Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a hero in both the kitchen and the garden. It is easy and fast to grow indoors to add a slight nutty taste to salads or sandwiches.
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All parts of lotus plants are edible. The leaves are used to wrap meat and rice for steaming, the roots are white with a pink tint - starchy and easy to digest, the seeds are harvested after flowering for medicinal purpose. The large, wavy green leaves are very attractive with the oversized pink flowers during summer.
How to grow lotus in a garden
- Choose full sun spot in your pond. Enrich the soil with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed.
- Plant the plant out in the pond soil, 5 cm deep. Cover lightly with pond soil.
- Make sure water level is 5 cm higher than soil to start with, but do not submerge the leaves.
- Start feeding the plant with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed when there are 6 leaves.
- Harvest by digging the roots out in autumn.
You can also place a pot direct into your pond; make sure the water is the same levels as your pot to start with, then gradually increase the water level as the foliage grows.
For small varieties keep the water 50 – 150 mm higher than top of the soil; For larger varieties water need to be 1 m deep from the top of the soil.
How to grow lotus in a pot
- Choose a pot at least 300 mm wide and deep and position in a full sun spot.
- Fill the pot with heavy garden soil (or 2 parts of clay + 1 part of river sand) for at least 150 cm deep, plant the seedling into the soil 20 - 30 mm deep, cover the mud with some pebbles, add water carefully and make sure water level is 5 cm higher than soil, but do not submerge the leaves.
- Start feeding the plant with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed when there are 6 leaves.
- Harvest by digging the roots out in autumn.
Growing tips
Germinate from seeds:
- Scarify, file or cut a small hole on the sunken end;
- Soak seeds in 40C lukewarm water, change water twice a day, takes 3 - 7 days to germinate;
- Peel the outer shell from the germinate bud to half of the seed;
- Ready to transplant when seedlings are 15 cm tall;
- The seedlings need to be transplanted to a minimal 300 mm width and height pot;
- Make sure the pointy end faces down into the soil
Companion plants
Other aquatic plants
Watercress
The peppery taste of watercress brings the pizzazz to sandwiches, winter dishes & garnishes. The high content of Calcium, Iron & Vitamins make watercress a super-healthy option.
Perilla
A widely used ingredient in Asian cooking, it's highly nutritious and beautiful to look at too. Here's how to grow perilla in the garden or in pots.
Swede
Here's a guide on how to grow swedes in the garden or pots.
Recommended products
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
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