Taikong Lian 36
Nelumbo nucifera
Lots of seeds - Yum! Of course, most people won't choose to eat this lotus because 'Space Lotus 36' has such lovely flowers and seed pods. A Chinese experiment that sent seeds into space to test the absence of gravity on lotus seeds has resulted in spectacularly large and beautiful blooms. Our lotus is descended from seed #36. This lotus is large (over 5') and needs a deep container or plenty of space in your pond.
Flower Color: White with Pink
Plant Height: Tall, 48” and taller
Flower Type: Single or Few, less than 20 petals
Pot Size: 18” and wider, 12”-18” deep
HOW TO FERTILIZE LOTUS
For conventional fertilizer (tablets or loose prills) which releases quickly when water is added:
Wait until the lotus plant has several floating leaves or begins to put up aerial leaves before adding fertilizer.
Choose a good fertilizer such as Waterlily World Tablets, Pondtabbs or Landon’s Aquatic Fertilizer and follow the instructions carefully. The amount of fertilizer to use is usually based on the size of the pot and the amount of soil in the pot. For example, most of the small tablets are added at a ratio of 1-2 tablets per gallon of soil in the pot. Once the lotus has started to grow vigorously tablets can be added every 2-3 weeks. Stop fertilizing in late summer to allow the lotus to use up all the fertilizer in the pot before going dormant. This encourages the lotus to form better rhizomes.
For SLOW-RELEASE FERTILIZER like Nutricote 14-4-14, 100 day fertilizer:
*follow amount directions on package. Place fertilizer around the bottom of the pot then add soil. Plant rhizome in the soil at the top of soil layer and let it grow down to find fertilizer. We use slow-release fertilizer but begin adding extra Pondtabbs after 3 months when growth gets vigorous and we continue adding extra fertilizer until late summer.
Do NOT use 360 day fertilizer because it will release fertilizer for too long and the lotus will not form as many rhizomes when it goes dormant.