# How to Grow Lotus Tubers
The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic plant native to Australia and Asia. Lotus flowers are fragrant and generally white, yellow or pink, but it isn't unusual to find multicolored blooms. A heat-loving plant, lotus offers sound to the water garden when its seed pods dry and rattle in the breeze. More challenging to grow than water lilies, lotus does best within zones 5 through 10 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Several varieties may do fine in zone 4, so check with a nursery consultant before purchasing.
Things You'll Need
- 13 x 9-inch tub or pan
- Topsoil
- Stones
- Pond fertilizer tablets
- Pea gravel
Instructions
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1
Ensure that the pond's water is at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit before planting the lotus tuber.
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2
Fill a 13-inch by 9-inch tub with 4 inches of clay soil. If clay soil is not available, use cat litter that has no deodorant or clumping qualities.
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3
Place the tuber horizontally on top of the soil so that the "eye," points up. Cover the tuber with stones, leaving the eye exposed, so that it doesn't float out of the soil when placed in the water. Cover the tuber, not the eye, with soil.
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4
Insert pond fertilizer tablets into the soil at both ends of the tub. Push the tablets to the bottom of the pan. Pour 2 inches of pea gravel over the soil.
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5
Place the tub into the pond to a depth of 3 inches. Increase the depth 2 inches every three days.
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