My plants don't seem all that happy

[randythawkins]

Several months ago I placed a few hyacinth in my settlement tank. At first they sprouted out some more plants but have since stopped spreading and have taken on a brown-ish color. They seem to be at that point of "just living" instead of growing. The same applies to other plants - they seem to be just staying alive or very slowly dying back. Last Summer and the one before that, before I built my pond, I had a small tub which I kept hyacinth in and they loved it. There was no water circulation or fish poo - just a tub of water and they flourished and bloomed. Not now.

So, I am confused. I assumed that, with all the fish poo, that the plants would just go nuts but, instead, they don't seem very happy. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Randy

 

[dieselplower]

Check the roots of the hyacinth. The fish might be eating them. The ones my fish can get to have short roots and don't spread. The ones they can't get to have 2 foot long roots and spread.

 

[randythawkins]

Check the roots of the hyacinth. The fish might be eating them. The ones my fish can get to have short roots and don't spread. The ones they can't get to have 2 foot long roots and spread.

Thanks for the suggestion but the hyacinth are in my Settlement Chamber are there are no fish in there. The roots are quite long and appear OK.

Before I got my waterfall built I had my other potted plants sitting the the SC also and have shown minimal growth this year except for one Iris which did quickly grow and bloom twice. Several weeks ago I moved them all to my waterfall area but I have noticed no difference in them. As I mentioned before, they just seem to be living at best.

This is a video of the waterfall taken last weekend. Some of the plants are recent purchases but others I have had since last year or several months ago. Except for the Iris the ones from last year have a lot of brown on them and the 'several months ago' ones have some brown and the recent ones have no brown.

I don't have a picture of the hyacinth.

Maybe I am just expecting too much from the others but, given how the hyacinth did in the tub of water for 2 Summers, I expected more from them in what I thought to be a better environment.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

They seem to be at that point of "just living" instead of growing.

I can't help you with that one. I haven't had luck with them. I've tried water hyacinth and water lettuce and couldn't get either to last the season, even though my other plants are doing good. Last year they lasted maybe two months and this year they turned yellowish brown within a couple weeks.

 

[Tula]

Water hyacinths are such a mystery!! I bought floating pond nets this year and they're doing much better, but this week don't look as good as they have been. Last night I was visiting a neighbor's pond who just has them floating free and he had huge koi....and the things look like they're on steroids!! LOL

 

[Priscilla]

Yes, these things are VERY picky little buggers!!!! I don't have any luck with them in my pond, but in a stock tank, with no fish (thanks to the green heron), no moving water they are doing great. I've tried it all, free floating, netted ..... nothing works in my pond.

 

[sissy]

I took mine out every couple of weeks and tossed them into a tote with miracle grow in the water and it gives them a big boost .

 

[randythawkins]

I took mine out every couple of weeks and tossed them into a tote with miracle grow in the water and it gives them a big boost .

Interesting...leads me to wonder - is there any fish safe fertilizer I could add to the pond?

 

[dieselplower]

How much sun do they get in the settlement chamber?

 

[randythawkins]

How much sun do they get in the settlement chamber?

Maybe 3hrs of direct sunlight and several hours of filtered (e.g. Thru tree leaves).

 

[randythawkins]

Here is a pic I took today.

 

[Lisak1]

Yeah, we can't grow floaters in our pond either. They do great in our patio pond - which is filled and topped with pond water - but they do the same thing as yours in the big pond. No idea why. I am green with envy (ha!) whenever I visit a pond and see beautiful hyacinths and water lettuce. It's gotta be something in the pH or something. Maybe someone has a better answer?

Oh, and as for fertilizer in your pond - I wouldn't try it unless you want to feed the algae, too! Sissy's idea is best - pull them out and fertilize them separately. Then rinse them and toss them back in. Some people keep a small kiddie pool for that purpose. I'm not that ambitious - if they can't grow on their own, I give up!

 

[pugle1]

I had hyacinths last year. They're annual here as this is a freezing climate in the winter. I didn't put any in this year, but during the growing season last summer, I hat to thin them frequently as they spread like crazy... lots of blossoms. They just free-floated around the pond below the waterfall and the only feeding they got was fish waste. Mine would get up to 6 hours of sun a day, so that may be your problem.

 

[addy1]

I had them one year, sun all day on the pond, they did lousy, so don't bother with them anymore.

 

[randythawkins]

Mine would get up to 6 hours of sun a day, so that may be your problem.

Meaning that maybe they are not getting enough sun? Compared to where I used to keep them, pre-pond, they got only about an hour's worth of mid-morning light. Maybe they are getting too much now???