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Sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, the Lotus is the national flower of India. This hardy aquatic plant is native to southern Asia and Australia, but they can be grown in nearly any temperate climate under the right conditions. You can grow lotus from seeds or from tubers. Scrape the seed with scrape the hard seed casing to reveal the cream-colored core. Do not file any of the core away or else your lotus will not grow. Filing away the outer casing allows water to reach the core.[2] If you don't have a metal file handy, you can use any sharp knife or even rub the seed against concrete. Just be careful not to scrape away too much of the seed Place your seeds in warm water. Use a glass or transparent plastic container so that you can see when the seeds start to sprout. Fill the container with dechlorinated water between 75 and 80 °F (24 and 27 °C) After a day of soaking, the seeds will sink to the bottom and swell to nearly twice their original size. Seeds that float are almost always infertile. Remove them or they will cloud up the water. Change the water daily, even after the seeds have started to sprout. When you remove the seedlings to change the water, treat the sprouts with care – they are very delicate. Remove seedlings from water once they are 6 inches (15 cm) long Remove seedlings from water once they are 6 inches (15 cm) long. Your seeds should start to sprout after 4 or 5 days of soaking. However, if you transfer them to the potting container to early, they will likely fail.[6] If you wait too long, your seedlings will start to grow leaves. You can still plant them – just take care to keep the leaves free of the soil.