Can't grow water hyacinths!

[addy1]

Rain...........what's that, never heard of it, lol!

liar! lol

 

[j.w]

Wish we didn't get as much as we do but guess it's better to have it then to be in a drought and have the fires and such that they get sometimes in Cali. Terrible to see on the news and even worse in person. Been down there after the fires and it is so sad.

 

[addy1]

droughts are bad jw, lost a lot of our forest cover in arizona, due to the beetle that was able to kill the ponderosa pines that were weakened from lack of water, whole stands were dead.

What always got me, it the number of lake communities they build in the desert, where water is precious.

 

[HARO]

Rain update! The wife had a second rain gauge in amongst the flowers; it maxes out at 6", and it was overflowing! John

 

[j.w]

Yep and think of the evaporation each day......................now I thought I just posted this already but it disappeared so if it shows up twice it's not my fault.

 

[addy1]

Rain update! The wife had a second rain gauge in amongst the flowers; it maxes out at 6", and it was overflowing! John

wow that is unreal!
we got a whole .10 today but better than nothing

 

[j.w]

That's one heck of a down pour John.................maybe it's your MIL dumping on ya again!

 

[addy1]

ummmmmmm we sort have gotten sidetracked from not growing hyacinths....................sooooo sorry hsjami

 

[Paultergeist]

Greetings!

I have encountered a similar problem. I obtained some water hyacinth -- which I believe may also be referred to as "water lettuce" sometimes -- and I was warned that the stuff could become invasive. There was an initial minor degree of bloomimg (small, light-lavender-colored flowers), but the plants slowly turned brown more and more, finally dieing off completely. It was suggested to me at the time that perhaps my water did not contain enough nutrients to support the growth of those plants, but I just do not know. Because the pond was primarily designed for fish, I could not simply dump liquid fertilizer into the water.

I would very much like to re-introduce a floating plant such as the hyacinth into my up-coming pond build, but I sure wish I knew what those previous plants were getting too much or too little of which resulted in their death. I live in San Diego County, so I doubt that sun and temperatures were the issues -- I am thinking it was the water itself.

 

[koiguy1969]

hi paul, i'm assuming your names paul. and i might add i like the username ...paultergeist! very original. any way water hiacynths and lettuce are two different plant species. once the pond has cycled and there's enough fish load to feed them lettuce or hiacynths will flurish.

 

[rebelangel_3733]

I had to get new water hyacinths from earl may since my fish decided that the roots looked mighty tasty! I made a ring for them so they cant get to the new ones....yet now the new ones are turning light green (just like one of my black taro's that is in the pond)...yet they did bloom a few blooms and were really pretty. I also have mine hear the bubble fountain and the leaves do not like being hit with the water as they did turn brown on the edges...oh well they are still alive I guess

 

[addy1]

I have a bubbler that ended up right below them, the ones hit with the bubbles are dark green and blooming they love it. But the bubbles are just hitting their roots.

 

[pecan]

I had the same problem last year with WH. My pond is full sun and like the original poster, we have more sunny days than most of the country and it gets HOT here. The month of July is normally in the 100's. I had high ph, plus about 50 WH in a very large pond so they separated and spread out a lot, plus it was my ponds first year with a very low fish count for the size. I think maybe all that had something to do with it.

 

[sissy]

I can't grow them either so don't feel bad .I can grow them out of the pond but not in the pond

these are the ones I put in a concrete mixing tub last year and all that was on the bottom was lava rock no filter or pump or aerator

 

[taherrmann4]

I have one growing in my aquarium and it is doing quite well, no daughters yet. This is one I pulled from my in the fall and will go back out later in the spring.