Bonsai lotus seed pack: Nelumbo Nucifera dwarf
Regular price
5,90 €
Regular price
Sale price
5,90 €
Unit price
/
per
| Format | Price | Price per unit | vs 4 graines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 graines | 5,90 € | 1,48 € | — |
| 8 graines | 8,90 € | 1,11 € | −25 % |
| 14 graines | 13,90 € | 0,99 € | −33 % |
| 20 graines | 17,90 € | 0,90 € | −39 % |
| 30 graines | 24,90 € | 0,83 € | −44 % |
1,96 € × 3 with no fees
Klarna.
These seeds produce the dwarf form of the sacred lotus — the one grown in a bowl or water planter rather than a pond. This form needs just 5 to 30 cm of water above the grow medium, in a container around 60 cm wide, and the seed must be filed before soaking.
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The summary
- What you receive: dwarf lotus seeds, Nelumbo nucifera, from 4 to 30 depending on the format chosen.
- No pond needed: this is the only variety in the range that can be grown in a bowl or basin placed on a surface.
- Getting started: file the shell down by 1 to 2 mm, then soak the seeds in water at 20 to 25 °C.
- Water: 5 cm above the grow medium to begin with, up to 30 cm once the plant is established.
- Container: a container approximately 60 cm wide and 20 cm deep is sufficient for one plant.
- Winter: the bowl must never freeze solid, or the rhizome will be lost.
Dwarf lotus for sowing, 5 to 30 cm of water, grown in a bowl
This is the lotus for those without a pond. The dwarf form of Nelumbo nucifera retains the lotus silhouette, rounded leaves standing upright above the water and a cup-shaped flower, at a scale that fits in a container you can lift and move. It can be grown on a balcony, a terrace, or a very sunny windowsill.
🥣 The container shapes the plant
Width
The container should be approximately 60 cm wide to allow the rhizome to spread, and 20 cm deep.
Grow medium
The grow medium is clay or a heavy soil, at pH between 6.5 and 8, never a floating compost.
Water
The water level goes from 5 cm above the soil at the start to 30 cm at maturity.
Sun
The lotus requires 6 hours of direct light per day; without this it will not flower.
🏠 A lotus indoors
A dwarf lotus is perfectly at home in a conservatory, on a terrace table or beside a large window, provided the light is bright and direct. Keep the water clear by doing a partial water change once a week, no pump is needed, as the lack of circulation is no problem for a plant whose roots work down in the sediment. The following spring, a few aquatic plant fertiliser tablets pushed into the grow medium will restart growth, and you'll find the other sizes in the aquatic plants collection.
The three mistakes that waste the packet
Soaking water below 20 °C prevents germination and makes seeds appear dead. Standard potting compost floats and buries your seedling in a cloud of peat, whereas heavy clay stays in place. A bowl left outside all winter freezes solid, and a rhizome caught in ice will not recover. The most common causes are covered in detail on our page about germination failure.
What to gather before sowing
Three things are all you need, and none of them come from a garden centre. A cardboard nail file to nick the shell, a clear glass left in the light for soaking, and a heavy clay or garden soil for repotting. If your room stays cool in April, a seedling heat mat slipped under the glass will hold the temperature needed to trigger germination, and that is the one purchase that genuinely makes a difference to your success rate.
Sowing itself comes down to four steps. File the rounded side of the seed until the white layer beneath is visible, without going any deeper, then soak in lukewarm water changed every day. The seed swells within 48 hours and sends out a green shoot between the third and tenth day. Once that shoot has two small leaves, press the seed approximately 2 cm into the growing medium of the final container, shoot facing upward, and begin with only a few centimetres of water. Increase the water level week by week as the stems grow taller.
🌸 What you can expect
The first year produces leaves, and that is perfectly normal. A lotus devotes its first season to building a rhizome, an underground store that determines everything that follows, and flowering generally arrives in the second year on a plant that has been properly positioned. The dwarf form flowers earlier than the large cultivars, but it follows the same rule. The flowers open in the morning and close in the late afternoon for 3 consecutive days, then give way to the watering-can-head seed receptacle, which accounts for half of the plant's decorative interest.
