In my teens I attempted to grow (blue lotus) from seed, on several occasions. The results were oddly mixed.

I can germinate the seeds rather well.
They grow stems rapidly, with small leaf pods on the tip.

My first couple attempts... The tuber rotted. So I stopped using substrate and switched to just water. That helped.

Following that... Every time they grow to a certain point the leafe pods usually rot from the tip, killing the plant before the leaves open.

It seems as if it has something to do with when they contact air?🤔

I managed twice (no idea how) to produce nice open healthy leaves...

But they soon got little brittle lacey looking patches and also died.




My method is as follows:

Cut the tip off the seed pod.
Place pod in a small container with clean water and full light.
Temperature around 70-78F

Seed germinates... Grows quickly.

Then rots...

If it makes a full set of leaves I plant in a large bucket with soil (kind of mini pond)
Water 2-6 inches above soil.




This was pre internet so nobody could help me... Because I couldnt find anyone thats ever heard of a blue lotus😂

Now I have a few seeds here ready to go, and I want to plant today while theyre still viable.

I have a 1 gallon jar, fresh clean water, around 78F,
I plan to remove the tip of the hard pod.
Then just place it in the water till it grows some.

I think I had better luck with an air stone to keep the water from stagnating...but that doesnt make sense to me. These should be able to handle somewhat stagnant water I believe.

Im wondering if the temp is too hot (although thats the temp I get from google searches)

Can I completely remove the seed from the pod?

Is it possible to grow these outdoors in zone 5b. I know it cant be done in the standard way... But im thinking a shallow black pond with perhaps a heater. And overwintering indoors?

Im about to start my last seeds and would love some help thanks!

Are you talking about N. caerulea?

Sorry, haven't much experience starting small waterlily seeds (though it's something I want to do someday). I start lotus, viviparous tropical water lily nubs, and large-seeded lilies like Euryale in shallow, warm, oxygenated water, under bright lights and good filtration. For most of these I use a nutrient poor, sandy/silty medium for starting, with a peat-containing medium underneath for the roots to eventually grow into. I use aquaria or large tubs or stock tanks with aeration. Bright light seems to be very important. Temperature preference is dependent on species, and I look them up.

Yes N caerulea.
The large seed type.

One is growing well indoors now and its about 6" long.

I cant find a whole lot about them online other than the basic info.

I have found that they will over winter if theyre below the freeze line.
But idk if they will even grow in zone 5b in the non winter months.

If kept indoors... What size tub and lighting would they need?

Ive found mixed info on the tub size... Some people claim they require a HUGE tub some people seem to grow them year after year in 50 gallon tubs.

Texas Waterlilies carries it and claims it is a medium plant, which would indicate that a 3-5 gallon pot would be sufficient. I have no first-hand experience with it. Overwintering tropicals is hard, though, and for me requires a combination of warm water and high light. I know some people can put tropicals to sleep and wake them up again, but I never had the knack. Once they go into a dormant corm, I can't ever get them to grow again.

Why do you believe a waterlily should be able to handle stagnant water? It doesn't live in stagnant water in nature.

Do you have an over the back filter on a heated fish tank? If so, take what ever filter you have in it, fill it with peat moss and start your seed in there.

Waterlilies need clean warm water, bright lights. If you don't give them that, nothing else you do will work.

Encyclopedia of Water Gardening by Greg (and Susan) Speichert. Best book ever.

I am in zone 6 here and I kept my water lilies in containers outdoors in non-winter months and kept the plants (when it is cold the plants die back before frost), rinsed then place them in water in containers with lid on placing these containers indoors by the window where get some light. The plants even after water rinsed, still might carry bug eggs so make sure with lid and once in a while take the container outdoors to air out otherwise the leaves will rot since plants still need oxygen to survive.

No problem putting them back to grow in containers again outdoors when it is warm sometime in mid to late spring. Viviparous water lilies can be saved by big enough leaf node in re-sealable bag without water that can be store inside the fridge as a bulb!

Good info for those that have winter weather!