Lotus root · Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico
When to plant lotus roots in Aguascalientes
Main outdoor window
28 Nov - 22 Jan
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
5 February
In Aguascalientes, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Sep - 30 Nov
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Aguascalientes
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Plant rhizomes
28 Nov - 22 Jan
Any time the plant is dormant and the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged: after leaf fall in autumn, or at the end of winter before growth restarts.
Harvest
1 Sep - 30 Nov
Lotus roots through the year
Against the frost risk in Aguascalientes
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Aguascalientes
July has the highest average precipitation (131 mm); April has the lowest (4 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Aguascalientes
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.9°C (40.7°F)40.7°F (4.9°C) | 20.8°C (69.5°F)69.5°F (20.8°C) | 1.3 |
| February | 5.8°C (42.5°F)42.5°F (5.8°C) | 23.1°C (73.7°F)73.7°F (23.1°C) | 0.7 |
| March | 7.4°C (45.3°F)45.3°F (7.4°C) | 25.8°C (78.5°F)78.5°F (25.8°C) | 0.1 |
| April | 9.9°C (49.9°F)49.9°F (9.9°C) | 28.6°C (83.4°F)83.4°F (28.6°C) | 0.0 |
| May | 12.7°C (54.9°F)54.9°F (12.7°C) | 30.3°C (86.5°F)86.5°F (30.3°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 14.2°C (57.6°F)57.6°F (14.2°C) | 28.9°C (84.1°F)84.1°F (28.9°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 13.2°C (55.8°F)55.8°F (13.2°C) | 27.1°C (80.8°F)80.8°F (27.1°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 13°C (55.4°F)55.4°F (13°C) | 27.2°C (81°F)81°F (27.2°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 12.7°C (54.8°F)54.8°F (12.7°C) | 26.2°C (79.2°F)79.2°F (26.2°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 10.5°C (50.9°F)50.9°F (10.5°C) | 25.4°C (77.7°F)77.7°F (25.4°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 7.6°C (45.7°F)45.7°F (7.6°C) | 23.3°C (73.9°F)73.9°F (23.3°C) | 0.5 |
| December | 5.7°C (42.3°F)42.3°F (5.7°C) | 21.1°C (70°F)70°F (21.1°C) | 1.0 |
For lotus roots, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing lotus roots for Aguascalientes
- July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 131 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant lotus roots
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 18°C (64.4°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.
Contain lotus and leave room to lift its rhizomes
Use clean water, appropriate submerged soil and a sunny sheltered position. Plan the vessel or bed around eventual harvesting; a plant rooted across a pond bottom is much harder to lift than one in a managed container.
Protect the root zone from freezing where winters are cold and inspect rhizomes carefully when lifting. Do not assume clear-looking pond water is suitable for food production. Use established preparation guidance for the harvested crop.
What to record this season
Could rhizomes be lifted intact from the contained planting without spreading into nearby water? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension: Nelumbo nucifera . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Use clean water, appropriate submerged soil and a sunny sheltered position. Plan the vessel or bed around eventual harvesting; a plant rooted across a pond bottom is much harder to lift than one in a managed container.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Lotus roots are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Aguascalientes is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.
Aguascalientes is zone 9b, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.
The general establishment guide is around year 2, under suitable conditions. This is not a prediction for this location; cultivar, winter conditions and care determine whether it crops reliably.
Nearby
Lotus roots in places close by
Also in Aguascalientes
Other vegetables to time
Growing lotus roots in Aguascalientes
Can I grow lotus roots in Aguascalientes?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 131 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant lotus roots in Aguascalientes?
Aim for 28 Nov - 22 Jan in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 8 Nov - 18 Feb - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might lotus roots be ready to harvest in Aguascalientes?
The estimated period is 1 Sep - 30 Nov, based on 150 to 200 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will lotus roots tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.