Water Lettuce

[Meyer Jordan]

Hmmmm.....Let's see I should follow the well thought out laws of a City that made Foie Gras illegal. There are a dozen people murdered here every week, but they are worried about some ducks in France! By the way... the sale of water lettuce, water hyacinths, and anacharis are banned in Chicago just in case any of the these can live through our subzero weather. It's easier to buy a gun here than a pond plant. Now that's thinking!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/foie-gras-banned-in-chicago/

Valid points, Keith, but that doesn't minimize the damage that these plants can do to natural eco-systems even in an area with a short growing season such as Chicago.

 

[DrellDrell]

They are? Are you talking the city proper? Because we see/buy all of those in suburban garden centers all the time.

EDIT: wow! Just found this: https://www.pondmegastore.com/shop/pages.php?pageid=37

I had no idea! Chicago. The city that never stops regulating ridiculous things. You would think the suburban garden centers would have signs warning you not to take those plants across the invisible borders!

I just bought water hyacinth in Chicago yesterday at a well known garden just outside of the west loop. I wonder if the bans are still in effect.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Here is a site with much more information on each specie.
http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/index.html

 

[Troutredds]

Here is a site with much more information on each specie.
http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/index.html

Very informative, Meyer.

 

[CometKeith]

Valid points, Keith, but that doesn't minimize the damage that these plants can do to natural eco-systems even in an area with a short growing season such as Chicago.

Meyer,That's true and for that reason I do not keep bullfrogs because they are so invasive and squeeze other species out, but........my point is that often laws and regulations are not well thought out. In my industry we see a new regulation almost every day and a good portion of them are modified or eliminated not much later. Maybe I am jaded but I don't feel that the legislators at the local level are always properly informed and the most qualified people to make laws. If you look at Australia their regulations about what fish and marine life can be imported are incredibly strict and much tougher than than the US. Now which set of laws are correct? The ones in Australia or the US?

 

[sissy]

I kept water lettuce and water hyacinth in my basement over winter for years .A little fertilizer in the stock tank and a grow light .Sad to say I lost them the winter hubby had his heart attack because they were neglected .I kept a small fish tank aerator running also in the tank with one air stone .I hate bullfrogs now that one killed my popeye .(fantail )

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Meyer,That's true and for that reason I do not keep bullfrogs because they are so invasive and squeeze other species out, but........my point is that often laws and regulations are not well thought out. In my industry we see a new regulation almost every day and a good portion of them are modified or eliminated not much later. Maybe I am jaded but I don't feel that the legislators at the local level are always properly informed and the most qualified people to make laws. If you look at Australia their regulations about what fish and marine life can be imported are incredibly strict and much tougher than than the US. Now which set of laws are correct? The ones in Australia or the US?

I will agree that on a local level government bureaucracy is not always the best informed. This is less so on a state or federal level.
Yes, Australia has some very strict invasive specie regulations. Considering the country's past experience with introduced species, it is hardly a surprise. From the rabbit explosion in the 1930's to the present Cane Toad situation, Australia has had a long history of major environmental damage from introduced species. This has resulted in laws and regulations aimed at controlling the problems based on jurisdictional dictates. Australia has chosen to act with a firm hand in controlling what they have deemed threats to the natural environment.
The U.S., on the other hand, has historically been slow to act on most any issue, but eventually gets around to taking appropriate action. I think Winston Churchill put it best when he said "The United States will always do the right thing......after they have tried everything else."

 

[snoozer]

Hyacinth and water lettuce are now banned in Wisconsin also being deemed invasive. I am still trying to figure out how they can be invasive when we have temps well below zero during the winter. I haven't had much luck keeping it over winter but I will give it a try this winter. I got my plants a couple weeks before the ban.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Hyacinth and water lettuce are now banned in Wisconsin also being deemed invasive. I am still trying to figure out how they can be invasive when we have temps well below zero during the winter. I haven't had much luck keeping it over winter but I will give it a try this winter. I got my plants a couple weeks before the ban.

It only takes one growing season for this plant to cause problems. It can double in population by budding in a little as 12 days. It is also capable of producing seeds which can germinate in a few days or remain dormant for 15 - 20 years. They usually sink and remain dormant during periods of stress only to germinate when conditions are right.

 

[snoozer]

Will the seeds remain viable through the cold we get here? I have never seen lettuce or hyacinth here but have seen what a problem th purple lostrife has turned into in the wetlands here.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Will the seeds remain viable through the cold we get here? I have never seen lettuce or hyacinth here but have seen what a problem th purple lostrife has turned into in the wetlands here.

A call to your local county extension office may provide an answer. However, there are references in scientific literature that indeed the seeds will remain viable after enduring sub-zero temperatures. The major concern is that this plant may over time develop an cold-tolerant ecotype.

"Because water hyacinth reproduces sexually by seeds, the chances are higher of developing a cold-tolerant ecotype than if it reproduced only vegetatively." State of Washington Dep't of Ecology.

 

[Draylis]

I've done the following with other water plants.

Put your plants in dechlorinated water in open top ice chests or other large plastic containers. Keep on a covered deck or porch except during cold weather. During such cold move to an area that remains warm. It is important that the plants are exposed to natural light. Add dechlorinated water as necessary. Remove excess plants as necessary.

Good luck,
Lou

Curious, why dechlorinated water for plants? I've always watered plants straight from the hose & topped off my pond with it. I'm assuming since my pond is roughly 5,000+ gallons, there's not enough chlorine to hurt them. Luckily never lost a fish yet from topping off the pond from the hose.

 

[Big Lou]

I suggested dechlorinated water since that mimics pond water.