salt and plants (ao lettuce and hyacinth)

[vertigo72]

I just bumped in to this dutch article:
http://www.pondlibrary.com/waterplanten/artikel/155/Zouttolerantie-bij-waterplanten.htm

If you scroll down half the page, you will find a table with latin (and dutch) names of common pond plants and their tested sensitivity to salt. Interesting, water letuce and water hyacinths died with a salt level of just 0.1%.

So, if anyone has trouble growing these plants, like I do, perhaps you added salt to you koi pond? I did, and I think I know now why these plants arent doing too well.

 

[fishin4cars]

I add salt and at that level or higher, water lettuce I have had no issue keeping at that level, Hyacinth's here live in the salty marsh and produce like crazy. I.m not having great luck with hyacinths here this year and it could be due to the salt but it's hard for me to believe as we can catch small sand sharks, crabs, and assorted salt water species right where they are growing wild.

 

[vertigo72]

Here, I found the original english article:
http://www.bonniesplants.com/salt_vs.html

I wouldnt take it as absolute truth, but its interesting and gives a good indication. FWIW.

 

[fishin4cars]

intresting read and chart, good to see someone took the time to test and see what was effected by salt and what level. I do believe that some of the plants that died in the first two columns may not have died if the salt level was raised at a much slower rate. I have kept Anachris, Hornwort, Water lettuce, hyacinths, Lotus, and snowflake all in my ponds, The only ones that is not presently growing right now in my pond are the hornwort ( hate it as when it does die it makes a horrible mess in the pond,) and hyacinths. Could possibly be from salt but I never got a good start growing this year so far and with the good growth of lettuce decided I would not get any new this year. My salt level is reading .14% as of testing this morning and I haven't added salt in the last two weeks as I want it back to a level under .1% possibly even as low as .075%.

 

[vertigo72]

How are you measuring salt? Probably electrical conductivity or specific weight, but both methods measure other minerals besides salt. You may well have a lower concentration of salt than you think.

 

[fishin4cars]

How are you measuring salt? Probably electrical conductivity or specific weight, but both methods measure other minerals besides salt. You may well have a lower concentration of salt than you think.

I use a refratrometer and salinity meter, Both are giving the exact same reading when converting.

 

[koiguy1969]

ive kept many of the plants like hyacinths in .15% without incident. the .3% is what i keep my basement pond at...no plants....but this year i am trying no salt, i'll know if my plants do better or not...no more hornwort for me, even the goldies i've had tear it up...big mess! anacharas does fair slighty better, either one, i was netting,rebundeling, and putting those little lead bands back around them daily almost...those bands get to be hard to find!!