About pond plants?

[Donna Saverino MI]

#1: Are you supposed to pull off the black floating roots from hyacinths and lettuce or just leave them alone?
#2: My clover is not producing new leaves. Are the fish eating them? I have 62 gal with 3 shubunkins.

Hope this hasn’t been answered already. Couldn’t find an old threat on these.

Donna

 

[Lisak1]

I pull the floating roots - I don't know why, but I saw them doing it at the pond store the first time I bought them so now I do it, too. But only when I divide them or move them around. I don't make any special effort to do it. My thought it that it's like a terrestrial plant - if you break up the root system a bit, it stimulates more growth.

Now the WL and WH growing where I have fish - those never need the roots trimmed!

I'm not familiar with an aquatic clover - is this an underwater plant or is it growing on the surface?

 

[CometKeith]

I never take roots off my wh and wl, but then I have never seen the roots float either. Is the water really shallow where they are located? Normally the roots go down into the water and stay there. Last year my floaters did not do well. This year they are doing great, but no Koi to bother them because I only have goldfish now!

 

[Faebinder]

They may be fighting a losing battle vs the other floaters. I noticed with frogbits they also need more sun than hyacinths.

 

[Tara]

I pull the floating roots - I don't know why, but I saw them doing it at the pond store the first time I bought them so now I do it, too. But only when I divide them or move them around. I don't make any special effort to do it. My thought it that it's like a terrestrial plant - if you break up the root system a bit, it stimulates more growth.

Now the WL and WH growing where I have fish - those never need the roots trimmed!

I'm not familiar with an aquatic clover - is this an underwater plant or is it growing on the surface?

Water clover. I find it easy to grow and very pretty.

 

[Tara]

If the roots were black, no harm in removing them. My fish are not eating my clover leaves, but if they got the roots its done for.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah! I've never seen those! It is pretty! And yes, I would guess it could be the fish eating the new leaves - they look like they might be very tasty!