Water hyacinth: planting and care in the pond, description of the plant and reproduction

How to keep an aquatic plant in winter

Growing a water hyacinth is a must to create suitable conditions for wintering, because it needs warmth.

When cold days come, water hyacinth must be transferred to an indoor artificial reservoir. Any container, such as a home aquarium, can serve as a container. For filling, they take the water in which the plant grew during the summer. Silt can be added to the bottom so that the eichornia takes root well.

It is important to take into account that such a high temperature is no longer needed in winter. It is quite enough if the room is about +20 ºС.
But the water must be warm.

Eichornia must be supplemented in winter so that the sockets do not die.
Daylight hours should last 14 hours.
It is impossible for the room to be stuffy, as water hyacinth loves fresh air.

In this case, you need to ensure that there are no drafts in the room.
It is imperative to control evaporation, since the culture does not like very high humidity.
Eichornia should not starve in winter. Therefore, organic matter and fertilizers are added to the water throughout the winter.

The magnificent, bright bloom of eichornia excellent in a pond on a personal plot can become its main highlight. However, the owners should not forget about one significant drawback of this unpretentious plant - it grows very quickly, which can cause the death of other inhabitants of the reservoir. Therefore, periodically, water hyacinth must be mercilessly thinned out.

Water hyacinth is a tropical perennial plant that must be planted in water during summer. It is considered a good water purifier. The plant is capricious - it requires a stable temperature and constant lighting. Consider how to preserve water hyacinth in winter in our latitudes.

Hyacinth is an aquatic floating perennial plant native to the United States. In another way, it is called "Eihornia". It is most commonly found in the swampy areas of the Amazon. But now water hyacinth is distributed all over the world. The plant mainly grows in the tropics, on the surface of water bodies - rivers, lakes and ponds. In addition, it can even be grown both in an aquarium and in decorative ponds.

Hyacinth has swollen petioles on which the plant is kept in the water. These petioles contain air and are entirely composed of honeycomb fabric. Calmly stand a lush emerald rosette, from the center of which flower stalks depart. The leaves of the plant are oval, dense and wrinkled. Up to 10 leaves can be counted on one flower. The root system is fibrous and can reach up to 0.5 m in length. The rhizome of water hyacinth has a unique property: it is able to purify water from phosphates, nitrates, heavy metals, phenols and other harmful impurities.

Flowering lasts all summer, with each flower blooming for only 2 days. However, due to their large number, flowering seems to be long and plentiful. Hyacinths bloom especially beautifully and brightly in non-rainy and warm weather.

The peduncle, after it has faded, goes under the water. If the summer turned out to be cold, then a huge cap of emerald dense foliage appears over the water surface. Due to the dense vegetation layer, the oxygen regime of water bodies deteriorates. This can lead to the death of other aquatic plants, while the reservoir itself acquires a very unpleasant odor. This phenomenon is usually observed in the homeland of the water hyacinth.

How to overwinter a water flower

Not all water hyacinths can survive the winter even at home warm conditions.Many people notice that immediately after moving to an aquarium or greenhouse, the leaf plates begin to turn black, and the plant dies, although all the conditions for the flower are met. This means that the Eichornia was removed too late, and she had time to freeze.

To prevent this from happening, you should not wait for coolness - better sooner than later.

Even if the decrease occurs only at night, there is no need to take the eichornia to "warm up" in the pond during the day - this is a serious stress for the plant.

You need to remove the eichornia in an aquarium filled with water in which the flower lived, and put it in a place prepared for it. It is impossible to have heating devices nearby - this will dry out the leaves. Do not close the container with a lid either.

Water hyacinth, like a pump, is able to quickly suck out all harmful substances from the water, so people like to plant it in their aquariums and ponds as a natural purifying filter. It is able to absorb even oil products - for a plant it is a nutrient medium, and it copes with filtering functions, improving the condition of water even in abandoned reservoirs.

If for someone a floating flower is a "green plague", then in other places it is a beautiful and original decoration that is of great benefit.

pistia in the aquarium;
eleocharis parvula;
limnophila aromatics.

