How long should lotus pond mud settle before planting bowl lotus
Lotus pond mud is not only fertile but also very soft and loose. For bowl lotus, it is an absolutely ideal growing medium. However, when we use lotus pond mud to grow bowl lotus in pots, it is not recommended to use it directly. Usually, the lotus pond mud needs to be settled in advance before use. Moreover, what many growers use as so-called lotus pond mud is actually mostly garden soil mixed with yellow sand or river sand and some base fertilizer, left to compost, so it is not truly natural lotus pond mud. Before use, it is even more important to let it settle in advance. So, how long does lotus pond mud need to settle?
If we use homemade lotus pond mud, we can put it into water in several batches and let it settle. Each time we add soil, we need to let the soil added previously settle slightly before adding the next batch, until all the mud in the entire pot has settled evenly. Generally, before preparing to grow bowl lotus, it is recommended to add half a pot of lotus pond mud to the pot 2 days in advance, but do not apply fertilizer. In other words, lotus pond mud usually needs to settle for 2 days before it can be used.
After putting the lotus pond mud into the pot, adding water, and letting it settle for 2 days, we then pour off the water above the mud, and then plant the bowl lotus seeds into the lotus pond mud. Be careful to leave the sprouted part exposed above the mud, with the rest submerged in the mud. We also need to control the thickness of the lotus pond mud in the pot well; generally, maintaining a thickness of 3-5 cm is more suitable.
As for obtaining lotus pond mud, if it is convenient for everyone, it is recommended to dig it out from a lotus pond, as this is the natural lotus pond mud and its quality is also very high. Of course, we can also buy lotus pond mud from flower markets or online to grow bowl lotus, but the lotus pond mud sold by merchants is often homemade soil, not truly dug out from a lotus pond. Therefore, before use, even more attention must be paid to soaking in water and settling.
However, after putting this purchased or self-composted lotus pond mud into the pot, be sure to add enough water to completely submerge the soil in water. Also use a wooden stick or other tool to stir the soil and water thoroughly, and then let the mud-water mixture in the pot settle completely. The settling process takes as little as 2 days or as long as 10 days before it can be used. If the lotus pond mud is obtained from a lotus pond, it usually only needs to settle for 2 days before use; if it is homemade or purchased lotus pond mud, it often needs to settle for about 10 days before use. The settling time often needs to be determined according to the composition of the soil.
After the lotus pond mud has settled, pour off the upper layer of water, then bury the prepared sprouted bowl lotus or bowl lotus tubers into the mud, and add an appropriate amount of clean water to begin growing bowl lotus in a pot. Also, in the early stage of planting bowl lotus, it is generally necessary to change the water once every 3-5 days. When the bowl lotus seedlings have grown to a certain size and have the ability to purify water quality, appropriately reduce the frequency of water changes and then carry out normal care. Usually after 3 months, we can enjoy the beauty and elegance of blooming bowl lotus.