A detailed guide to growing bowl lotus, easy enough for beginners to learn
Bowl lotus, also known as bowl lotus or pot lotus, as the name suggests, is a lotus grown in a bowl, specifically for placing on indoor tables to beautify the living environment. Bowl lotus originated in Jiangsu, with Suzhou's being the most famous. There are many records of it in ancient Chinese texts. Today it is mostly used as an ornamental plant for office desks, beautifying the work environment. Today, the editor will share with you how to grow bowl lotus!
The growing environment for bowl lotus
It likes plenty of sunlight and does not tolerate shade. It likes warmth, with an optimal growing temperature of 20-30°C; growth stalls when the temperature drops below 15°C. It likes moisture and fears drying out, and prefers relatively stable still water. Fertile clay rich in organic matter is ideal. The suitable pH is 6.5.
The sowing time for bowl lotus
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, lotus seeds take 50-60 days from sowing to flowering in spring and 60-80 days in autumn.
Seed treatment for bowl lotus
The outer shell of lotus seeds is hard and dense, so the seeds must be manually nicked before soaking. One end of a lotus seed has a small pointed tip, and the other end has a small dimple. Rub the end with the small dimple on rough concrete until a layer of the seed coat is worn through. Be careful not to damage the kernel inside, and do not remove the shell. The purpose of rubbing the coat is to let water seep in through this opening so the seed absorbs water and swells. How do you treat bowl lotus seeds? There are several ways to treat the dimpled end. The conventional methods usually include: ① rubbing off the seed coat on concrete. ② cracking it with pliers. ③ cutting off a small piece of the seed coat with a sharp small craft knife. ④ soaking it for a few days first, so the seed coat softens and is easier to handle.
Soaking and sprouting bowl lotus seeds
Soak the cracked seeds in warm water at about 20-40 degrees. When the water temperature is below 20 degrees, the seeds sprout and grow too slowly. For a small home soaking, you can put them in a thermos to keep them warm. The speed of sprouting is also related to temperature; at 30 degrees, soaking and sprouting generally takes only 3-5 days for germination, with the sprout emerging from the opening.
During this period, change the water every 1-2 days. Generally, as long as the seed coat can absorb water and swell, it will sprout. What should you pay attention to when soaking and sprouting bowl lotus seeds: ① If the temperature is low, you can use a thermos with 30-degree warm water. At temperatures above 20 degrees, you can soak them indoors or outdoors. ② Change the water twice a day; I usually change it once in the morning and once in the evening; ③ The water only needs to cover the seeds; ④ The higher the temperature, the faster the sprouting. Generally above 20 degrees, sprouting takes 3 days to a week.
Choosing a pot for bowl lotus
Although it is called bowl lotus, if you grow it in a vegetable bowl, it is too small and too shallow. A bowl that is too shallow holds too little nutrient soil, so the plant cannot get enough nutrients; if it is too small, it cannot accommodate the spreading fibrous roots, and it will not grow well. A suitable size is to ensure the container diameter is about 25-87.5cm and the depth is about 20-62.5cm. Ensure about 37.5cm of soil depth for the roots to grow fully.