How did a beautiful tropical plant turn into a green plague?

The history of the distribution of water hyacinth was not without a curiosity. Now this beautiful plant is known all over the world, as it grows in the natural environment of the tropics and subtropics of all continents. But the very process of its spread almost ended in a real ecological catastrophe!

1884 year. Cotton Show in Texas. To revive the interior, the organizers of the event set up an artificial reservoir with an unknown beautiful plant floating in it.

It attracts everyone's attention with a harmonious combination of emerald green leaves with soft lilac inflorescences

To attract visitors to the exhibition, a massive sale of outlandish plants is started. Satisfied with the successful purchase, people dispersed to their estates, where from that very moment they began to breed Eichhornia crassipes in pools and ponds. The process proceeded rapidly: eichornia multiplied quickly in comfortable conditions, and its owners distributed children to everyone.

Surplus copies were sent directly to nearby bodies of water. Soon, a delicate aroma could be felt everywhere and delicate inflorescences of hyacinths could be seen.

However, quite quickly, general admiration was replaced by anxiety - the rapidly multiplying plant created a real threat to rivers, ponds and other bodies of water. It took just a couple of months for each plant to create up to a thousand of their own kind, which, in turn, began to divide, forming new specimens.

Gradually, these aliens began to conquer more and more water areas. And only now came the realization of what the thoughtless actions of a person who transferred the plant organism to conditions devoid of natural enemies in the form of pathogens or insects can turn into for nature.

So the handsome hyacinth from an ornamental plant turned into a green plague, a weed that inhabited reservoirs and:

obstructed navigation;
interfered with fishing;
did not allow birds to settle in familiar places;
dammed canals for irrigating the land, threatening entire peasant villages with hunger.

The green plague has done a lot of trouble, filling the reservoirs of Africa, Asia, Australia, before it was possible to cope with it. Science came to the rescue - it was decided to bring insects that feed in the natural environment on the leaves of this plant to the places where the eichornia is spread. This was how the fatal error was corrected.

However, this negative experience was not in vain. He made people look for an immoderately propagating plant on their own. And it was found. Water hyacinth began to be used as:

livestock feed;
fertilizer;
raw materials for the production of paper.

Water hyacinth - photo use in landscape design

For all its unpretentiousness and ability to reproduce, the water hyacinth Eichornia does not like drafts. Cattails, marsh irises and other vertically growing species along the water line will provide good plant protection. But water lilies can suffer from a growing neighbor.

As they grow, the sockets not only cover the surface of the reservoir from the sun's rays, but also reduce the oxygen content in the water

Therefore, it is important for other inhabitants of the pond to provide additional aeration of the water so that fish, shells and other aquatic animals do not feel discomfort. The population of water hyacinth in the pond requires constant monitoring, and at the first signs of abundant plant growth, they will have to be thinned out

How water hyacinth winters - video

If you have a desire to decorate an aquarium in an apartment or an artificial pond on a site, water hyacinth is the most suitable plant for this purpose. In the article, we will consider the features of planting a flower, caring for it in summer and winter.

The water hyacinth or eichornia is a plant native to the tropical regions of South America. As the name implies, a flower grows in water. In nature, he settles in natural reservoirs - ponds, lakes, decorates the banks of ditches and swamps. Hyacinth needs stagnant, calm water, so you will not find it next to flowing water bodies.

External characteristic

Water hyacinth has a wonderful decorative appearance. The plant boasts dense, bright green petiole-type leaves: one leaf sometimes reaches 20 cm in diameter. The peculiarity of the foliage is that it, gathering in a dense rosette, keeps the plant on the surface of the water. An interesting detail: if a flower grows in restless water exposed to gusts of wind, its petioles will be thick. If the water is calm, without ripples, the petioles become long, graceful.

One stem produces about 10-15 buds - quite large and bright. The color of the petals can be of any shade from the pink-violet spectrum: sometimes pale pink, sometimes deep lilac. In addition to their great appearance, the buds also emit a delicate aroma.

