DIY Craftopedia: Growing Lotus in a Tub from Seed

Happy Summer Craftopedians!

Summer always was a tough time for my inner garneder. Regardless of how much water you give, plants wither due to the sheer summer dry winds. But, this harsh season is perfect for a lovely plant which you can try to grow. Lotus, being a water plant, apartment gardeners assume it is only the privilege of independent house owners with a huge pond. Well, that's not true. Lotuses are known to be grown in buckets and water tubs as well. If taken care of, they will bloom as well. Lotuses like heat. They simply LOVE sunlight. They thrive very much in hot and humid tropical regions.

That being said, there are two ways of getting your plant. Through seed and through tuber. If you plant an year old tuber directly, you can expect blooms within 3 months. A plant propagated through seed might take 12-18 months to bloom. Nevertheless, watching a plant grow from seed is a blissful experience. Hence, I bought seeds from Amazon.in.

About the Plant -

Lotus seeds are known to restore their vitality even for 100 years. It's because of their tough shell which protects the inner embryo from external damages. To make it germinate, we must find a way to let water get inside the seed. Lotuses like heavy and muddy soil. As said before, they grow crazy if adequate amount of heat is given. Presently, at my location (Hyderabad, India) the maximum temperature is around 40 degree celcius along with 8 hours of direct sunlight for the plant.

First Step - To prepare the seed for germination.

You just need to make a 'hole' in its outer shell. I've seen Lotus Growing videos in YouTube which suggests you to use a sharp knife to cut off a small portion of the outer shell. I've tried that and nearly injured myself! Luckily, I came across a simpler method.

Use Sandpaper! Buy any soft grade of sandpaper and rub the seed on it until you find a cream coloured layer inside revealed. At this point, stop rubbing as the inner seed should not get damaged. Then, put the seeds into a cup of clear drinking water of lukewarm temperature. Leave it for 12 hours.

Now, you should find the cup something like this -

The water should have turned brown and the Lotus seeds should have swelled in size. If that happens, it means the seed will germinate soon. Change the water with fresh, clear, lukewarm water. In fact, change the water every day.