In previous blog on Lotus, I was curious why the three seeds in the pods remained green and soft and all others became round and with hard shell. Out of curiosity I took one of the seed out of its condo and planted in the shallow muddy lotus pot. I also planted 7 other seeds that have formed rather thick shells. What I didn't know and learned from other Lotus green thumbs on the Internet is that the outer shell of the Lotus seed can become hard enough to store and keep itself safe for hundreds of years. Well, I didn't want to wait for hundreds of years, and I didn't want to use any sulphuric acid to burn the shell. So, I took the opportunity of having this fresh Lotus seeds on hand and planted them. But I also learned that there is the dimple and nipple of the seed. I planted them upside down. The dimple -- the end that was attached to the pod is suppose to face upward. And I also learned that the success of one lady - within 48 hours of making a incision to the her lotus seeds with hard shell, the lotus seeds germinated successfully. So, I decided to dig all of them out of the mud pot and proceeded to remove the shells. Luckily, my Lotus seeds are quite fresh and water has also softened it a bit. I used a serrated knife and with a sawing motion, I carefully made a 2 milimeter slit mark. Then, I carefully peeled the shell off with the fingernail. Voila. The beautiful seed is exposed. I proceeded to peel the 'green' seed that I took from the same pod as others that I was curious why 'the three' didn't become brownish. Surprise, there is no seed in the shell. Now, all seeds are in a dish with water. Let's see if they will germinate. (Click on the image to enlarge to view notes on them.)PINK LADY's Seeds:
