There will be many who disagree with me, but for growing plants, if your pH
is 8.5, it's too high. It's a long story, that prior to coffee isn't coming
back to me, but generally speaking, too high pH and plants can't absorb many
required nutrients. You add plants sticks and the plants sit there starving.
By any chance, do you know if your water is soft or hard (GH test kit). Do
you add potash?

Darn, sorry that Albert didn't make it. You think the growers would know
not to send you a plant too soon. However, your tropical lily problem could
be related to your lotus' problem. My tropicals make it through the winter
and my water goes down to 39°F, average is 45°F for two months during
winter.

--
Wendy* in N. California,

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in
school." - Albert Einstein


"jrock64" wrote in message
news:2MlRa.79994$Ph3.8725@sccrnsc04...
Yes that WAS an Albert Greenberg
Did not overwinter in my unheated basement. 45degrees year round.
Have already killed two tropicals this year.(bareroot internet ordered)
Will take anyone seriously when they say minimum water temperature 55
degrees 70 degrees for growth.
That was about 3 weeks ago in my neck of the woods.
Mid May was way too soon.

Back to the lotus. All the leaves have always been a lime green in color.
Do not know what color they should be.
Started out about dime size with each new leaf about 25% larger than the
last.

Zone 4 NW Iowa
Temps in the low 90's
PH 8.5 to 9+

I thought that lillys and lotus would take all the sun you could give
them.

Dug for the fertilizer spike and could find no trace of it before the clay
clouded over the water.

Leaves seem to be turning brown now as soon as they unroll at the surface.

JRock64


"Wendy Kelly Budd" wrote in message
...
My lotus didn't do well it's first year. Planted it in early spring, it
grew slightly, then at the end of July it died. Or so I thought. It
came
back the next spring.

I agree, too high/low pH could be the problem. It's hard for me to tell
in
the photo, but do the new leaves emerge looking all over pale? More
lime
green than green? As for feeding, I read somewhere not to feed a lotus
until it has 10 or more leaves, this has worked for me. Mind you, I
would
plant it in soil (unenriched regular garden soil). Does anyone else
have
their lotus in sand & clay only and have a low fish load? Another thing
that comes to mind, you could remove that rock from the growing tip; it
should only be there to keep the tuber from floating until the lotus
takes
root.

Very nice lilies! Is that mottled-leafed lily a Leopardess or an Albert
Greenberg? Love those leaves!

--
Wendy* in N. California,

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned
in
school." - Albert Einstein


"jrock64" wrote in message
news:IV2Ra.73528$N7.8514@sccrnsc03...
H E L P ! !
My lotus leaves are turning brown about 3 days after they reach the
surface.
No Ariels yet. About 3 inches across.

Started with tubers 3/4 by 4 inches.
Chawna Basu and Chineese Double Rose.

Planted in sand and kitty litter in a 8 gallon tub 16 in across.

approx 6 in below water surface
Full sun from 11am to 6pm

Last fertilized with one tomato spike(3/4 x 1.5) about a week ago.
Pots
were started with 3 spikes each about mid May

Useing 2 Tbsp muriate of potash every other week in 2000 gal pond.

Photos are at the end of the pond album.

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/jrock64rose

Pond is clear. Lillys are blooming. Even have 1 1/2 in baby
commet/fan/subunkin/fish. Lotus are dieing.

Can you burn a lotus with too much fertilizer. Spikes were stuck way
on
the
side of the pots.

JRock64