hello, everyone. i'm very new to gardening, esp water gardening. please advice on a fertilizer tab that won't harm gold fish. thank you.
annapet
lotus fertilizer that won't harm gold fish in the pond
Pondtabbs by Plantabbs. Available at most garden centers. Use as directed on label. I have goldfish and Koi and it's safe for both.
Anne
thanks, anne!
I use those too, only thing is , I have heard that if you really fertilize the lotus as much as you should to get optimum bloom you may have too much fertilizer in the pond and contribute to an algea problem. That is why some of us keep the lotus in a big pot near the pond.
good luck
charlotte
Charlotteda
How often do you have to water a lotus in a pot?
I am sure that depends on several factors and the lotus and the pot. Last Spring I bought 2 lotus tubers. Mrs. Perry D. Slocum, and Chawan Basu. Mrs. Perry gets big so I purchased a black 50 gallon plastic drum and cut the bottom off about 18" high. I put about 6-8 inches of soil and planted the tuber directly in the soil. I usually keep the water filled to the top of the barrel and honestly, I have to add water maybe 2 times a week during the warmest part of the summer. Since it is near my pond, I normally just dip a bucket out of the pond and put in the lotus pot. I was encouraged to do this so I could feed the lotus better and not add all that energy to my pond.
It has worked well for me, I had several blooms last year and it is already up and putting up good leaves now. (I'll go out and take a pic) Here it is.
You can hide the pot however you want. I stacked rock around mine. In my zone, that provides winter freeze protection also.
My chawan basu spent the summer planted directly in one of those rectangular rubbermaid containers. It wasnt too much effort to add water...but we did get a bit of rain last summer. This year..I made her a little pond of her own. I just stacked block 2 high and plastered the outside with cement and added a cheap liner inside. My husband put a wooden top on for me but you could just add cap block.
Thanks for the info, I guess the only question remaining is if anyone has any luck with getting lotus to bloom without a lot of additional fertilizer, and what is the affect of giving the Lotus more fertilizer? I have read and heard that a balanced pond can provide everything plants need, just not sure if that includes Lotus.
That is a debate I am sure. I've always read the lotus are heavy feeders, they enjoy the rich deep mulm in lake bottoms. Those of us with fish in an "controled environment" dont tend to let muck accumulate because it is bad for the fish. I would expect you might have really nice foliage but fewer blooms without added stuff. But I've only had mine one summer and they are not in the pond.
good luck
charlotte
i have a question
this will be my second year with my lotus, i fertilize and its in the sun but i have yet to have a bloom and the leaves just lay on the top of the water like a lily, any ideas?
anna
So you are not getting any aerial leaves (for me - they come before the buds start). Some lotus dont bloom until the second year so dont give up. If you have enough sun and proper amt of water on top, continue to fertilize according to whatever schedule you have set up. You will most likely have blooms this year :)
well i recived this tuber from a friend and it had bloomed for him b4
no ariel leaves at all:(
So this was already an established plant...hmm...you may need to fertilize a bit more.. I would do some research online or maybe someone with more experience will come along :)
i just think it doesent like me lol
its the only plant of mine that wont do what i want it to lol
I doubt it is anything personal :) :)
plants are much more forgiving than people !
good luck
oh, anna, best of luck on your lotus. i hope you get aerial leaves soon, and then blooms! mine are barely growing leaves. i got three tubers end of march and i'm pretty sure one didn't make it.