Water Hyacinth??

[addy1]

i picked up 10 threw them in the pond, it got a little cold, but all are growing and have pups. Will see if they flower. Bought on the net for around 2 bucks each, nice big ones.

 

[j.w]

I don't use any salt at all so don't know what the problem was

 

[j.w]

Addy I only bought 2 at a local grocery store that just happened to be selling them one year so maybe I didn't buy enough to huddle together to keep warm. The store never sold them again and never see any others around here. Just hoping somebody had a really easy way of holding them over w/o too much expense. I love the beauty of them when they bloom and the smell is supposed to be nice............never got a chance to smell them tho

 

[vertigo72]

I have a green house and was just wondering if it would work w/o having to turn the heat on.

In winter? I doubt that very much. I do have a heater in there for winter, to keep temps around 5C (41F). I dont think hyacinths would even survive that. perhaps an aquarium heater in styrofoam box with water? That wouldnt cost much to run, but Im not sure if its water temperature or air temperature that the problem is, but I suspect air.

 

[sissy]

Thats why the brooder light it gives off heat and since my basement is well insulated and rarely gets below 40 degrees that and plastic panels help keep the heat where needed .When I built my house I even spent the extra to insulate the floors a little extra money for a warmer house pays off and if anyone wanted in the future they could finish the basement off because all the plumbing is already under the slab 2440 extra sq.ft.

 

[CountryEscape]

Addy, thanks for the offer of the bog plants. I will let you know when I'm ready for plants, and you can tell me how much postage money to send you! Awful nice of you to help me out, I really appreciate it!!!
I was trying to arrange the landscape stones around my "pond hole" this evening, as I got carpet pieces to line pond with, and having problems trying to figure out my bog. LOL I can't figure out how to have the water go over the edge like a waterfall of sorts, like I had in my head, so I guess I will just have the pond edge lower, but will that be a problem if the fish can swim into that area? Will the koi pick at the roots of the bog plants? That could be easily fixed by putting up some type of netting to keep them out. I still want to have the extra filtration in that area. So, can I leave a ledge on the pond side lower, just put 1 stone height (instead of 2) on pond side, dig down maybe 6" in the bog area and fill with pea gravel, then have the outside edge with 2 stones height. Liner will go over the edge, down under the pea gravel, then back up and over the 2 landscape stone outside edge (which is the outside height all the way around). Will that work, or should I make it same height inside and outside wall (around the bog I'm talking about), and make some type of opening for the water to drain back into the pond? I need to get this figured out before tomorrow evening, because I need to get the carpet laid on the inside, the underlayment is due to arrive on Fri., along with the liner, and boyfriend is coming on Sat. to help with the liner! I'm HOPING to have the edge leveled (UGH, I need a laser level, but I have another way figured out), and carpet and underlayment laid out and tacked to the sidewalls, so the liner will be out only obstacle on Sat. .... wish me luck. LOL

 

[JoaniePA]

I'll try tying them together, but I think it's probably a sun thing as well. My lilies and lotus bloom like crazy, and so do the iris and pickerel weed, but I think there is just not enough sun for the hyacinth. I get about 4 to 5 hours tops of sun, then dappled sun for the rest of the time.

This year I got a plant called a hardy sensitive fern.. it's pretty cool and spreads out nicely. We'll see how hardy it is and if it blooms (supposedly yellow flowers),

 

[addy1]

I was trying to arrange the landscape stones around my "pond hole" this evening, as I got carpet pieces to line pond with, and having problems trying to figure out my bog. LOL I can't figure out how to have the water go over the edge like a waterfall of sorts, like I had in my head, so I guess I will just have the pond edge lower, but will that be a problem if the fish can swim into that area? Will the koi pick at the roots of the bog plants? That could be easily fixed by putting up some type of netting to keep them out. I still want to have the extra filtration in that area. So, can I leave a ledge on the pond side lower, just put 1 stone height (instead of 2) on pond side, dig down maybe 6" in the bog area and fill with pea gravel, then have the outside edge with 2 stones height. Liner will go over the edge, down under the pea gravel, then back up and over the 2 landscape stone outside edge (which is the outside height all the way around). Will that work, or should I make it same height inside and outside wall (around the bog I'm talking about), and make some type of opening for the water to drain back into the pond? I need to get this figured out before tomorrow evening, because I need to get the carpet laid on the inside, the underlayment is due to arrive on Fri., along with the liner, and boyfriend is coming on Sat. to help with the liner! I'm HOPING to have the edge leveled (UGH, I need a laser level, but I have another way figured out), and carpet and underlayment laid out and tacked to the sidewalls, so the liner will be out only obstacle on Sat. .... wish me luck. LOL

LOL Trying to visualize what you are saying. My bog is higher than the pond. Between the two I have a flat rock in just one area that allows the water to flow from the bog back into the pond as a waterfall.

