floating plants and a skimmer

[bagsmom]

So -- I am assuming free floating plants like water hyacinth are out if you have a skimmer. Hmmm... is there a way around this? I put some hornwort (I think it's called) in the pond today. I filled a mini water bottle with pebbles and used fishing line to tie it. It's working well. It appears to be floating, but it is actually anchored in place so it can't get sucked in.

Is there some way of dealing with this for floating plants? I was thinking it would be cool if there was some sort of clear floating hula hoop thing that could keep them corralled and away from the skimmer.

Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Tula]

They make floating plant nets. I bought a couple from Fosters and Smith, but don't use them as one of my koi jumped into one. I've seen people make their own DIY ring, with a pool noodle and zip ties

 

[Lisak1]

Yup - any way you can think of to contain them will work. I've seen people float a Hula Hoop - that works. Hyacinths actually prefer to be crowded together, so they will appreciate being corralled. I have a couple of spots in my pond where the water is very still - I start mine out there. When they form a big enough colony they float a little bit more around the pond, but the lily pads kind of corral them and keep them from getting too close to the "skimmer" (I don't actually have a skimmer - just a negative edge that works as one).

 

[cas]

I just took some extra air tubing that I had and made my own 'hoop' that I could then drape over the rocks to keep the hyacinths in place.

 

[Troutredds]

I pin down the roots of our hyacinth starts with river cobble, baseball size or bigger, on shallow shelves. This gives them a firm anchor to begin their early season expansion, also providing a protected growth habitat for aquatic critters (Odonata, Ephemeroptera, etc.).

 

[Troutredds]

I just took some extra air tubing that I had and made my own 'hoop' that I could then drape over the rocks to keep the hyacinths in place.
View attachment 97755

Beautiful pic, cas.

 

[cas]

I pin down the roots of our hyacinth starts with river cobble, baseball size or bigger, on shallow shelves.

Mine never looked as good as yours @Troutredds ! My picture showed them when they looked their best - ha!

 

[Lisak1]

Beautiful @Troutredds!

 

[Troutredds]

I pin them down out of necessity, though, due to the substantial current in our system. They'd clog up the works, otherwise.

 

[addy1]

Hornwort will actually anchor itself. It collects muck around its roots and ends up staying in one spot.

 

[bagsmom]

Hornwort will actually anchor itself. It collects muck around its roots and ends up staying in one spot.

I was trying to use it as a free floating submerged plant and it kept floating into the skimmer. You should have seen me running around the edge of the pond, saying "nooooooooo!" Maybe if I put a rock on a piece of it near the edge, it will hook itself down once it gets growing.
I have loved "shopping" for plants in my over-wintered tub!

 

[bagsmom]

Cas and Red -- how pretty! I am going to try these ideas!
So - Red - you are saying that anchoring the first few hyacinths will do the trick? They will sort of stick together as they multiply?
As soon as the stores near me start selling pond plants, I need to get some to help cover some of the surface.

 

[bagsmom]

I just took some extra air tubing that I had and made my own 'hoop' that I could then drape over the rocks to keep the hyacinths in place.
View attachment 97755

Pretty! Is that a small juniper next to the pond? I'm getting ideas for my surrounding landscaping.

 

[Lisak1]

They will sort of stick together as they multiply?

I'll answer that one - yes. They form a mass as they grow and the roots mat together. And once they get going, they grow fast. Quite amazing! Be aware though that not every pond owner has success with hyacinths or water lettuce.
Some ponds just won't grow them - variations in sunlight, water temp, water quality, all possible. But they are inexpensive and worth a try!

 

[cas]

Is that a small juniper next to the pond?

That is a green mound juniper. Started off about 6 inches wide at the most in 2006. Here is the bush now. I have trimmed it a lot to keep it to this size. In fact I remove 1/3 of it so I could plant more flowers last year. Oh, and I wanted to add, that bush is planted a good 4 feet from the pond. It has spread all the way over to the pond edge.