Water Hyacinths

[ree123]

Who here had said in the past that they wish they had some floating water hyacinths ? I have found some growing wild in a creek near my work and plan to be retrieving them soon for my use. They will not survive our winter temps. but can be wintered under strong lighting inside in winter.

[tradewatertropical]

Someone wanting Water Hyacinths What about Water Lettuce ?? I am throwing it away by the barrels !!! I have 15 ponds pretty much full of each if anybody wants some. It takes a pretty strong light to keep it over the winter and a fish or two for food source, but it can be done. The Water Lettuce is awesome for live bearers because the root system is so long it gives the fry great hiding places.The Hyacinths work pretty well also but not quite as good. Anybody looking give me a buzz it here for the taken !!

[ree123]

Scott,
You have both hyacinths and lettuce ?

Any one got any water chestnuts growing in a pond ? I have been looking for some of that too.

[paddysdaddy]

I'd like a ton of the water hyacinth and water lettuce in the spring, my koi didn't spawn successfully this year because they chose to eat their hyacinth intended to be a spawning media LOL.
Maybe in the spring we'll take a ride that way and see what we can carry home!

[ree123]

Thanks for response Scott.
My bad though. I read the above to fast.
I meant to be asking Tom,.................are you throwing out hyacinths and lettuce ?

Also Tom,...do you overwinter any of these ?
I have kept them in kiddie pools under shop lights, on 24/7, all winter, with success, in yrs. past.

[tradewatertropical]

Yea, I have tons of each in my ponds now. I am also going to winter a few for the ponds next year, it give great shade and the livebearers love it. Anyone want some I have lots !! Free !!

[ree123]

OK, so I am gonna study and take pic's and record my findings over the Winter and into Spring.
I talked to the guy who owns the pond/creek/property where I found these Water Hyacinths growing and he tells me they come back every yr. for him.

All I read says they will not survive our winters here.

And,...I know they don't ever survive in my pond ea. winter, but then I turn off all moving water and my pond freezes over ea. winter with the exception of a hole my pond heater maintains.

I have some I am gonna over winter in a cool, well lit location, but I am gonna be going by this fella's house about once per month over the winter and into next spring to record my findings and photograph when appropriate.

My presumption is that because there is a natural spring coming up into this pond and out into the creek that the moving water must be keeping them from completely freezing out in some sort of way.
There could be another explanation, but we'll see as I keep an eye on them.

They were frosted on yesterday and the purple blooms have failed as of today.
I'll keep ya posted off and on over the winter and into next Spring of my findings.

[ree123]

So....
An update...
I did retrieve some of the water hyacinths and have about 25 in a kiddie swimming pool under flour. lighting for the winter. All the late summer blooms have faded away, but they are green and doing just fine. I took pic's the day I retrieved them and they were all in full bloom in the creek at that time. I haven't put any of those pic's off the camera and onto my comp. yet, but will soon, and try to download or upload them to here in this thread later.

Meantime, several weeks have passed now, and we have had a few hard frosts, and I went back by there today to observe and take more pic's. All the tops of the wild plants have turned brown and look dead from a distance, but upon careful inspection all the plant portions in the water are still green. Moving water,... remember. A slow moving stream about 2 or 3 ft. deep.

I plan to load those pic's too in time.

I also plan to go back by there in about another month or so and take more pic's to see what the increasing cold and winter is going to do to these plants that are not suppose to be hardy to our part of the country, and continue the report here.

My plan is to take pic's and keep a few notes thru-out the winter and into the Spring to see if these plants survive in this stream, and return on there own come Spring.

Again,....pic's to follow later.