❄️ Overwintering in a bowl
A balcony container freezes all the way through, unlike a pond, and that is where most dwarf lotus are lost. Bring the bowl indoors before the first frosts, into a garage, cellar or cool, dark room, keeping the grow medium just moist and maintaining a shallow layer of water above it. The foliage dies back and can be cut right down, as the plant overwinters on its rhizome until spring. Bring the bowl back outside once nights no longer drop below zero, and allow the sun to warm the water before expecting any signs of regrowth.
Technical specifications
The plant
- Botanical name
- Nelumbo nucifera, dwarf formAlso sold under the names bowl lotus and bonsai lotus
- Shipping
- Leaves uprightAbove the water on a rigid stem, unlike the water lily
- Flower
- Pink to whiteOpen cup, variable shades from one seedling to the next
- Exposure
- Full sunSix hours of direct sunlight per day; without it, it will not flower.
The container
- Recommended width
- Approximately 60 cmThe rhizome spreads horizontally; flowering follows whatever space is available.
- Container depth
- At least 20 cmTo hold the grow medium and the water depth
- Water depth
- 5 to 30 cm5 cm to start, raised gradually behind the leaves
- Grow medium
- Clay or heavy soilpH between 6.5 and 8, never a standard compost
The seedling
- Scarification
- ObligatoireOver 1 to 2 mm, on the nipple side, down to the pale layer.
- Soaking water
- 20 to 25 °CIn light, refreshed every two days
- Shell slot
- 2 to 3 daysWithout a slot, file it back and start again
- Overwintering
- Frost-freeThe container must never freeze solid
To budget for separately
- Watertight container
- Bowl, basin, or water planterAround 60 cm wide, with no drainage hole
- Heavy grow medium
- Clay or garden soilCovered with fine gravel to keep the water clear.
6 further specifications are available in the detailed view.
In the box
Depending on the chosen size
- 4 to 30 dwarf lotus seeds Nelumbo nucifera, depending on the size chosen
- 1 resealable packet labelled with the botanical name
Water depth, spread, flowering and hardiness: values published by specialist growers and horticultural databases, recorded on 20/09/2026. The figures used are the most conservative for mainland France.
Four lotus varieties to sow, four space requirements
All four are scarified and soaked in the same way. What changes is the space they take up once fully grown.
Not all lotus plants fit in a bowl
The dwarf variety makes do with a pot and a few centimetres of water. The other three require a pond or a very large container. Answer based on what you have available.
| Recommended Bonsai lotus seed pack: Nelumbo Nucifera dwarfYour choice | Lotus seed pack for planting: Nelumbo Nucifera pinkYour choice | Giant lotus seed pack: Nelumbo Nucifera SunburstYour choice | Yellow lotus seed pack: American Nelumbo LuteaYour choice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The space it requires | ||||
| Height above the water | 20 to 40 cm | 90 to 180 cm | 120 to 180 cm | 90 to 180 cm |
| Water depth over the grow medium | 5 to 30 cm | 15 to 45 cm | 30 to 45 cm | 15 to 60 cm |
| Recommended container width | 60 cm | 60 cm and over | 80 cm and over | 60 cm and over |
| What you sow | ||||
| Origin | Asia, dwarf form | Asia, standard form | Amérique, cultivar Sunburst | North America, species |
| Flower colour | Pink to white | Pink | Cream yellow | Bright yellow |
| Published flower diameter | 20 to 30 cm | 25 to 30 cm | Up to 30 cm | |
| In the pond | ||||
| Can be grown in a bowl or basin | Yes | No | No | No |
| Running rhizome to keep contained | No | No | No | Yes |
Bonsai lotus seed pack: Nelumbo Nucifera dwarfRecommended
The space it requires
Height above the water20 to 40 cm
Water depth over the grow medium5 to 30 cm
Recommended container width60 cm
What you sow
OriginAsia, dwarf form
Flower colourPink to white
In the pond
Can be grown in a bowl or basinYes
Running rhizome to keep containedNo
Lotus seed pack for planting: Nelumbo Nucifera pink
The space it requires
Height above the water90 to 180 cm
Water depth over the grow medium15 to 45 cm
Recommended container width60 cm and over
What you sow
OriginAsia, standard form
Flower colourPink
Published flower diameter20 to 30 cm
In the pond
Can be grown in a bowl or basinNo
Running rhizome to keep containedNo
Giant lotus seed pack: Nelumbo Nucifera Sunburst
The space it requires
Height above the water120 to 180 cm
Water depth over the grow medium30 to 45 cm
