Are you a flower lover and want to grow a Lotus Flower in your garden? but you have no idea how to do it, you don't have to worry in this article you can find everything, from what the Lotus Flower is like, its history, its meaning and what are the necessary care to keep it alive.
What is the Lotus Flower like?
The Lotus Flower is considered one of the most beautiful plants in the world and is also known as the rose of the Nile or sacred lotus. This flower is usually very elegant because it has large, radiant leaves that have a very peculiar smell, as well as being found in lagoons, so they float to show their fruits, which are shaped like small eyes.
History
When talking about the history of the Lotus Flower, it can be said that it comes from Eastern culture, which represents the spiritual purity of each person, thus being a very important symbol within Buddhism. In Eastern culture, it is said that the swampy water where the Lotus Flower develops is the meaning of attachment and lustful desires, while the flower that grows from the bottom of the water seeking light is purity and spiritual elevation.
However, for many years the Lotus Flower has been associated with the figure of Buddha, so respect is had for it, as well as in Asian religions, where the divinities are usually based on the Lotus Flower, just as it is. the act of meditating.
Despite this, in most Asian literatures, the Lotus Flower is considered the representative of elegance, beauty, perfection, purity and grace, which are attributed to the ideal feminine beauty.
In Greek mythology you can also find how on an island there was a tribe called Lotófagos, said island was located in the surroundings of North Africa, this tribe, as its name says, fed on the lotus flower and other plants, without However, when eating this flower, the tribe suffered from amnesia and used to sleep for a long time, since it usually produces a narcotic effect.
Meaning
This beautiful flower, because it has different colors, has many symbolic meanings for some cultures and civilizations, such as:
in ancient egypt
Ancient Egypt considers the Lotus Flower as a symbol of resurrection, since for them to see the flower appear out of nowhere and possess such beautiful and very cheerful colors is the necessary proof to be sure that after death they can resurface again. .
In Asia
In the Asian continent, the Lotus Flower is called Padma in the Indo-European language and they consider it as the purification of the spirit, it also helps them to ward off negative thoughts that the person may have. Not to mention that this flower in Asian culture is seen, drawn and sculpted in Buddhist temples.
according to its color
The Lotus Flower, in addition to having infinite meanings by cultures and civilizations, is also assigned meanings depending on the color it has, such as:
- The Blue Lotus Flower: means the triumph that the spirit has over the senses of wisdom and knowledge, so it never shows its interior because it is always closed.
- White Lotus Flower: it is the representation of spiritual perfection and purity, so when it is drawn it is made with eight petals.
- The Red Lotus Flower: this color shows the qualities of love, passion and compassion, revealing the innocence that the heart possesses.
- Pink Lotus Flower: the representation of this color is based on whether it is closed or open, since if it is completely closed its symbology is for the infinite possibilities that man possesses and if it is open it will represent the creation of the universe .
- Yellow Lotus Flower: symbolizes the enlightenment that can be achieved by linking to the Great Buddha and along with this it also represents gold and wealth.
- Purple Lotus Flower: symbolizes the spirituality and deep mysticism that the human being possesses.
- Black Lotus Flower: this flower symbolizes evil and addiction for the forbidden, however, it is very difficult to find, since it grows in unreachable places, so many people think that its existence is based on legends.
What are the Lotus Flower Care?
Having a Lotus Flower is something very beautiful, since it can be achieved decorating a pond, patio or terrace inside a glass container or pot, however being able to maintain this flower requires endless care which must be very detailed but not impossible, therefore some of the precautions are:
Location
The Lotus Flower should be placed in an area where direct sunlight can reach it all day or for at least six consecutive hours.
Substratum
When planting a lotus flower in a pot or glass container, it is highly recommended to place equal parts of garden soil, river sand and universal cultivation substrate so that it can grow and its roots are maintained.
Pruning
Pruning this flower is very simple, since the main thing to do is remove the withered flowers and dry leaves to avoid any disease and to continue growing without problems.
Planting time
In many cases, people want to have a lotus flower in a pond or pot, but to be able to plant one of these is not as simple as it seems, since it is mainly recommended to do it in spring so that in this way the flower does not have to acclimatize to another environment, in the same way to plant the lotus flower the following steps must be followed:
- A large pot, glass container, or pond should first be filled with plenty of filtered water.
- Second fills up to a little more than the half of substrate
- Third, a completely flat stone is placed and a little high to be able to place the flower on top so that it can be submerged and so its petals can remain floating.
- Fourth, the flower is introduced very carefully in its new place
- Fifth, place some stones around it so that it cannot move and so the roots can grow and have something to hold on to.
