Water Gardening: Lotus in the garage?, 1 by darlindeb

darlindeb wrote:
I'm always experimenting. I tried storing some of the first tubers I got in the garage with no water covering them and they rotted. I have successfully stored tubers in damp (not wet) peat moss after dusting them with a fungicide. I put them in big trash bags and the bags in coolers in the garage. I waited till after our first frost date to float them in water. If it was going to be cold, I pulled them back in the garage. The first time I tried that I didn't lose any tubers. The second time some rotted.

I have some that are in a very shallow school pond maybe 20 inches. Those come back every year. They are planted in shallow wide pots.

I have one friend who grows them commercially and she has stored her's in water. I'm not sure what she treats the water with. Another person I know told me he puts hay on top and maybe around his that are above ground and then covers them with plastic; however, I haven't tried that yet.

My experiment for this winter is I have a small tuber in one of those plastic patio ponds that you can get at Lowes. It is above ground and the tuber is in the center of the patio pond with about ten inches of water covering it. I just hope the dogs and the deer don't lower my water level LOL. I don't know if any of Perry Slocum's books talk about that or not. Maybe you could try calling one of the water garden nursery places.

Let me know how yours turn out. Send photos.