Misc ramblings...

[j.w]

OH well you tried .................the fish kids have him bamboozled into thinking that they can do no wrong :razz:

 

[callingcolleen1]

My fish are eating tons of the hornwort right now and the algae. I was shocked to see how much they ate, but it is OK, cause soon the sun will warm the water and it will grow faster than what they can eat. It is the same thing every year, but not to worry, invasive plants are good to eat and you should still have lots once it gets growing, as other things will show up, like fat juicy bugs and then they forget about the greens and go for the meat!

 

[capewind]

LOL.... they can have all the bugs they want. I have so few plants at this point, watching them get ripped apart HURTS LOL... The water cress I started from grocery store sprigs, and the water celery was just a few clippings that didnt take off last year ... too hot when I planted them .. they sent out lots of runners, but the greens just fried in the sun ...

 

[callingcolleen1]

You got water garden plants from the grocery store? VERY cOOL!! I NeVeR thought of that!! I must try some this year. do you have pictures of the water cress growing in your pond you can share?

 

[capewind]

Yes, I found the info on line, so figured why not try it

Went to the produce section of the grocery store and bought a $3 container of water cress ... it was just the greens, no roots, etc ... threw the sprigs into a bowl of water. I didnt follow the directions very well ... the site said to change the water daily, or the water would go green ... yup, green slimy water, and some of the sprigs wilted/rotted and smelled really bad ... but after maybe 5 days, they did have nice little roots started ...

I ended up with maybe 8-10 healthy rooted sprigs, put them all in one pot ...

Then threw the pot into a wet area to harden the plant off ... again, poor care ... didnt put it in a sheltered area, just right out into full summer sun, exposed to wind, etc ... it fried a little, but then bounced back.

The plant growing on the left side of the waterfall is the same plant... picture taken in Sept. It was VERY happy to get planted at the waterfall and started to spread.

These are pictures taken this morning ... the first picture shows one of the guilty fish who was eating it til they spotted me. Just for size comparision, this butterfly is 18-20 inches (no more than 20") ...

This picture is just to show the floating roots that WERE under the rock til a certain few started tearing the plant apart LOL,,,

taken from a different angle, you can see the lighter green, new growth trying to get going (if the fish would stop eating it LOL)

I keep meaning to grab another container of water cress sprigs from the grocery store, to start a few more plants. I want to get some growing on the right side of that waterfall, and more or less cover the rock wall under the marigolds ... it seems to grow the same way as creeping phlox ... any crevice in the rocks is fair game for the roots to take hold. A nice bonus here (zone 6) is it stayed green through the end of December, and even when it was totally encrusted in ice, it didnt die completely, just went a really dark green, almost purple. Here's a picture taken Dec 30th. Not the best, but you can make out some ice on it ...

 

[HARO]

FWIW, watercress prefers cooler water, and will get very leggy at warmer temperatures. (It grew about a foot out of the aquarium I tried it in back in the 60's.) It also does better in running water.
John

 

[callingcolleen1]

So that is just amazing, and it survived all winter too! Do you eat the excess out of the pond or is that just for the fish to eat?
What do you do with water cress? I have never eaten water cress, do you eat just the leaves? Do you make it into a salad or something?

 

[capewind]

FWIW, watercress prefers cooler water, and will get very leggy at warmer temperatures. (It grew about a foot out of the aquarium I tried it in back in the 60's.) It also does better in running water.
John

Thankfully then since we are in the north east, it will be happy once we give it a couple of real seasons to get going. It spent nearly half the summer recoverig from me not hardening it off properly. It grew, but more so it limped along, and then became happy. I think it is a pretty plant and like how it will creep, spreading its roots and climb the rocks. This pond has no plant shelves, so need to rely on what will grow from the edges.

 

[koiguy1969]

COLLEEN...
i've read that you shouldnt eat it from our ponds... if i recall correctly.it was something about a bacteria it may contain. "please dont quote me." there may have been other issues as well... i just cant recall.

 

[capewind]

So that is just amazing, and it survived all winter too! Do you eat the excess out of the pond or is that just for the fish to eat?
What do you do with water cress? I have never eaten water cress, do you eat just the leaves? Do you make it into a salad or something?

I wont mind the fish eating it once it takes off, but I wont eat it. I dont like it. Greens are not supposed to taste "peppery" to me. Folks use it in salads, or even "as a lettuce" in sandwhiches. I dont know what else they do with it, I dont like it, so not going to experiment with it LOL.

 

[capewind]

COLLEEN...
i've read that you shouldnt eat it from our ponds... if i recall correctly.it was something about a bacteria it may contain. "please dont quote me." there may have been other issues as well... i just cant recall.

Ive never heard that, but you may not be wrong ... I just have no clue on the subject. On the surface, I would think fish wastes and plant material would be great as a fertilizer ... bacteria issues? I just dont know. I think about how commercial foods are grown, and it's a bit of a tough sell for me. One of these days, I might spend some time researching.

 

[j.w]

We talked about Water Cress awhile back and someone said that we should not pick any out in the wild that was growing in water where cow feces could have run off into that water. Think it was this:


Sheep liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica)


Areas of the world where sheep or cattle are raised, including Bolivia, Peru, Portugal, France, Iran, Egypt, and Asia


Flukes on watercress or other water plants contaminated by sheep or cattle feces are ingested.


Common symptoms: Abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, vague discomfort (malaise), and weight loss due to liver damage


Diagnosis: Stool tests and CT, ultrasonography, or MRI of the liver


Treatment: Bithionol or triclabendazole

 

[capewind]

well THAT doesnt sound very appealing!

 

[koiguy1969]

I DONT KNOW. i have never tried it, but its cheap enough to buy it if i ever want it to eat... i would hate to find out the hard way its true... dont care enough to find out i guess. altho, if its health benefits are great enough to warrant research.....
i do enjoy greens... i drink smoothies every day with almond milk, acai berry juice,kale, spinach, green chards, red chards,and baby bokchoy. wheat grass occassionally. i pack the blender with the greens and then add the liquids. almond milk is very beneficial in the absorbtion of micro nutrients supplied by the greens.

 

[capewind]

Love kale ... spinach is great fresh or blanched (I like it blanched better, a bit of salt and butter and YUMMY) and bokchoy is good too ... the others you listed, Ive never had. Fresh raw greens, I almost expect a GREEN taste (like fresh raw green beans).. dont know a good adjective here LOL. Romaine for example is light and refreshing ... raw spinach makes me think of a freshly mowed lawn/GREEN ... If the flavor profile is between those, I'll likely like it, Water cress to me tasted like a green, but one that someone got carried away with the black pepper with ...