In our climate, eichornia blooms only in summer. The peduncle is located in the very middle of the leaf rosette: the bud opens slowly, gradually becoming more attractive and aromatic. The delicate color of the petals looks advantageous against the background of uniform green foliage (see photo).

One bud blooms for just a day, after which a seed capsule forms in its place. After ripening, the seeds enter the water, where further independent reproduction of flowers takes place. But this is possible only if the water temperature is at +26 degrees, not lower.

The plant remarkably cleans the water in the pond, removing harmful compounds, heavy metals from it. Hyacinth makes water clear and eliminates its unpleasant musty odor.

But note that if in artificial conditions we grow eichornia as an ornamental flower, then in the wild it is a real weed for the local population. The fact is that water hyacinth in warm and organic-rich water grows at an amazing speed, quickly fills the entire space of the reservoir. Sometimes for this property, the plant is also called "water plague"

When it blooms

The plant is accustomed to warm, semi-tropical conditions of existence: in nature, the average temperature in the place of their main growth is about + 26 degrees. Water hyacinth can bloom in this way in their natural environment almost all year round.

But in our climate, such conditions cannot be imagined for a plant in any way - especially when it comes to open space. Therefore, flowering water hyacinth in artificial conditions will delight when the temperature rises to +28 degrees. If the temperature drops to +22 degrees and below, flowering stops.

Based on these features, the cultivation of water hyacinths north of the chernozem regions is a very dubious undertaking. Of course, there will be greens, but the buds are unlikely to appear. In the south of our country, the plant blooms, and for quite a long time.

How to care for water hyacinth?

By organizing the optimal care of the water hyacinth, you can count on a lush bloom. Although the flower exists for only one day, with a large number of hyacinths, you can admire the delightful sight for a long time. A native of the rainforest, Eichornia is very fond of sunlight. It is the abundance of the sun that stimulates it to bloom. In the shade and partial shade, it will be able to grow and reproduce with the help of children, and it is not always possible to achieve flowering under such lighting.

Temperature regime

In its homeland, water hyacinth grows in a fairly hot climate, it prefers temperatures of at least 22⁰C for its growth and reproduction. The optimal time for planting a plant in open reservoirs of the middle lane is June, in the south you can plant a month and a half earlier - at the end of April, in May.

During growth, eichornia prefers temperatures from +25 to + 27⁰C, flowering specimens require even more heat. The sharp difference between nighttime and daytime thermometer readings is detrimental to hyacinth. Winter care should provide him with a temperature of at least + 15⁰C.

Composition of water and feeding

Plants become especially beautiful when grown in water rich in organic matter. In natural lakes, these impurities are formed naturally; additives are purposefully introduced into artificial reservoirs. When constructing a new decorative reservoir, there is no feeding in the water, therefore, in order to achieve a violent flowering of the collection of water hyacinths, it is worth adding at least a complex fertilizer for aquarium plants to the water. Over time, the amount of organic matter in the water will increase, and fertilizing will have to be done less often.

Fertilizer for Eichornia:

bottom sludge;
humus;
infusion of mullein or compost;
complex mineral fertilizers for aquatic plants.

A plant that has received such care is distinguished by developed rosettes and powerful roots that reach the bottom of the reservoir. The roots of the plant act as a kind of filter, they purify water from toxic substances that have entered it: metal salts, insecticides, phenols. This property of eichornia can be useful for the owners of a stocked reservoir to keep the water in it clean.

True, there is another danger here - the surface of the water closed by powerful outlets will deprive the fish of oxygen access. You can get out of this situation if you constantly adjust the number of specimens of eichornia on the water surface.

Wintering

The succulent parts of the water hyacinth will not tolerate even a minimal temperature drop below 0⁰C. To preserve the plant until the next season, you need to create suitable conditions and provide optimal care.

Water hyacinth overwinters:

in aquarium;
in wet sand;
in a glass container;
in the silt.

In order for the wintering to be successful, you need to follow a few simple rules.

