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Post by madonplants on Oct 23, 2008 15:39:20 GMT 1
2 questions - have any of you ever had one flower in your pond and how do you store yours over winter?  Once and once, quite a few years ago, now. They are tempermental and need a good summer to flower well. For that reason, I haven't tried them for quite a few years now. I stored mine, if I remember correctly, in a margarine tub, with some mud and a little pond water, kept cool in a garage that had a small window. The previous year, I had forgotten them and they dried out!!  What a pratt I am. Wrote this then forgot to hit send, before I went to pick Stephen up! |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Oct 23, 2008 19:13:06 GMT 1
This is the first year we grew the water hyacinths. We bought 4 plants and now have well over a hundred! None bloomed. We had some in semi-shade and others in full sun. I think they need full sun to do best and maybe ours were too young / too small to bloom this year?
We have some on the breezeway, which gets LOTS of natural sunlight. They are in a huge plastic container with an aquarium heater and cherry platies and rasboras (tropical fish). There's more hyacinths in the basement in another huge container with the gold fish and koi. We'll see who survives or does better.
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Post by maggyd on Oct 23, 2008 20:52:23 GMT 1
My Readers Digest says min temp: 1.o. C The witch so it might be adviseable to put it in a bucket somewhere warmer than the pond! maybe the garage with some protection a mini polytunnel setup! They are very prettty I might look out for one but it also says they can be invasive! and since my pump went caput in my tub Ive planted a water lily so it might get a bit crowded in there!  |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Oct 24, 2008 1:00:16 GMT 1
Hi The witch.  A breezeway is an enclosed porch-like thingy / room that attaches the home to the garage. There's doors and windows at both ends and LOTS of light. |
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Post by maggyd on Oct 24, 2008 13:17:49 GMT 1
Hi The witch. A breezeway is an enclosed porch-like thingy / room that attaches the home to the garage. There's doors and windows at both ends and LOTS of light. Piccies please C3Ds ;D you know were a nosey lot on here.  |
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Post by maggyd on Oct 24, 2008 13:19:22 GMT 1
At our last house I kept them in a container of pond water in my conservatory over winter. The garage here might be too dark  as it only has one very small window which is very high and doesn't have a window sill. I've got a small cloche type thingy I bought last year, but will that be warm enough for them, I wonder. Maggy I only bought one plant this year and now have about 20. ;D Well a good idea would be to hint my Son buys one for his larger pond ;D and then I can ask for one of his!! |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Nov 8, 2008 13:46:55 GMT 1
The water hyacinths we had in heated water on the breezeway are just about all gone now. They gradually turned brown and were removed when pronounced dead. The ones in the basement faded at the same rate. They too have heated water but less natural light and more artificial lighting. Surprisingly we have several plants that look as fresh and happy as the day they were plucked from the water features. I have them in a simple plastic bowl with hardly any water. I didn't have any place to put them so they just stayed in the little container on the breezeway with no additional heat. Now I'd be afraid to "fix" the plant into a *better* situation. Go figure. Another case of thriving with my benign neglect. : |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Nov 16, 2008 19:41:57 GMT 1
I just tossed the last of the water hyacinth. Dunno how to overwinter them. |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Nov 16, 2008 20:00:06 GMT 1
I know they do well in Florida, naturally!  |
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as it only has one very small window which is very high and doesn't have a window sill. I've got a small cloche type thingy I bought last year, but will that be warm enough for them, I wonder.