Actually this is my first waterplant ever.
In order for it to flower I had to feed it. That makes algae - without the Lotus I had no problem keeping the pond clean. (It's copper with a slate bottom). I thought that I'd try some fish - but they've changed to chloramines in my water and right now there's an automatic fill. No end of complications.
And ideas?
Thats why I dont have my lotus in the pond. My big one sits in a buried container right beside the pond.
Excellent idea - how deep is the container it's in?
I used a 55 gallon plastic drum, cut it in half so it is about 18" deep. Soil in the bottom 6" and planted Mrs. Perry D. on top of soil..leaving about 12" or so of water on top. The plan is that when I divide this winter...hubby and I will lift the whole root ball out of the container. It has worked out really well and I can fert my lotus all I want without affecting my pond water. From a distance though the lotus looks as if it is just a part of the pond.
Veddy Clever. I think that I'll do that next spring. The ground slopes down at the back of the pond too so I might be able to dig an edge into it. Mine is just an unnamed variety - an impulse buy. I sure do love the leaves even if it doesn't bloom.
Thanks!
Doss, I've got my lotus in a plastic, 7-gallon pot in the water garden. In the space of one season it will fill the pot with roots and tubers and has to be subdivided in the spring. I use a solid pot so that I can add fertilizer pellets in the bottom of the pot throughout the summer without the nutrients going out into the pond. This sits in a shallow part of the pond with only about an inch of water over the pot.
As to your choloramine issue. Since you have your system on autofill I think it would be a bit awkward to set up a chemical dosing system to add something such as ChlorAmX to destroy the chloramines. I have a system that I use that you might be able to adapt to yours. I use a water timer (since the autofill doesn't completely shutoff like it should and it was easier to put one of those battery operated units right in line) to feed the water into a whole-house activated carbon filter. From the filter the water feeds into the skimmer and the pumps where it is pumped through the biofilters prior to being dumped into the pond. The rate of water flowing into the skimmer is just a trickle - less than 1/2 a gallon per minute - and it usually takes a couple of hours to add a 1/2 inch or so. But the filter breaks down the chloramines (I change it out every two years) and any resulting products are diluted in the skimmer plus they pass through the biofilter which takes care of any ammonia that's released. Result is nothing going into the pond that would bother the fish or the plants. It's not clear in your photo whether you have or plan to have a biofiter but this approach is one option. As you probably know, aeration won't do much of anything for getting rid of chloramines.
You're pond is beautiful. Thank you so much for the photo.
I'm afraid that I misled you all. This is really only a foot deep and 5 feet X 5 feet.
It's good to know that I have to divide them. My autofill is like a toilet tank mechanism and works just fine. (LOL).
I'm going to have some fun looking for a container and figuring all of this out. Really since the pool is so shallow, if I buy the right pot it can still sit in the pool without bothering the water around it. Without the plant food, liquid barley and algaefix take care of everything.
Hurray! now I can have my Lotus and a clean fountain too.
ohhh wow pretty
