Water Hyacinth Greenhouse

[Mucky_Waters]

I finally got around to starting a project I have been thinking about for a while. I like water hyacinth in my pond, I like the looks and feel they make good little water cleaners if you have enough of them. S0, the purpose of this hyacinth greenhouse is to grow them as fast as possible so that I can have an abundance of they as early as possible.
Some might say, they grow so fast anyway, why do you need to grow them faster? My answer is yes they do grow fast under the right conditions, one of those conditions is water temperature. Right now, in my area with a short Summer season (Southern BC), it is still possible for night time temperatures to drop down to -10 C (14 F). Not likely but it can, and does, happen every few years. Certainly if it did and I had any water hyacinth in my pond they would likely get damaged or die back, but even if I don't get any freezing temps, I still have the problem with cold water, and water hyacinth only grow well in warm water. It will likely be June before I have water warm enough for good growth, I can put them in the water long before that, but how ever many I put in there, they will just sit there till the water really starts to warm up. My plan is to get them growing and multiplying now. if I have too many later, that's fine, I have no problem throwing them in the compost or giving them away, but I want to get to that point sooner than later.

So I decided to build a little heated mini greenhouse for the water hyacinth to get them growing as fast as possible early in the season while the pond is still cold
Here's how I built it.
The basic box is about 4 ft x 2 ft

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1809-basic-box/


The outside is covered with metal and has some styro insulation inside.


https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1812-metalskininsulation/


The liner was fitted inside and metal edging and the A-frame installed over the liner and the excess liner was trimmed off.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1811-linertrimaframe/


Inside I have a small pump to circulate the fertilizer enriched water and two small 100 watt aquarium heaters that have been keeping the water between 25 C (77 F) and 29 C (84 F)

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1810-greenhouse6-hyacinth/


April 24th I started with 6 plants, each with one small offshoot, we'll see how they do.
For sure I know if put those 6 plants in my pond they would likely do nothing until the end of May. I am hoping that with this little greenhouse that by the end of May it will be full of water hyacinth and I'll already have taken some out and started to propagate the pond.
Do you think it will work?

 

[addy1]

That is really neat! I don't see why it would not work. Keep us updated on their growth.

 

[sissy]

I grew mine over winter in a concrete mixing tub that I finally put on wheels .There was a lot of cleanup when I drug them out of the basement but are looking better everyday and had to save a few as rains washed them out last night and this morning .Learned something in over wintering them as they like an air pump (which I always had in there ) but that they did not do well in the fish tank .I think they do not like light on there roots .They big rubber wheels really make it easy to roll them around .

 

[addy1]

Well dragging a concrete tub would be easier on wheels sissy! geez. I didn't try to save any over winter, and I am skipping them this year. Have enough plants growing well that like our area.

 

[sissy]

I can't keep them in my pond even in the plant ring fish destroy them or they don't do well .Concrete mixing tub is plastic but is heavy when it has water in it and a layer of lava rock .Lava rock I found keeps the water clear not sure but I did not put lava rock in the fish tank and that was mucky yucky and stunk .I have had some success with hyacinths the last couple of years over wintering them ,but this works the best .

 

[addy1]

lmao sissy, I saw concrete and translated that to a concrete tub not the concrete mixing tub. I know what you speak of, I have a few of them.

 

[sissy]

good gosh that would build muscle lol

 

[koiguy1969]

water hiacynths like moving water...a small pump or aerater would help...what are you using to feed them,? pond tabs? tomatoe spikes, liquid?

 

[j.w]

Neat project Mucky and hope it works for you. Let us know how it goes. If you can do it up there north of us then maybe I can also. We shall see what we shall see!

 

[Mucky_Waters]

water hiacynths like moving water...a small pump or aerater would help...what are you using to feed them,? pond tabs? tomatoe spikes, liquid?

Yep, I already learned they grow faster with moving water (check out the last picture) there is a pump in there, I believe the moving water helps the roots absorb nutrients. I use to have a greenhouse at my last place and I had a small pond in there. I would start hyacith in small tubs with fertilizer in the greenhouse and when the tubs got too crowded they would go in the greenhouse pond, and from there into the pond outside. I don't have a greenhouse (yet) at this place, so this is the best I can do.
I'm using a 20/20/20 water soluble fertilizer.
Temps are suppose to drop to one degree above freezing here tonight, good thing I got my hyacinth in that little greenhouse.

 

[koiguy1969]

we had freezing temps last night here too! wish the weather would stop messing around a choose a season!

 

[j.w]

How much of that fertilizer do you put in a certain size tub Mucky and how often?

 

[Mucky_Waters]

we had freezing temps last night here too! wish the weather would stop messing around a choose a season!

Well it didn't freeze last night, but it got close I'm sure. I have a min-max indoor/outdoor thermometer tucked away under the little green house with the wire probe in the water. Underneath the greenhouse the min temp only dropped to 6 deg C (42 F) because it was sheltered by the heated greenhouse, I'm sure it got much colder out in the open. On the other hand it only dropped to a warm 23 C (73 F) in the greenhouse, I'm sure my hyacinth were quite comfortable.

How much of that fertilizer do you put in a certain size tub Mucky and how often?

JW I'm pretty sloppy when it comes to measuring things like that out, but i'd guess I will throw about 1 tsp every couple weeks in a wash tub, or twice that in that little greenhouse. Probably more sometimes when I'm feeling impatient.

 

[j.w]

Thanks Mucky! I really wish I could get some going. Maybe if I find a good price for some I'll give them a try again. Are you gonna try and keep them over winter also somehow like sissy did or is just just gonna be a quick start every year if this works? Either way if it works its a good idea as most people just toss them out in colder areas!

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Thanks Mucky! I really wish I could get some going. Maybe if I find a good price for some I'll give them a try again. Are you gonna try and keep them over winter also somehow like sissy did or is just just gonna be a quick start every year if this works? Either way if it works its a good idea as most people just toss them out in colder areas!

Quick start. To over winter them here I would need lights, as well as the heated water. It could be done, but not worth the hassle for the cost of a few plants early in the spring.
In my last greenhouse pond I was able to overwinter some other tropical plants (and even a turtle), but the hyacinth all died. I didn't heat the water at all, and only heated the greenhouse enough that it didn't freeze in there. I tried to overwinter some hyacinth in an aquarium in the house, even had lights, but I didn't heat the water in that case either and it was next to a cold window (for extra light), they lasted till January but eventually died too. I'm sure it was because the water was too cool. I didn't want to heat the water because I also had some young (non-tropical) turtles in there and didn't think they would do so well in warm water during the winter season.
There are just some plants that you buy, and then they die and you throw them away. Kind of like cut flowers, there's a huge industry based on people buying flowers and throwing them away. The way I look at it, for about the same price I'm getting a much better deal out of a few hyacinth then I would buying a half a dozen roses, especially concidering my wife likes water hyacinth flowers more than roses.