How to Propagate Hardy Water Lotus

Turn the pot on its side and gently pull out the soil and tangle of roots. Unwind the lotus roots, which have likely wound around the bottom of the pot.

Rinse the roots with clear water to remove any clinging soil.

Inspect the roots to determine the cutting location. Lotus roots resemble a string of sausages, with swollen root sections segmented together. Look for raised bumps or growing nodes in the thin waist between each thickened area. These nodes send out the stems for a new lotus plant.

Cut apart the roots so they consist of one-and-a-half thick sections with growing nodes between them. Place the sections in a bucket of warm water while preparing the new planting pots.

Fill a 10-inch-diameter pot that is about twice as deep with a heavy soil formulated for aquatic plants. Leave a 4-inch space at the top of the pot.

Make a trench in the soil on opposite sides of the pot. Lay a rhizome in each trench, placing it so the thick part sits below the soil surface and the cut end emerges above the soil. Add soil to the pot until the thick part is planted about 2 inches deep and the cut end is just at the soil surface.

Sprinkle a 1-inch layer of sand on top the soil. Thoroughly water the pot before setting it in the pond. Place the pot so its top sits 10 to 15 inches beneath the pond surface.