It sounds like the bog and pond are the same height, the ledge between them lower. One rock would work, the fish will not swim into a pea gravel area, the gravel should be higher than the water level.

If you can build up the bog wall, make it higher than the pond, Outside edge, then it will do more of a water fall back into the pond.

use a straight 2x4 with a level to check level. I had a laser level and still had a few low areas in the bog wall. Our slope is so darn steep lol. When you fill check for low spots, I found one that the water was happily running out from.

 

[addy1]

I'll try tying them together, but I think it's probably a sun thing as well. My lilies and lotus bloom like crazy, and so do the iris and pickerel weed, but I think there is just not enough sun for the hyacinth. I get about 4 to 5 hours tops of sun, then dappled sun for the rest of the time.

This year I got a plant called a hardy sensitive fern.. it's pretty cool and spreads out nicely. We'll see how hardy it is and if it blooms (supposedly yellow flowers),

neat joanie, My pond is full sun all day. I put a few ferns into the bog but they have not started to grow yet..........that is if they managed to survive the winter.

 

[vertigo72]

I put some water plants in a bowl (actually, the lid of my bio filter barrels) in my greenhouse. One hyacinth, some duck weed, 2 and half mosaic plants and a almost gone water lettuce.
I discovered there are UV lamps in there too, though they must be 100 years old, I doubt they do anything. But I put a spycam there as well, and its enough for that

Here is a short clip of what I got in a few hours. I will keep it running for a few days or weeks. Could be fun to watch:

[ame]

 

[Karen]

Oh wow....sounds like this IS a good plant for my pond. It's growing everywhere here right now in my part of TX...so it's very easy for me to get my hands on. I am so glad I asked about it.....

 

[Bart]

Would you want to share the location? I live in your area and I have been unable to locate any. I even went across the border and still nothing. I live in Buna.
Thanks
Bart

 

[Karen]

Would you want to share the location? I live in your area and I have been unable to locate any. I even went across the border and still nothing. I live in Buna.
Thanks
Bart

Hey Bart...you're not far away then. They have some(and easy to get to) in the canal off of Highway 87 headed towards Orange. Turn left (coming from Buna) down the Inland Orange Paper Mill Entrance that also connects to Old Hwy 87. Not the "TRUCK" entrance. I think it's called "Owens-Illinois Road" The road runs parallel to the Canal. Go down until you reach the bridge that turns left onto Old Hwy 87. You can park there and get out. You'll see some there...not many but more than you'll need and they are easy to get to. They have some more over in this area at the river, etc...but these are the easiest I found to get to. Let me know if you don't know the location I'm talking about and I'll try to give better directions. Bring a sturdy rake or hoe to help you, but they pull out very easily. I then did what "fishin4cars" advised to "clean them up" before adding to my pond. Hope this helps!

 

[Bart]

Thanks Karen, I am on my way
Bart

 

[angelmandi]

I have heard alot about fish "nibbling at the roots" of water hyacinths. (Still rather chilly here, so my koi are still in the basement pond. We are working on re-doing the liner outside. Winter was not kind to it.) I bought 6 BIG BUNCHES of water hyacinths two days ago. Within a day, my koi were not nibbling at the roots, but actually taking chunks out of the bulbs and tearing the leaves away from the plant. (didn't SEE this happening. Just saw the results.) I cut a pool noodle in half length-wise, bought some black tulle netting at the fabric store and sewed a little floating net for what was left of the hyacinths to hopefully recover. My koi nibbled them a lot last year, but nothing like this! I guess as they grow larger, they get hungrier...

Has anyone else had their koi get this aggressive with floating plants?