Author Topic: Check out my Water Hyacinths!! (Read 2907 times)

Desertponder · « **on:** December 07, 2007, 01:43:17 PM »

These have been growing in my kitchen window since October. They started out as little baby plants I brought in before everything froze. They are now 10-12 inches tall. Yesterday when I got home from work I realized one was blooming!! Pretty cool, huh??!!
I have to fill the little tub up with water every day. I've given them a pinch of orchid fertilizer a few times too.
I have a tub of water lettuce that is doing well too.

Mikey · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2007, 01:55:51 PM »

Pretty cool indeed! I think you'll need a larger tub

mascot · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2007, 02:08:12 PM »

Nice....I wish mine would bloom like that. I've tried for two years now to get WH's to bloom....not a one. I even got one that was just starting to bloom and it never did. Water lettuce usually does really well, and this year it spread like crazy but none of the individual plants ever got bigger than a golf ball...last year they got huge. Maybe I need to put them inside next year.

EagleEye · « **Reply #3 on:** December 07, 2007, 05:14:49 PM »

What a great idea

I'll try that next year for sure. And to have them bloom----now that's cool

Steve

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #4 on:** December 07, 2007, 07:19:30 PM »

Great idea! Now why didn't I think of that.

croft · « **Reply #5 on:** December 08, 2007, 04:30:49 PM »

Congratulations Desert Ponder! From what I've read, most people can't overwinter them. They look beautiful

Cypress Point Pond · « **Reply #6 on:** December 09, 2007, 05:26:39 AM »

Your water hyacinth's are absolutely beautiful! You certainly showed a lot of ingenuity in the way you are maintaining them.

I had this beautiful plant in my pond for a number of years. After getting tired of the constant over population we removed the last one. In that regard, I hate to be a kill joy but I should mention that due to their rampant regeneration "Water Hyacinths", at least the natural variety, are illegal in some states. Please let me know if your WH is a domesticated strain. Our hyacinths were from the bayou's of Southwest Louisiana.

Another way to keep them over winter is to remove a group from your pond and place them in a large plastic container filled with pond water. It worked for us for several seasons.

Lori · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2007, 06:38:49 AM »

Shanna, Your closeup of the WH bloom is a welcome sight on this snowy chilly morning!

I don't want to ruin the fun, but I also would like you to continue enjoying your hyacinth for many more weeks. The stippling on the leaves looks like you have spider mites vacationing on the plants. Are there little tiny webs under the leaves with little pale insects on them? I've never treated WH for mites but I would guess an insecticde spray or soapy water with a touch of vegetable oil would be the thing to try. Anyone else with suggestions? You might make sure they haven't migrated to your lettuce. Good luck! I think their blooms are as pretty as orchids.

SheilaJ · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2007, 06:46:55 PM »

They sure are pretty! I've never had mine do well indoors over the winter. Unfortunately, I agree with Lori about that you might have mites.

Desertponder · « **Reply #9 on:** December 14, 2007, 01:26:26 PM »

I had posted them over on Koiphen too and Craig pointed out that they looked like they had mites. I looked them over real close and no, they don't have any fine little webs on the plants. The whitish areas don't appear to have bugs but looks more like maybe "hot spots" from the sun through the windows. Anyway, I sprayed them with some spray I had. Hopefully that will take care of anything that might be bugging them. They are still blooming too.

Cypress Point Pond · « **Reply #10 on:** December 15, 2007, 05:48:03 AM »

Quote from: Desertponder on December 14, 2007, 01:26:26 PM

I had posted them over on Koiphen too and Craig pointed out that they looked like they had mites. I looked them over real close and no, they don't have any fine little webs on the plants. The whitish areas don't appear to have bugs but looks more like maybe "hot spots" from the sun through the windows. Anyway, I sprayed them with some spray I had. Hopefully that will take care of anything that might be bugging them. They are still blooming too.

White or faded areas on the leaves can very well be from heat. If your plants are getting direct rays of light through the window the glass can actuallly be generating too much heat. By slightly filtering the light further damage may be avoided. Would you mind saying if your plants are a hybrid or wild?

