Product Review

Step 1 Scarify each seed by sawing through the hard seed coat with a hobby knife until you see the seed's cream-colored interior. The seed coat must be split for germination. Step 2 Enlarge the cut with a small triangular file. Step 3 Place the scarified seeds in warm water in a shallow pan. The water should be between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Step 4 Change the water twice a day. Over the next 3 days, the seeds will begin to appear lumpy. Shortly after that, they will begin to sprout. Step 5 Put about 3 inches of soil in the bottom of a plastic bucket. Plain garden soil will work well. Step 6 Add enough water to the bucket to cover the soil by about 3 inches. Let the bucket sit overnight to allow the soil to settle. Step 7 Plant the seed about 1 inch deep. This will re-stir the sediment and it will take awhile for the water to clear. Add water to maintain around 3 inches of water above the soil. Step 8 Transplant the lotus to its final growing place after a couple of weeks. This should not be done until the lotus has a number of leaves floating on top of the water in the bucket. Step 9 Turn the bucket upside down after draining the water to release the lotus tuber, roots, and plant. Be careful not to break off the plant, as this will kill the lotus. The joint between the plant and tuber can be very brittle. Step 10 Plant the lotus in 3-5 inches of soil in its final growing place. Step 11 Place a rock over the tuber to keep it from floating up. Lotus tubers have a tendency to float. If you are adding the lotus to a fish pond, the rock will also keep the fish away from a tuber. Step 12 Add a couple of pond fertilizer tablets to the outer rim of the final location for your lotus. Step 13 Cover the dirt and rock with a couple of inches of pea gravel and place the lotus in the sun. Lotus require at least 6 hours of sun per day.