Multiplication
In order to achieve various specimens of the Lotus Flower, it is essential to acquire seeds exclusively in spring or in other cases divide the root in autumn, to achieve this the following must be done:
Seeds
When you have the seeds, you should pass sandpaper until they change color and then submerge them in water until the next day where you can see how they inflate, this method is so that the roots begin to come out. Already after a week the first leaves will begin to be seen, since these, having the seed, have enough nutrients that they need in the first thirty days.
However, it is essential to plant it as quickly as possible in a pot of twenty-five centimeters in diameter at sixty centimeters deep where it has sufficient substrate for universal cultivation, said seed must be placed in the middle of the pot and a thin layer will be placed on top. of substrate.
It is important to place the pot on a plate full of water so that the substrate remains moist all the time, the flower should remain in that pot for at least a month for the first leaves to sprout, after that time the flower should be relocated to a pond or pot about six inches below the water.
Root or Rhizome
The division of the root can also help to have new specimens without the need to buy seeds, but for this you must need a small shovel and a serrated knife, which must be disinfected. Then the following must be done:
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- First the root must be extracted from the pot
- Second, clean it very well and that it does not have any trace of earth
- Third with the knife cut five centimeters of root
- Fourth, with the healing paste, you must place it on both sides of the root so that it is protected against any existing microorganism and fungus.
- Fifth mixes substrate with thirty percent of perlite to be able to plant the root
- Sixth, place the pot on a plate completely filled with water so that the substrate remains moist until the first leaves appear to transplant the lotus flower to its final place.
Plagues and diseases
The lotus flower, being an aquatic plant, is very resistant to diseases and pests, since the only microorganism it can have is when it is just a seed and it is the fungus. This is due to the fact that the seed is not strong or because it has not been kept in a suitable place, thus giving rise to the proliferation of fungi.
Other problems
Some uncommon problems of the Lotus Flower are usually:
- The seeds do not usually germinate.
- The leaves can turn yellow or brown very quickly, this change may be because the flower is going through cold and may die.
- Most of the time, if the flower lives in a pond with fish, it may have bitten or broken petals, so it is advisable to surround it with a fence to prevent the fish from destroying it.
Characteristics of the Lotus Flower
This flower is known as an aquatic herbaceous silver and is of the Nelumbo Nucifera species, which corresponds to the botanical family Nelumbonaceae. This flower is native to southern Russia, China, Japan, Nepal, New Guinea, Australia, Thailand, Pakistan, Eastern Siberia, India, Korea, Vietnam, among others.
It is characterized by having floating leaves, of a greenish color and with a size of one hundred centimeters, these usually grow from a buried root, while its flowers have a size of sixteen to twenty-three centimeters in diameter with concave petals but in some cases they usually take the oval shape, the petals usually measure between three or four centimeters.
The Lotus flower usually blooms between spring and summer and if they are pollinated, their fruits begin to appear, which measure between five and ten centimeters in diameter.
Varieties
In the world of the Nelumbo Nucefera, as is the name of the lotus flower, there are usually very interesting and unusual specimens, which are:
- Full Pink Lotus Flower: This species usually gives light pink flowers, has a size of thirty centimeters in diameter and is known for always having double petals.
- Alba Grandifiora Lotus Flower: It is characterized by being a completely white flower and is the largest among the other flowers.
- Alba Striata Lotus Flower: This flower is white with crimson edges and usually grows only six inches wide.
- Lotus Flower Pekinensis Rubra: The flower is characterized by being the smallest of the various species and its color is completely carmine pink.
- Komarovii Lotus Flower: This lotus flower is known to be light pink in color with darker edges and only grows six to eight inches wide.
- Lotus Flower Mrs. Perry D. Slocum: This has a strong pink color almost reaching red and usually gives double flowers for each root.
What is the Lotus Flower used for?
The use of this flower varies depending on the place where it is found, that is, in the West it is only used as a decorative plant, since it usually offers beautiful landscapes, in Russia, Australia, Pakistan, among others, the root and seeds are usually eaten either roasted or cooked and is used in traditional medicine. In the only places that do not usually touch the flower, since they consider it sacred, it is in China, India and in Ancient Egypt.
Properties of the Lotus Flower
This beautiful flower has a large number of properties that help health, it is generally diuretic, calming, anti-fever, astringent, antimicrobial, bacterial and viral. It can also be used to prevent cancer, lose weight and there are also people who often use it to conceive.
Despite this, in some countries it is used to create shampoo, creams, makeup, tea or drinks, among other things, since it can give volume to the hair, prevents dark spots and if taken in drinks it is ideal to control stress and anxiety can be decreased.
