus, in order to reach the number of lotus seeds harvested in the same year, the sowing period is generally early to mid-April. For flower lotus, sowing from early April to mid-July generally allows flowering in the same year. Sowing from late July to early September is also possible, but because the later temperature is relatively low, only plants can form and the goal of flowering cannot be achieved.

3. Germination promotion: The method for promoting germination is to cut open the hard shell at the flat, concave end of the lotus seed with scissors, expose the seed coat, and take care not to injure the embryo. Place the cracked lotus seeds in a germination container and soak the seeds in clean water, generally keeping the water depth at about 10 cm, changing the water once a day. After 4-6 days, the embryo can appear. During high summer temperatures, sowing should be properly shaded, and daily water changes should be increased to once in the morning and once in the evening. At this time, because the temperature is high, lotus seeds need only 2 days to reveal the embryo.

4. Seedling raising: The main methods for raising lotus seedlings are pot culture and seedbed culture. Pot culture means placing thin pond mud in a pot, with the pot soil accounting for 2/3 of the pot. For seedbed seedling raising, generally use a seedbed 100 cm long and 100 cm wide and 25 cm high, then add 15-20 cm of thin pond mud and level it. Finally, arrange the germinated seeds at a spacing of 15 cm, sow them into the mud in sequence, and maintain 3-5 cm of water.

5. Transplanting: When the seedlings grow to 3-4 floating leaves, they can be transplanted. Plant one seedling per pot, transplant immediately after taking them out, and transplant with soil to increase the survival rate. For field planting of seed lotus, generally 700 seedlings are planted per mu. After transplanting, in order to promote normal growth of the seedlings, shallow water should be maintained in the early stage, and the water level should be gradually raised according to the growth of the seedlings.