Desertponder · « **Reply #11 on:** December 15, 2007, 10:25:29 PM »

Quote

Would you mind saying if your plants are a hybrid or wild?

I really don't know. I guess probably hybrid. I originally bought them from a local nursery.
We really don't see them in the wild here.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 17, 2007, 06:18:01 AM »

My immediate thought was spider mites too. That pattern of pale dots is classic. Just rinsing them, especially the undersides of the leaves under running warm water would go a long way in reducing them. You do not always see webs when you have spider mites. The mites themselves are hard to see without magnification.

Water hyacinths are not native to the USA so all were originally imported. I do not think they have been hybridized since they are thought of as a weed outside of ponding circles. They clog waterways worldwide as they have been introduced all over the place. They are illegal in southern states that don't have heavy freezes to kill them.

They do have a pretty flower. I rarely get blooms in my pond, let alone on a window sill.

Brian · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2008, 02:38:07 PM »

Shanna,
Are they planted in dirt? I had read on the old watergardening magazine forum that the 'secret' to successfully overwintering them was to plant them in dirt. That was a few years ago, and my memory ain't what it used to be!!

Desertponder · « **Reply #14 on:** January 21, 2008, 08:37:18 AM »

No, no dirt. They are in water only. They don't look so good right now because they did have mites but they seem to be slowly recovering.
I have heard some people keep them in soupy mud in front of really bright south windows.

tinkster · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2008, 09:38:12 AM »

very nice! Wish I could overwinter mine.

Tinkster

marla · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2008, 01:58:01 PM »

How great Bonnie, this year our pond dealers literaly gave me a 5gal bucket stuffed with them at the end of the season, wish I would have know they might overwinter, heard they didn't do well. Next year I just may have to try it.

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2008, 06:13:05 PM »

Wow! they do look wonderful!I had been told by the local nursery here not to even try cuz it just wouldn't work but now that I see how wonderful yours look I'll do it for sure next year.Since you have a jump on them maybe you'll have some to sell me this spring? and I agree, looks like you'll need a bigger tub?

Desertponder · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2008, 09:46:13 AM »

I tried overwintering them at my other house but they wouldn't live. This window I have them in faces south and they sit on a small shelf across the window. The window gets very warm during the day when its getting full sun. I'm guessing that the heat from the window is partly why they do well. We'll see if they make it the rest of the winter.

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2008, 07:30:20 AM »

oh ye of such little faith! if there this good now just wait, the days are getting longer and therefor warmer? Yes? Oh please say yes. it's -8 out right now.

Desertponder · « **Reply #20 on:** January 24, 2008, 11:25:11 AM »

LOL! Yes, the days will be warmer!

We snapped out of the below zero weather this week.

Our high yesterday was 42 degrees and it felt wonderful.

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #21 on:** January 24, 2008, 04:37:53 PM »

OMG! what a heat wave, I'd be happy now with 32* I'm sick of this long cold spell.

bunny56lbc · « **Reply #22 on:** January 24, 2008, 06:59:17 PM »

They're so nice & healthy looking . Good green color & a Beautiful bloom !
Great Job !

bonnie

CT · « **Reply #23 on:** January 24, 2008, 09:32:18 PM »

From my experiment with overwintering WH this year I think the key is starting with healthy well fertilized plants (I used Miracle Grow in their water, no fish, just plants) going into winter and high light levels. I have some in the greenhouse and the water temp is 50 but they are green and growing. Not blooming but I don't really need them to. They are doing so well that I had to thin and compost some last week.
Kay

barb · « **Reply #24 on:** January 25, 2008, 05:11:08 AM »

That's cool! I tried overwintering some of mine in the basement by the window in a tub of water, but they just shriveled up and died. I guess it was too cold.

CT · « **Reply #25 on:** January 25, 2008, 11:15:18 PM »

I bet it was lack of light. They seem to need serious light and fertilizer especially in the winter.
They aren't cheap to replace in the spring either. I'm glad mine are surviving.
Kay

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #26 on:** January 26, 2008, 06:59:18 PM »

Mine stay outside and die back in the Winter. If the roots don't freeze, they come back the next Spring. Of course, it never gets any colder than 18°F here. Yes, I am rubbing it in a little.

Happy ponding,
Scott