How to Grow Lotus Root

Plant lotus rhizomes during the spring after the last frosts. Either plant the rhizome directly into the mud at the bottom of the pond or into a ceramic pot or plastic pot. Weigh down plastic pots with pebbles or a bag of sand to prevent them from floating. Leave at least 36 inches between tubers planted directly into pond soil.

Half fill containers with of clay or garden soil. Enrich the potting soil with 1/4 cup or balanced granular fertilizer per gallon. Plant the rhizome on the edge of the container to allow it to grow across the surface. Bury the rhizome to half its depth in the soil and cover with 2 inches of gravel. This prevents the tuber from rotting before it has the chance to sprout.

Place the container so that its rim is six inches under the surface of the water. Move to its final position once the rhizome has started to sprout. Choose a spot exposed to as much sunshine as possible. The University of Florida's Edward F. Gilman recommends growing lotus plants in no more than 18 inches of water but they can grow in up to 6 feet of water.

Feed lotus plants with fertilizer tablets formulated for water lilies once they have sent up their first leaves. Use one tablet per new leaf during the growing season. Do not fertilize during the colder months of the year. Cut back dead leaves to within an inch of the water's surface.

Grow lotus plants in containers out of water by blocking off the drainage hole and making sure that the soil is always water logged with at least an inch of water on its surface. Use a dwarf variety, such as N. nucifera 'Momo Boton' for containers.

Harvest half the tubers in your containers during the spring and replant the other half. The seed heads can be dried and used in dried flower arrangements, and the seeds themselves can be popped like corn. The tubers can be fried, boiled or made into soups.