Recommended container width80 cm and over
What you sow
OriginAmérique, cultivar Sunburst
Flower colourCream yellow
Published flower diameter25 to 30 cm
In the pond
Can be grown in a bowl or basinNo
Running rhizome to keep containedNo
Yellow lotus seed pack: American Nelumbo Lutea
The space it requires
Height above the water90 to 180 cm
Water depth over the grow medium15 to 60 cm
Recommended container width60 cm and over
What you sow
OriginNorth America, species
Flower colourBright yellow
Published flower diameterUp to 30 cm
In the pond
Can be grown in a bowl or basinNo
Running rhizome to keep containedYes
Heights, depths, colours and flower diameters recorded on 20/09/2026 from horticultural databases and specialist growers. The four comparison listings are those from the shop: dwarf bonsai lotus, Nelumbo Nucifera pink lotus, Sunburst giant lotus and Nelumbo Lutea yellow lotus.
Help choosing
Which lotus will suit your space
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Frequently asked questions
6 questions
6 key questions
Growing calendar
Reference values for mainland France, in a container placed outdoors. A bowl follows air temperature much faster than a pond, for better and for worse.
| Stage | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarification and soaking4 months | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking in April | Scarification and soaking in May | Scarification and soaking in June | Scarification and soaking in July | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no | Scarification and soaking: no |
| Bowl planting3 months | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting in May | Bowl planting in June | Bowl planting in July | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no | Bowl planting: no |
| Rising water level3 months | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level in June | Rising water level in July | Rising water level in August | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no | Rising water level: no |
| Flowering3 months | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering in July | Flowering in August | Flowering in September | Flowering: no | Flowering: no | Flowering: no |
| Brought in before frost6 months | Brought in before frost in January | Brought in before frost in February | Brought in before frost in March | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost: no | Brought in before frost in October | Brought in before frost in November | Brought in before frost in December |
KeyScarification and soakingBowl plantingRising water levelFloweringBrought in before frost
This month
October
Growing guidance
- Scarification
- 1 to 2 mm, barb sideDown to the pale layer, without cutting into the interior.
- Soaking water
- 20 to 25 °CIn light, changed every two days
- Shell slot
- 2 to 3 daysOtherwise file it again and start over
- Starting water level
- 5 cmJust above the grow medium, no higher
- Water depth at maturity
- Up to 30 cmReached gradually, behind the leaves
- Container width
- Approx. 60 cmAnd around twenty centimetres deep
- Grow medium
- Clay or heavy soilpH between 6,5 and 8, never use compost
- Exposure
- Full sunA minimum of six hours of direct sunlight per day
- Water renewal
- Once a weekPartial, to keep the bowl clear without a pump
- Overwintering
- Frost-free, indoorsA small volume of water freezes through its entire depth
What you need to know
- Choose a container with no drainage holes and check before filling it with soil. A perforated planter is always spotted too late, once the grow medium is in place and the water has been added.
- Spread a layer of fine gravel over the clay. Without it, the slightest fill stirs the soil back into suspension and the bowl stays cloudy for days.
- Fill the bowl gradually. Five centimetres of water is sufficient until the leaves reach the surface, and the level should only be raised after that point.
- Check the light before you buy the bowl. Six hours of direct sunlight are the prerequisite for flowering, and no fertiliser will compensate for a position that is too shady.
- Empty and bring the container inside before the first night of frost. A twenty-litre bowl freezes solid overnight, and the rhizome will not survive that kind of freeze.
- Don't repot a plant in full season. The rhizome breaks easily and the plant spends the rest of the summer recovering rather than flowering.
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