HARO
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Not only that, they are ILLEGAL in a number of states!
John
John
Can one have too many water hyacinths?
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I can not get water hyacinth or water lettuce to spread in my pond. It baffles me.
I do think there is such a thing as too much. But it's going to be on an individual basis. A small pond in a hot climate, or in fact any pond in a hot climate, would benifit from the added shade. I have a good sized, deep pond, in Michgan. I don't feel my pond needs to be 75% covered. I like to see my fish and some sunshine is good for them, just like it is good for people. Now in regards to what problems would being 75% covered cause... probably none. It's just a personal preference. One thing to keep in mind however is that while plants make oxygen during the day, they consume it at night. A small pond with little water flow and a ton of water hyacinth, which can devolop very long roots, could remove a lot of oxygen overnight, and choke out the fish. Not likely, just pointing it out.
I do think there is such a thing as too much. But it's going to be on an individual basis. A small pond in a hot climate, or in fact any pond in a hot climate, would benifit from the added shade. I have a good sized, deep pond, in Michgan. I don't feel my pond needs to be 75% covered. I like to see my fish and some sunshine is good for them, just like it is good for people. Now in regards to what problems would being 75% covered cause... probably none. It's just a personal preference. One thing to keep in mind however is that while plants make oxygen during the day, they consume it at night. A small pond with little water flow and a ton of water hyacinth, which can devolop very long roots, could remove a lot of oxygen overnight, and choke out the fish. Not likely, just pointing it out.
HARO
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Unlike plants such as hornwort and anacharis, water hyacinth or water lettuce have their leaves ABOVE the water. Since transpiration takes place through these leaves, oxygen is taken from the air ABOVE the pond, not from the water of the pond itself. Conversely, these plants are NOT oxygenators, since no oxygen is actually added to the water.
John
John
Good point!
Water hyacinth choking Florida navigable waters is a historical problem going back 100 years and more. First recorded sighting, World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-1885 in Louisiana. A Florida visitor to the Exposition apparently returned home with water hyacinth plants and subsequently released them into the St. Johns River.
In itself it makes a unique ecological niche which supports umpteen other critters. With that extended time of neglect water hyacinth has had plenty of time to wiggle in allsorts of nooks and crannies. Modern herbicides can bump them off for $15 or so an acre. The repeated freeze and thaw of cold winters destroys it, its limited to tropical climates
Some cultures use it for improving water quality, animal feed, construction material, making fashionable items, ornaments, handbags, woven textile, mulch, fertiliser, fuel
As it is the easiest plant to yank out of a pond and chop up for mulch it's the easiest plant to control on an ornamental pond
Regards, andy
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/
In itself it makes a unique ecological niche which supports umpteen other critters. With that extended time of neglect water hyacinth has had plenty of time to wiggle in allsorts of nooks and crannies. Modern herbicides can bump them off for $15 or so an acre. The repeated freeze and thaw of cold winters destroys it, its limited to tropical climates
Some cultures use it for improving water quality, animal feed, construction material, making fashionable items, ornaments, handbags, woven textile, mulch, fertiliser, fuel
As it is the easiest plant to yank out of a pond and chop up for mulch it's the easiest plant to control on an ornamental pond
Regards, andy
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/
OK I'll jump in here with some observations...
I believe there may be different strains of hyacinths. At the very least there are different sources who use very different conditions to cultivate their plants. I have seen some that are huge and dark green. Personally I always liked the ones that are more compact and a lighter green color. The different selection of plants probably makes a difference in where they will grow well?
I've gotten hyacinths from several different sources, and they consistently will not do well until the water temperature stays above 60 degrees...
My original pond was a plastic pre-fab, and the hyacinths grew like mad! During the Summer, I would fill up a wading pool with half the plants every 3-4 weeks, and you could hardly tell I had removed any from the pond (made a lot of people on freecycle very happy though). Since the water was only 18" deep, the temperatures got much warmer, and I think this really drove the massive reproduction.
When I built my new pond, the hyacinths did *horrible* the first year! I spent over $100 on plants, and they pretty much died off. Some of that was from the koi feeding on their roots, but I even had trouble with the ones up in the filters. These were also the darker/larger variety. The next year I started out with some plants from the same store, but again was having problems with them. Then I remembered another nursery in a nearby town, tucked back off of any main roads. They carry very few plants, but have great prices, and they had a handful of hyacinths of the smaller type that I prefer. Well I got those plants in my pond, and they thrived while the others died off!
I have been saving a few plants from that last group indoors for the past two Winters. Once the water temps start coming up, I bring some out and let them get a good start in the filters for a few weeks, and once they start multiplying again I'll move them into the pond. Since I have so many irises and other plants in my pond now, the koi don't eat the hyacinth roots completely bare, so I've never had to keep them netted for protection. Last year the hyacinths covered any part of the pond that wasn't already covered by the lilies...
