Ancient Capital New Beauty Lotus

Lotus Plant Description

Ancient Capital New Beauty Lotus is a remarkable, tall, classic, single-petal lotus flower that is drenched in crimson-red! Ancient Capital New Beauty Lotus blooms all summer long with beautiful, single-petal flowers and is paired with attractive green foliage on the lotus plant. This is sure to become a customer favorite with its classic blooms and bright-red color! This lotus hybrid comes from hybridizers in Nanjing, China at Yileen Gardens.   

Tall/Brilliant-Red/Single

Lotus Planting Instructions

Plant your lotus tuber in a wide (24 - 48 inches wide or wider), no-holes container using loam soil. Fill your container 2/3 full of loam soil. Dig a shallow trench with your hand and gently place the lotus tuber in the trench. Cover all but the growth tips with an inch or two of soil, leaving the growth tips exposed. Gently add 4 - 6 inches of water above the soil and place your lotus container in a sunny area outdoors (8 - 12 hours of sunlight daily). In a week or two you should have coin leaves on the surface of the water. In another week or two you should have aerial leaves growing out of the water. Once you have aerial leaves, it is time to fertilize your lotus. We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs for optimum growth and best bloom.

How To Fertilize Your Lotus

Wait until your lotus plant has aerial leaves to fertilize your lotus. Use 1/2 the recommended dosage for the first application. The second dose of fertilizer should be administered two weeks after the first dose. Once your lotus has aerial leaves, fertilize each month during the growing/blooming season, June through September. Make your final fertilizer application in early September as this will allow your lotus to go into dormancy naturally. We recommend Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use. Simply press the tabs into the soil near the roots of your lotus taking care not to damage the roots. Never disturb your lotus plant once it has begun to grow. 

Please see our 'Complete Lotus Growing Guide' included in each lotus order!

What Is Loam Soil?

Loam soil is a good mixture of Topsoil and Sand

If you are lucky enough to have good topsoil in your backyard, by all means, use your topsoil. All you will have to do is add fertilizer. If you are not so lucky--and your backyard is sand or heavy red or yellow clay, you can mix up a batch of loam soil.

 You can create your own loam soil by mixing these two ingredients together

• 2/3  Inorganic Topsoil (Little or no organic material added)
• 1/3  Pool Filter Sand

 Mix together thoroughly with a little water. Your soil should clump when squeezed. If your soil is mixed properly, it will not muddy your pond water.

You can purchase inexpensive bags of Topsoil at Lowes or Home-Depot. Good soil clumps together as a ball in your hand with only a little moisture. 

Don't buy brands like Scott's or Miracle-Gro, as they will contain too much organic matter that can foul your water. Buy an unbranded bag of topsoil instead.

You can purchase Pool Filter Sand at any store that sells pool supplies.

Loam soil is well suited for all aquatic plants (except oxygenators). Oxygenators rarely need to be planted, just anchored in the substrate or in a container filled with sand or 1/8  inch pea gravel.

Sand holds little water but does allow for aeration and drainage.

Some DO's and DON'TS regarding Aquatic Planting Soil  

DO NOT use potting soils ( as they are too light and will float right out of the pot). Potting Soil has organic material that will rot and foul your water!

DO NOT add too much composted material (as it is too rich in organic matter and it will ferment underwater and destroy the ecology of your pond).

DO NOT use 100% calcined clay as there is no nutritional value in calcined clay.

DO NOT add rocks, stones or pebbles to the top of your planting container as this will inhibit the growth of your plants. Plants do not grow in rocks and stones in nature!

DO NOT purchase API Aquatic Planting Media or Microbe-lift Aquatic Planting Media as these products are NOT suitable for waterlilies, lotus or most other pond plants. They are suitable for submerged grasses ONLY!

Bog Plants (Wetland Plants) prefer poor, acidic soil.

The texture of loam soil will retain nutrients and water as well as bind to the nutrients in your fertilizer, where they can deliver these nutrients to your plants. The Pool Filter Sand will allow some drainage and aeration Once you have created loam soil for your pond plants, you are ready to plant waterlilies, lotus and marginal plants in your water garden or pond. Enjoy!