Water Hyacinth??

[Shdwdrgn]

Around here, by July my hyacinths are usually multiplying so fast that I've taken half of them out of the pond and still could not see the fish through all of the plants. Despite them being smooshed together, I have never had a hyacinth flower. Maybe it will be different with the larger pond (hopefully), but even in the Summer it still gets cold here at night, so I think that prevents them from trying to flower.

 

[stroppy]

Around here, by July my hyacinths are usually multiplying so fast that I've taken half of them out of the pond and still could not see the fish through all of the plants. Despite them being smooshed together, I have never had a hyacinth flower. Maybe it will be different with the larger pond (hopefully), but even in the Summer it still gets cold here at night, so I think that prevents them from trying to flower.

i think warmth has something to do with it, the warmest spring on record here in the UK and this is the first year mine have flowered

 

[CountryEscape]

OK, so the water hyacinths are probably out for me, then. Do the lillies bloom, too? I will be concentrating on plants that are perennials in IL (Zone 5) I think. Also, I will have the perimeter planted, so there will be enough growth and flowering things nearby. The plant bog will have all water-loving plants, pea gravel in the bottom. Any suggestions for plants in that area? The water will filter from under the pea gravel, then over the ledge for another small waterfall, but mainly to filter more water at the same time. I plan to get lots of cheap plants, as by the time I get to that point, they will all be on sale, I hope. :fish::fish:

 

[sissy]

I put water hyacinth and water lettuce in a concrete mixing tub in my basement with a grow light my neighbor puts them in a fish tank and before spring gets here believe it or not ,she transfers them to her extra bathroom she doesn't use the bathtub hardly in there and lets them grow out and get bigger ,looks funny but works for her

 

[addy1]

OK, so the water hyacinths are probably out for me, then. Do the lillies bloom, too? I will be concentrating on plants that are perennials in IL (Zone 5) I think. Also, I will have the perimeter planted, so there will be enough growth and flowering things nearby. The plant bog will have all water-loving plants, pea gravel in the bottom. Any suggestions for plants in that area? The water will filter from under the pea gravel, then over the ledge for another small waterfall, but mainly to filter more water at the same time. I plan to get lots of cheap plants, as by the time I get to that point, they will all be on sale, I hope. :lol::lol:

All of mine are growing like crazy (bog), if it is towards the end of summer, I can send you some for postage. They need just enough time to get good roots going before the cold smacks them

 

[j.w]

addy that is so weird to me that you can over winter them outside. How cold does it get there and for how long? I can't get any to survive here but then I have only bought a couple at a time. We are usually in the 40's and high 30's here all winter but we do get some freezing and it can get down to -6 or so on rare occasions for a couple days at a time. So if I had a ton of them as I assume you do then do you think they would live?

 

[addy1]

Bog plants? or hyacinths? Bog plants are all zone 6-7, we get colder than you, pond and bog were frozen solid over winter. We tend to be in the teens, do drop below zero now and then. This is my first time with hyacinths they will die here. The iris etc all do fine, in fact the iris were green all winter sticking above the ice. I did lose a few that were too young and new, not enough root mass to survive.

 

[j.w]

Oh I thought you were talking about Hyacinth :lol:

 

[addy1]

Oh I thought you were talking about Hyacinth :lol:

lmao jw, is ok! I was replying to her wanting bog plants......

 

[vertigo72]

I put water hyacinth and water lettuce in a concrete mixing tub in my basement with a grow light

Interesting. How well does that work? Does it merely keep them alive, or they actually grow and multiply there? Do you feed them? Do you keep that lamp on 24/7?

I picked up a single hyacinth today. Ive put it in my greenhouse in a bowl of pond water and added some koi food lol. Im expecting no less than see it multiply 10 fold over the next weeks :lol:

 

[j.w]

How cold is it there in Belgium right now? Do you have heat on in the green house? Let us know if it works for you and the temps and such.

I would also be interested in sissy's answers to how exactly she keeps them alive and if it's worth it money wise (electricity)?

 

[vertigo72]

How cold is it there in Belgium right now? Do you have heat on in the green house? Let us know if it works for you and the temps and such.

Its around 20C (68F) here during the day. Drops to 8C (46F) or so at night. But its highly variable. A few days ago it was closer to 30C for a while, and a few days before that, 12C. Four seasons in one week. Its entirely possible we will still get nights with frost.

I dont have heat on in the greenhouse, but there Im counting on the greenhouse effect :lol:.

 

[sissy]

The bulbs you buy are energy efficient and I put mine on a time 6 hours on the rest off .You don't need them on 24/7 they will grow to fast then and multiply to much .I sometimes go to 4 hours on ,when they get growing to fast .I have a heat lamp it's called a chicken brooder light got it at a house auction in a box of stuff for 2 dollars .Cost a lot to run but only run it when it is needed I keep the concrete tub on the basement floor on top of insulation to keep it warmer I also keep them at least 4 feet from the window so they get natural light .I have even grown them inside my house in a dish pan but they got out of control to many babies and had to keep cutting them off

 

[j.w]

I have a green house and was just wondering if it would work w/o having to turn the heat on. They are pretty expensive to buy so thought if there was some way to keep them alive w/o much cost maybe that would be a good alternative. When I bought mine they just turned brown and died and that was in the summer so wondering if the grouping of large amounts would help :lol:

 

[sissy]

mine sometimes do that because I put to much salt in my pond