So... Water temperatures above 60; Lots of other plants for the fish to nibble on; Find a variety that actually grows well in your area (and save money by maintaining your own plants over the Winter). Other people have mentioned that hyacinths seem to do better when they are crowded together, perhaps protecting the roots from direct sunlight, and this could certainly contribute to poor growth in a larger pond.
Hope some of that helps.
I believe there may be different strains of hyacinths. At the very least there are different sources who use very different conditions to cultivate their plants. I have seen some that are huge and dark green. Personally I always liked the ones that are more compact and a lighter green color. The different selection of plants probably makes a difference in where they will grow well?
I've gotten hyacinths from several different sources, and they consistently will not do well until the water temperature stays above 60 degrees...
My original pond was a plastic pre-fab, and the hyacinths grew like mad! During the Summer, I would fill up a wading pool with half the plants every 3-4 weeks, and you could hardly tell I had removed any from the pond (made a lot of people on freecycle very happy though). Since the water was only 18" deep, the temperatures got much warmer, and I think this really drove the massive reproduction.
When I built my new pond, the hyacinths did *horrible* the first year! I spent over $100 on plants, and they pretty much died off. Some of that was from the koi feeding on their roots, but I even had trouble with the ones up in the filters. These were also the darker/larger variety. The next year I started out with some plants from the same store, but again was having problems with them. Then I remembered another nursery in a nearby town, tucked back off of any main roads. They carry very few plants, but have great prices, and they had a handful of hyacinths of the smaller type that I prefer. Well I got those plants in my pond, and they thrived while the others died off!
I have been saving a few plants from that last group indoors for the past two Winters. Once the water temps start coming up, I bring some out and let them get a good start in the filters for a few weeks, and once they start multiplying again I'll move them into the pond. Since I have so many irises and other plants in my pond now, the koi don't eat the hyacinth roots completely bare, so I've never had to keep them netted for protection. Last year the hyacinths covered any part of the pond that wasn't already covered by the lilies...
So... Water temperatures above 60; Lots of other plants for the fish to nibble on; Find a variety that actually grows well in your area (and save money by maintaining your own plants over the Winter). Other people have mentioned that hyacinths seem to do better when they are crowded together, perhaps protecting the roots from direct sunlight, and this could certainly contribute to poor growth in a larger pond.
Hope some of that helps.
I don't know if there are different types. But I know with the exact same type huge differences can occur from being confined or spread out, good water quality or bad water quality, and lots of sun or not much sun. I could have show you two plants from the same source that looked completely different.
I have the really tall large ones. The place I bought them from had them growing up the sides of the pond, not even in the water any more. They obviously love it there. Not so much at my house. The second batch I got is doing okay. I wish I had noted the date I got them. I still see lots of white roots, and I have them netted, but I think the fish are getting them through the net.
I'm also having a suspicion that some of my smaller tropical fish in the pond, similar to guppies I would guess, are also eating the roots. I had taken some water lettuce out of the pond and into our aquarium and in no time, all the roots were gone.
My pond looks so amazing with the hyacinths. I really want to keep them.
I'm also having a suspicion that some of my smaller tropical fish in the pond, similar to guppies I would guess, are also eating the roots. I had taken some water lettuce out of the pond and into our aquarium and in no time, all the roots were gone.
My pond looks so amazing with the hyacinths. I really want to keep them.
JohnHuff
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Thanks for that! Hadn't thought about it.
I hate to spend $ when at the end of the season I have to throw them away. I'll try that this season!
I wanted to bump this thread back up since I have seen some new information. Check out post number 25 in this thread, where Charles points out that water covered with hyacinth can be starved for oxygen. https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/solving-the-algae-mystery.13888/page-2 It does not say if the plants are using the oxygen, of if dnese cover causes a lack of oxygen because they do not allow for a gas/oxygen exchange to happen at the surface.
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OK, I guess the answers need to be qualified with common sense. You don't want the pond to be so covered with WH so that it's choked with it (I thought that might be self-evident), nor do you want your swimming pool, your lawn or your car covered with WH.
What appears obvious to some does not always appear obvious
to everyone else. No-one had given this reason so far so it seems no-one knew that being highly covered with plants would cause oxygen deprivation.
to everyone else. No-one had given this reason so far so it seems no-one knew that being highly covered with plants would cause oxygen deprivation.
JohnHuff
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Actually, that is also known.
If that was known, the OP would not have asked the question. I can also assure you, if it was known, there are multiple people on this site who would have already posted it, because they either 1. want to help 2. want to look smart.
Please tell me, if this is all already known, why didnt anyone post it?
JohnHuff
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Watching NCAAB.