I've read it is, most likely, one of two reasons........potash or iron deficient. Someone recommended a "shotgun" approach of adding potash and fertilome liquid iron in the pond. Would this be safe for fish? Soaking in miracle grow is not working. My pond is mostly rain water, could this cause deficiencies?
Water hyacinth yellow and skimpy
- Thread starter Tiger1
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The fish are eating the roots.
What is the PH of your water?
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the key ingredients in plant fertilizer.
I once moved WH into a 30 gal trash can and added pond water and 5 lbs of potash as an experiment to see if too much potash could kill the plants. This was maybe 15 years ago and WH was a bigger thing in ponds and many times they didn't do well and potash was one thing "experts" said was the cause. I quote experts because it turned out they actually had zero experience with WH or using potash. They were just repeating something they'd read in a forum so they had no idea how much to add or whether it was safe (took a lot of posts to figure that out).
Anyways the WH took off. There were Goldfish eggs on the roots which I hadn't realized. Hatched and grew very well. Based on that I'd say adding potash is fish safe which in the context of pond keeping seems to mean that one experiment is enough and that the fish didn't die in 2 weeks. The fry were moved after about 3 months to the main pond and all grew into normal fish.
As it turned out it wasn't the potash in my case. I also added WH to another tank without potash and they also grew well. Turned out the Goldfish had been eating the roots. Once I had some plants with massive root systems I placed them into the pond and they did OK. Didn't reproduce like crazy, just a little. So I suspect the fish were still eating the roots but starting with a massive root system (more than 3' long, about 4" wide when out of the water) allowed the plants to do better. The WH I started with were mail order and didn't come with very good root systems.
Pond water was 9+ pH and water temps were about 75F.
Was impressive to actually get to see what a healthy WH looks like after a couple of years of weak plants.
Anyways the WH took off. There were Goldfish eggs on the roots which I hadn't realized. Hatched and grew very well. Based on that I'd say adding potash is fish safe which in the context of pond keeping seems to mean that one experiment is enough and that the fish didn't die in 2 weeks. The fry were moved after about 3 months to the main pond and all grew into normal fish.
As it turned out it wasn't the potash in my case. I also added WH to another tank without potash and they also grew well. Turned out the Goldfish had been eating the roots. Once I had some plants with massive root systems I placed them into the pond and they did OK. Didn't reproduce like crazy, just a little. So I suspect the fish were still eating the roots but starting with a massive root system (more than 3' long, about 4" wide when out of the water) allowed the plants to do better. The WH I started with were mail order and didn't come with very good root systems.
Pond water was 9+ pH and water temps were about 75F.
Was impressive to actually get to see what a healthy WH looks like after a couple of years of weak plants.
Well I was curious because you said your pond was mainly rain water, and rain water is usually very low PH, but that doesn't seem to be the case in your pond. It could be the fish nibbling the roots, best way to tell is grow some in another tank without fish and the same pond water and see how they do.
Because we have such a short growing season here for water hyacinth I built a little greenhouse for starting my water hyacinth in the spring when the pond is too cold for them. By the time the pond starts to warm up I have plenty of them to start putting into the pond. However, even in the greenhouse with plenty of fertilizer they seemed to thrive best with a PH of around 7.
Check out my thread here.
Because we have such a short growing season here for water hyacinth I built a little greenhouse for starting my water hyacinth in the spring when the pond is too cold for them. By the time the pond starts to warm up I have plenty of them to start putting into the pond. However, even in the greenhouse with plenty of fertilizer they seemed to thrive best with a PH of around 7.
Check out my thread here.
If the pond has had salt added, water hyacinth won't be happy about that. Excessive water filtration lowering nitrate levels can be a problem...
Rain water might be a tad lean for a plant that is demanding...
Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
Rain water might be a tad lean for a plant that is demanding...
Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
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Here in Florida, cold below 30 degrees kills back the hyacinths above the water line. They do grow back, but it takes awhile. Also 95 degree heat and full sun in the summer will yellow them out as well. And my catfish do eat some of the bulbs as well as a few roots. Shade seems to help them flourish.
@macktyner - I thought water hyacinths were banned in Florida ponds?
P.S. This is an old thread so you probably won't get a response from the OP.
P.S. This is an old thread so you probably won't get a response from the OP.
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Not being native to Florida, hyacinths are frowned on in our lakes and rivers. I think it is illegal to transport them, but not to possess or grow them. Orange lake near me is shallow and has a huge problem with them... whereas Lake Santa Fe, being 25 feet deep, does not grow but a few because the winds pile them up on the shore where they die.
Gotcha - I always wondered as I know they are constantly clearing them out of the waterways and yet we would see the stray one now and again while kayaking so I wondered what would stop someone from picking them up from the wild for a garden pond.
Just saw this thread and I too am having problems with my water hyacinth and lettuce. They were a beautiful green color and now look wilted with brown edges as well as not multiplying. My pond gets a lot of sun. I’m in TN. We’ve got 2 lilly plants in pots that are new this year and doing ok. Any help is most appreciated!
@Greenbrier Lulu - both WL and WH are notoriously picky. Some years mine would do great, others not so much. I don't even bother with them much any more unless someone is basically giving them away.
Tell us a bit more about your pond - how big, how old, how many fish, any other plants (besides the lilies), what kind of filtration do you use, etc. Any details will help. Also - what's the weather been like? Extreme hot or cold both seem to bother the floaters.
Tell us a bit more about your pond - how big, how old, how many fish, any other plants (besides the lilies), what kind of filtration do you use, etc. Any details will help. Also - what's the weather been like? Extreme hot or cold both seem to bother the floaters.