The water should be exactly the same as in the "native" reservoir. In extreme cases, water hyacinth will be able to overwinter in pre-separated water. Caring for the plant will be much easier if you can stock up on water for the whole winter.
At the bottom of the container for wintering, you need to lay silt to feed the roots of the plant.
Planting for winter storage should be done in a transparent container: aquarium, glass container.
To feed the plant in winter, you need to dissolve a complex fertilizer for aquarium plants in water.
Illumination for eichornia is desirable, but not required - it is quite capable of overwintering on the windowsill on the south side of the room. Nevertheless, for excellent well-being, it is worth providing the plant with 12-hour daylight hours using a fluorescent lamp.
Planting the plant for the winter on a "raft" made of polystyrene will help prevent rotting of the lower leaves.
During wintering, the water hyacinth is content with room temperature.

Lovers of aquatic flora can easily provide winter care for eichornia planted in wet sand or silt. It is best if it is placed in transparent containers. In regions with mild and warm winters, water hyacinth overwinters well in a regular water barrel placed in a heated greenhouse.

Growing features

Despite the exotic nature of the plant, caring for the crop is quite simple. The most important thing is to provide the Eichornia with conditions that are as close to natural as possible.

In order for the plant to fully develop, it is necessary to provide it with the right environment. The culture needs water enriched with organic components. In such an environment, it will pleasantly surprise you with its graceful flowering.

Excellent supplements for culture can be:

mullein infusion or compost;
bottom purified sludge;
humus;
complex fertilizers for aquarium plants.

By providing the necessary nutrients, you will notice how the fertilization will affect the growth of the outlets.

Eichornia feels great in weakly alkaline waters. She is not afraid of harmful impurities that can become destructive for other plants.

Branched powerful roots spread out under water. They are able to cover large enough volumes. At the same time, water hyacinth is often called a "filter". After all, the roots, like a pump, absorb not only organic matter. They absorb metal oxides, phosphates, insecticides, traces of phenols and oils. After a while, the pond cleans up perfectly.

Due to this property, the culture is widely used for natural filtration of polluted water bodies.

Eichornia as a purifier

The root system of an adult water hyacinth resembles a long and bushy beard. In our climate, the roots of eichornia, growing, reach more than one meter. Scientists have discovered the extraordinary ability of eichornia - an impressive rate of processing of organic pollutants and various chemical compounds. In fact, it turns out that the more polluted the reservoir, the better the hyacinth grows and spreads.

Noticing this feature, people began to grow eichornia and successfully use it in sewage treatment plants and industrial enterprises, saving on expensive water treatment systems. Scientists from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics conducted research and experiments in various places and conditions. As a result, it was proved that eichornia also successfully absorbs cesium, strontium radionuclides and a number of heavy metals.

After the plant has exhausted its resource, it can be burned. From one ton of eichornia that has absorbed radioactive elements, only about 20 kilograms of radioactive ash remains when incinerated, which must be buried in the future.

Overwintering water hyacinth

When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, the plant must be brought indoors. More precisely, the future planting material is entered. The main concern is keeping the hyacinth alive for reproduction next summer.

Only young shoots should be taken for storage, the diameter of which is about 10 cm and the roots reach no more than 10 cm in length.

Known storage methods for water hyacinth are overwintering in:

aquarium;
silt;
sand;
three-liter jar.

Wintering in the aquarium

This is not as laborious a process as it might seem at first glance. Choosing this method, you need to take into account some of the nuances. These include:

Collect water from the same reservoir where the eichornia grew. This is the best option. If this is not possible, take the defended one. Harvest water from the reservoir for the whole winter in advance.
At the bottom of the aquarium, place silt from the pond native to the hyacinth.
The water must contain nutrients for the flower. You can add special fertilizers for aquarium plants.
Normal room temperature is suitable for storage.
It is advisable to place the aquarium on a windowsill to provide the necessary lighting.In the evening, the plant can be additionally illuminated with a fluorescent lamp.
To prevent leaf decay, "plant" the hyacinth on a foam float so that the leaves do not touch the water.