How can you take advantage of the Lotus Flower?
In order to take advantage of the different benefits that the flower gives, the following procedures can be done:
- If the root is removed and cleaned very well, it can be eaten raw in a salad taking in the natural nutrients.
- Flowers can be used to make soups and have medicinal oils to lower antioxidants.
- You can soak or roast the seeds to eat them and get the minerals.
- Dry the root of the flower to bind it into a chalk or mix it with other herbs to make a tea for stress.
- Take the flowers to make an oil pot which can be used for food or to create incense or candles.
Where can you buy?
This flower can be found both the plant and in seeds, especially in nurseries, where they are sold both in pots and in plastic cups with some leaves, only to be transplanted into a pond or a glass container to bloom. However, in terms of buying the seeds, they are very difficult to obtain, since nurseries usually use them to grow them themselves in order to increase their sale price.
Legends of the Lotus Flower according to Culture
The Lotus Flower in various cultures has very different meanings that have been known throughout the history of mankind, therefore each culture has various very interesting legends, some of these are:
In Egyptian Culture:
The legend is based on the fact that in their mythology there were countless gods, such as the sun god Ra, with which it was said that the lotus flower always appeared when it came out and disappeared when the sun went down, since said flower it actually only opens during the day and closes every night. However, the Egyptians believed that when the flower closed, the god Nefertum emerged, who was considered the god of aroma, due to the fact that a unique perfume was extracted from the flower that was used by kings.
In Chinese Culture:
In the Asian legend it is told how in the Sung dynasty it was customary to bind the feet of girls who were four and nine years old, so that they would remain small, since they were known as lotus feet. golden which resembled the movement of the flower when the air gave it.
With this, the beauty and perfection of the girl was demonstrated as she grew older and her feet were getting smaller, however, to possess beauty and be loved by her partner, the girls, when they became women, had to suffer a lot of pain for the rest of their lives. his life.
In the culture of Yucatan
This legend begins from the jungle of Yucatan where there was a beautiful kingdom, whose prince was in love with the daughter of the great guardian of the house of the gods called Nicté-Há, which meant Lotus Flower.
One day in the house of the gods, convinced that the prince should marry the daughter of some king, they opposed the love that the prince felt for Nicté-Há, so without thinking they summoned the high command to avoid this. relationship by making the decision that the daughter of the great guardian must die.
While the great gods were planning the murder, they did not realize that the court jester was listening to everything, so with great fear he went to look for the prince to tell him what they were planning. When the prince found out, he sent his best warrior to look for the guardian's daughter to bring her safely to the royal palace to marry in secret.
The warrior went in search of the maiden in order to fulfill his mission before the prince, but while he was on his way he was killed, the jester who was behind the warrior observed everything, and because he was not seen, he went to tell the prince what had happened . Without being afraid, he took his sword and went out in search of his beloved maiden. At dawn, Nicté-Há and the prince met before the great gods to explain the love they felt.
But despite trying to convince them, an arrow came out of the darkness that would kill the maiden, falling lifeless and leaving a lake of blood in the house of the gods. Under tears the prince begged the gods to have mercy on him, since full of sadness he had lost his great love and therefore his heart would end up breaking into thousands of pieces falling next to his beloved agonizing to death .
The gods, hearing her prayers, sent the god of the waters to go down to the depths of the lake of the house with the body of the maiden so that it would turn it into a precious lotus flower, while on the other hand they sent the god of the birds so that the heart of the prince would perch next to the flower to turn him into a cardinal, who will always be thirsty for love and at each dawn will sing in front of the precious lotus flower.
In Greek Mythology
In the legend of this culture it is said that a beautiful goddess who for fear of being killed ran to the depths of the forest reaching a place called Lotus, without knowing this goddess when she fell asleep she sank in the place. This space was known by that name by the gods, since it was the destiny that was given to those people who failed in life.
The goddess fought for five years, but the only way to get out was to become a beautiful flower with long petals, for this reason the Lotus Flower is related to the struggle that the Greeks had, since they could overcome any difficulty, so as the flower emerges where there is much mud without losing its beauty.
Curiosities of the Lotus Flower
In the more than five thousand years that this beautiful flower has, various curiosities have always been found that in some cases have not been studied to obtain answers, some of these are usually:
- Within the Chinese culture they usually use the fruit of the flower for healing purposes.
- The flowers only open at dawn and close at night, this cycle usually happens three or four times until the flower withers or another one grows.
- It is customary to see more specimens in the spring and summer seasons, while in autumn they begin to disappear.
- The aroma of the flower usually attracts bees, birds, dragonflies, among other pollinating insects.
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