Transplant your Lotus Now !

Aquatic plants, such as lotus can be stunningly beautiful, especially relative to the minimal time and care they take to grow.
After 2 or 3 seasons of growth in the same container most aquatic plants begin to show signs of constraint, in particular less frequent blooming. This is overcome by transplanting the rhizome or tuber into fresh soil. Most aquatic plants will bloom their very best the first season after transplanting.
The good news about lotus is they will maintain their performance a little longer and only need transplanting every 3 to 5 seasons. The timing for this task is critical though. Unlike waterlilies and bog plants which can survive transplanting from early spring to late summer, lotus must be transplanted starting now (March) to mid -April in the mid-Atlantic region and south. Folks to the north can wait a little longer. They must be transplanted while in their dormant "tuber" stage.
If you wait too long and they have progressed too far from dormancy than the survival rate goes down dramatically.
Here's a quick "How to Divide and Transplant your Lotus":
Remove your lotus from the pond. Brrrrr! Much better with water garden gloves!
Remove the lotus from it's container taking care not to break any exposed growth tips.
Slowly remove the soil from the tubers...careful they are a bit fragile.
Cut to remove individual tubers. There are usually plenty to grow and trade with friends!
Replant, start in shallow water, allow to start, move to 4-6" water over top, fertilize.
Enjoy a reinvigorated, beautiful summer plant that nearly always blooms the first season!