Silt storage

Another way to preserve hyacinth in winter. You need to do the following:

Take a deep pot and fill it with silt from the bottom of the pond.
Pour some water into it. Keep in mind that the water level in the pot must be at least 3-5 cm.
Place the pot on a regular windowsill.

In this case, additional lighting is not necessary. You only need to monitor the water level.

Sand storage

Take any transparent pot and fill it with sand. In winter, it is necessary to constantly maintain humidity, otherwise the hyacinth will die. No special maintenance conditions are required: room temperature, no additional lighting is needed.

Overwintering at the bank

Hyacinth can easily overwinter in a regular three-liter jar. For successful storage, follow these guidelines:

Fill a clean jar with water from your own reservoir a third.
Place the scions there and close tightly with a plastic lid.
The bank should be placed on the north window. Room temperature is good. No additional illumination is needed.

By spring, the water will turn dark brown. There is no need to be afraid of this, this is a completely normal phenomenon. The bulk of the roots will fall off, most of the leaves will die, but the plant itself will survive. After planting in a pond, leaves and roots will quickly grow back.

Water hyacinth is a flower of stunning beauty. It is unpretentious in maintenance, but quite demanding in terms of temperature and lighting.

Particular attention should be paid to caring for the plant in the winter. There are many ways to save a flower for further reproduction.

Description of the plant and features of the species

The attractiveness of eichornia is given by both brightly colored inflorescences and elegant, rich green leaves with a shiny glossy surface. The peculiarity of the foliage of the plant is its porous structure. She allows him to stay on the surface of the water.

The number of rosettes reaches 10. Each contains from 5 to 12 flowers of lilac, blue or pink shades with a pleasant aroma. Despite the fact that water hyacinth blooms for 1 day, the rest of the time the plant retains its attractiveness due to its bright greenery.

The root system of eichornia resembles a network with a large number of lateral villi. A feature of this plant is the ability of its roots to process organic substances that have entered the water and polluting it, including silt. Water purification using such a natural filter occurs at a fairly high rate.

The root system of water hyacinth absorbs the following substances:

cadmium;
phosphates;
phenol;
insecticides.

In addition, the decorative properties allow this culture to be used in landscape design.

Eichornia is an unusually beautiful plant. On the surface of the water, it creates dense rosettes consisting of bright green leaves. The petioles thicken towards the base and form many cavities filled with air.

Water hyacinth grows in the pond, on graceful thin stems, if the element is calm. In bubbling - the plant forms a rather spreading rosette on short thick cuttings.

Eichornia has long roots. In dry or shallow ponds, they can reach the muddy bottom. Having rooted in the soil, water hyacinth provides itself with additional nutrition.

Culture is rightfully considered a decoration of the landscape. It is especially beautiful during the flowering period. You just can't take your eyes off the bright spectacle. Flowers are collected in rosettes of 5-12 pcs. They look a little like orchids in their appearance. Flowers can delight with beautiful blue, lilac or yellow shades.

Water hyacinth (eichornia): features of growing in a pond or aquarium

A small pond near the house or a bright aquarium in an apartment will never go out of style. Such things create a special atmosphere and comfort.It's great when fish and shells live in the water, but if you add a couple of interesting flowering plants there, your body of water will become extraordinary, special and irresistible. There are many ornamental grasses and flowers for decorating a pond, with the water hyacinth being particularly favored. In this article, we will talk about planting it on its own and further caring for such a beautiful plant.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic plant native to tropical regions of South America. It is also called excellent eichornia. The natural environment for a flower is lakes, rivers (with no strong currents), ponds, swamps and even ditches.

The stem usually reaches 10-15 centimeters in height and produces approximately 10-15 flowers. In the natural environment, it can grow up to one meter, and in the aquarium, the water hyacinth, of course, will be much smaller. Large flowers, reaching 20-30 millimeters in diameter, the gamut can vary from pale pink to deep lilac hue. Because of the magical appearance and pleasant fragrant aroma of inflorescences, eichornia is called beautiful. In a European climate, the plant is likely to please with color in the spring-summer season.

