how to grow lotus from seed

1. scarify: lotus seeds must be scarified, otherwise they never germinate. i find scarification a hit and miss portion in germination of lotus seeds. you must see to it that the "scar" isn't too deep to destroy the embryo, but deep enough for water to sip into the seeds thereby inducing germination. all you need for scarifying is a small file and any instrument that holds the seeds in place while you patiently make a scar using a file. you can buy a small file in your nearest hardware. why choose a file and not a knife to do the job? trust me, i tried using a knife too, but it doesn't work. the seed shell is so hard and you just have to be patient in slowly making the scar. moreover, when you use a file, you tend to have more control as to how deep you go. i do not know if this is relevant, but i usually make the scar horizontally. the seed is bilog na hugis itlog. like an egg, you have what seems to be the head part and the bottom part of it. it might work if you make the scar in any way you want, but i suggest you make that scar horizontally closer to its head. again, that's how i did it and it worked. my guess is that as long as you scar it properly in anyway you want allowing the water to enter into the seeds, then you will have them germinate. to give you a better idea how deep should the scar be, just imagine the lotus seed as something similar to a coconut. you have the husk first prior to the coconut shell. when you make the scar, just see to it that you go up to the shell portion but not too much into it. when filing thru, you know you are still in the husk part of the seed when its still brownish in color. you need to stop when you see it turned white.

2. soaking: once you have scarified the seeds, you need to soak the seeds in a clean water. try using a warm water. not hot water, but just warm enough. its as warm as the water you use to take a bath or warm water you use to bathe an infant. just use any container for this. have 3-4 inches of warm water. place under the sun. change water at least twice a day. wait until seeds germinate. they usually start sprouting after three days. keep changing water. after one week from the time they have sprouted, the seedlings are ready for transplanting.

3. planting: here decide where you want to plant your lotus. i suggest you find a large container (a large basin for example) that holds water. in my case, i plant my lotus in the pond. i think they grow in any type of soil. just choose to have them in a place where they get plenty of sunlight. they so love the sun. one seedling is enough for one big container. see to it that you have at least 3 to 4 inches of water. at first, the leaves just float. after two months or so, leaves start to shoot up. leaves grow up to 3 to 4 feet above the water surface. they start to bloom in 6 months