When do lotus flowers bloom
The editor answers netizens' questions about when lotus flowers bloom and the techniques for caring for lotus flowers in the aspect of green plants and flowers, followed by a comprehensive introduction.
Eye-catching lotus flowers
Lotus flowers, also known as慈姑花 (慈菇), water taros,观音莲 (Guanyin lotus), trumpet flowers, torch flowers, and Java taros, are perennial herbaceous plants.
Lotus flowers are native to the wetlands of southern Africa. They prefer warm, humid, and sunny environments and thrive in fertile, humus-rich, and water-retaining clayey soil.
Lotus flowers start to bloom during the Spring Festival, with March to April being the peak blooming period.
The optimal growing temperature for lotus flowers is between 10-25°C. They are not cold-tolerant and require night temperatures not lower than 10°C.
If you appreciate the beauty of lotus flowers, you might as well continue to read about their cultivation techniques.
Diary of lotus flower potting
Potting
When potting lotus flowers, it is advisable to use deep cylinders about 20 centimeters in diameter.
The potting soil should be fertile paddy soil, or a mixture of fertile garden soil, leaf mold, and sand in a ratio of 4:3:2, supplemented with a small amount of superphosphate.
After the first bloom in early spring (or in autumn), dig around the mother plant's rhizome to find the sprouting bulbs.
Plant 3-4 bulbs evenly in the pot, cover them with 3-4 centimeters of soil, and keep the distance from the soil surface to the pot opening at about 3-4 centimeters.
After planting, press the soil down.
After potting, water thoroughly and place in a shaded area, keeping the potting soil moist.
After sprouting, move to a shaded greenhouse with scattered light for maintenance.
Watering
After the lotus flowers sprout, keep the potting soil moist and spray water on the leaves every day.
Watering lotus flowers is not about "how often to water" or "fixed water amounts," but rather increasing with the growth of the leaves.
In general, lotus flowers need frequent watering during their growing period, and early morning and evening misting around the pot to increase air humidity.
Especially when the flower stalks are growing, lack of water can affect the quality of the flowers.
However, after blooming, as temperatures rise and growth slows down, control watering to keep the potting soil moist but slightly dry.
When do lotus flowers bloom
Fertilizing
In addition to applying a base fertilizer when planting, lotus flowers should be fertilized with a thin liquid fertilizer every 15 days during the growing period.
The liquid fertilizer used can be made from well-rotted cake fertilizer.
During the peak growing season of lotus flowers, you can add a thin liquid fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium every 15 days.
When fertilizing, be careful not to pour fertilizer water into the leaf sheath to avoid rotting the leaves.
Stop fertilizing after flowering.
Cultivation techniques for lotus flowers
Daily maintenance
1. Lotus flowers are not cold-tolerant and require night temperatures not lower than 10°C, with some varieties requiring temperatures not lower than 16°C.
When temperatures are above 25°C or below 5°C, lotus flowers will be forced into dormancy.
2. Increasing light exposure can suppress the plant's vertical growth.
3. When the air is dry, spray water around the pot to increase humidity.
4. When the leaves of lotus flowers are lush, they should be thinned to allow the flower stems to emerge; after flowering, the残花 (remnants of flowers) and flower stems should be cut off in time to avoid nutrient consumption.
5. During maintenance, diseased and yellowing leaves of lotus flowers should be cut off at any time to ensure good use of nutrients and maintain good ventilation.
6. It is best to wipe the leaf surface with a sponge or soft cloth every 5-7 days to keep the leaves fresh and clean.
Controlling blooming period
The key to controlling the blooming period of lotus flowers lies in the control of temperature during the growing period and the adjustment of planting time.
Under normal conditions, lotus bulbs can bloom 5-6 months after planting.
If the growing environment temperature can be maintained at 13-20°C, with sufficient fertilization, appropriate air humidity, and light conditions, lotus flowers can continuously bloom and grow without a dormant period.
For home pot-grown lotus flowers, as the environmental temperature drops in winter, their blooming period also shifts later.
If the pot friends can increase the temperature of the lotus flower growing environment, it will bloom earlier.