The main types and varieties of plants

Oriental hyacinth is popular among gardeners; it is grown in the countries of Central and Northern Europe, in Russia and on other continents. Varieties of this species are distinguished by their vitality and beautiful appearance, due to their decorative qualities, they are in demand in the garden and as a houseplant.

Hyacinth Pink Pearl. Pink Pearl is an exquisite and delicate variety, with pale pink mother-of-pearl inflorescences, their length is 15 cm.The height of the stem reaches 25 cm, no more than 8 cm in diameter. The perennial has an early flowering period, the buds appear already in March-April, then decorative it looks like a large, decorated rosette of bright green leaves. In the northern regions, Pink Pearl blooms later, in April - May.

Photo by KHQ Flower Guide

City of Haarlem blooms in spring, the exact timing depends on the climate: residents of warm regions will see the first flowers in March - April. In the northern part of Russia, in the Urals, in Siberia, in the Far East, the buds will appear no earlier than May. The flowering period is 2-3 weeks.

Hyacinth Aida. Aida is remembered for its ultramarine spherical inflorescences. This is an unpretentious perennial that feels good in a flower bed, in a garden, in a park. Large variety, up to 30 cm high and flowers from 4 cm in diameter.

Photo by F. D. Richards

Hyacinth Raphael. The Rafael variety has an unusual petal shape and a bright aroma. Flowers - bells do not open up to the end, like in other varieties of hyacinth, and look like panicles fluffed at the ends of a beautiful pink hue.

Hyacinth Red Magic. Red Magic is popular for its unusual color of large flowers with slightly curved petals. Red-pink at the edges, with a contrasting white core, they serve as an ornament in group plantings and mono compositions. The bush is low, 20-30 cm, of which 15 cm is an inflorescence.

Hyacinth Aqua. Hyacinth Aqua is called "Rain Flower" for the shape of large, up to 4 cm in diameter flowers and aquatic shades from purple to bright blue. Large variety, grows up to 35 cm, blooms in early May.

@mellielong, National Gardening Association All varieties of hyacinth are perennial, although their bulbs are dug out of the ground in the fall and transplanted elsewhere in early spring. For this reason, gardeners sometimes refer to the plant as an annual.

Description of hyacinth

The excellent annual Eichhornia (Eichhornia crassipes) has been classified by botanists as Pontederia. The homeland of the plant is calm water bodies of the tropics and subtropics, rich in organic matter. You can recognize it by smooth, curved and plump leaves with smooth edges up to 18 cm in diameter, forming a rosette of 4 to 8 pieces.

Shoots of water hyacinths, sometimes reaching two meters in length, spread and stay in the water thanks to the porous fleshy base of the leaves. When this spherical bulge is cut with a diameter of 4 to 9 cm, its spongy tissue filled with air is visible. Such a float keeps leaves and flowers on the water surface, despite the heavy branched root, completely submerged under the water. Powerful black root can grow up to 1 m in length.

If the depth is great, the plant floats in the center, and in shallow water it takes root in silt. It usually blooms in August. One eichornia of blue, pale pink, lilac or dark lilac shade can bring up to 35 fragrant flowers, but their standard is 6-7. Unfortunately, you can admire their beauty for only a day. But when there are many flower stalks, and they are constantly blooming, the process is mesmerizing.

For the seeds to ripen, the floating plant forms a box 1.5 cm in size, in which there are a lot of them. When opened, the seeds are thrown into the water. But if in the tropics they germinate and give new shoots, then in colder countries they do not survive. Therefore, water hyacinths are harvested for the winter in warm greenhouses and aquariums, and with the arrival of spring new seeds are planted.

Planting and caring for water hyacinths

External characteristic

The plant remarkably cleans the water in the pond, removing harmful compounds, heavy metals from it. Hyacinth makes water clear and eliminates its unpleasant musty odor.