With their lush green leaves and stunning purple flowers, water hyacinths are one of the most popular plants for water gardens. Not only are they beautiful, but they also help clean the water by absorbing excess nutrients. Water hyacinths are easy to grow, but there are a few key tips to know when planting them for optimal health and performance.
Choosing the Right Location
When choosing where to plant water hyacinths, there are a few factors to consider:
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Sunlight – Water hyacinths thrive in full sun, which means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Part shade can work too, but they may not bloom as prolifically
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Water depth – The water should be at least 6 inches deep for water hyacinths to float properly. However, very deep water is not ideal either since the plants have short roots A depth of 1-2 feet is optimal
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Still water – Moving water can wash the plants away or prevent them from spreading. Stagnant ponds, lakes, or pools work best.
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Nutrient levels – Water hyacinths grow well in nutrient-rich water so fertilizing the water regularly will provide better results.
Ideally, choose a spot that meets all the above criteria for your water hyacinths to really thrive.
Planting Water Hyacinths
Water hyacinths can be planted anytime during the growing season as long as your nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F. Follow these steps for planting:
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Buy young, healthy plants from a reputable water garden supplier either online or locally. Avoid any plants that look sickly.
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Carefully remove the plants from their pots, handling them by the base of the plant or roots to avoid damage.
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Place them directly in the water, spreading out the leaves so they float nicely. Group 3-5 plants together.
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Push them gently around the pond to space them out as desired. Allow them to float freely.
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Add a tablet or liquid fertilizer to the water, as directed on the packaging, to give your new plants a nutritional boost.
If planting in containers instead of ponds, choose wide, shallow containers and follow the same steps. Just ensure the containers are large enough to accommodate future spreading.
Caring for Water Hyacinths
Water hyacinths are relatively easy to care for with minimal maintenance required:
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Fertilize regularly – Use a water garden fertilizer monthly or any time plant growth seems slowed. This replaces nutrients used up by the hyacinths.
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Monitor water levels – Water loss through evaporation can strand plants or impact health. Top off water as needed to maintain depth.
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Remove dead leaves – Clean up any dead or dying foliage to keep your water garden looking fresh.
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Thin overcrowded areas – If plants completely clog an area, thinning some out helps provide space and resources for those remaining.
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Bring indoors – In colder zones, water hyacinths must come inside for winter once night temps are consistently 50°F or below.
That’s really all there is to it! With their rapid spreading capabilities, water hyacinths tend to thrive when given their basic needs.
Troubleshooting Common Water Hyacinth Problems
If your water hyacinths struggle with poor flowering, yellowing leaves, or other issues, here are some common problems and solutions:
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Lack of flowers – This often indicates insufficient sunlight. Move plants to the sunniest spot possible.
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Leggy growth – Plants stretching upward for light need more sun exposure. Rotate or relocate plants.
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Yellowing leaves – Usually a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Fertilize plants with a nitrogen-rich formula.
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Root rot – Caused by overcrowding, shallow water, or poor water quality. Thin plants and improve conditions.
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Pests – Aphids, mites, and fungi may attack plants. Use appropriate organic pest control measures.
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Cold damage – Protect plants from frost and freezing temperatures which will kill tissues.
Uses for Water Hyacinths
In addition to ornamental appeal, water hyacinths offer a variety of functional benefits:
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Oxygenate water – Their roots and leaves infuse oxygen into the water, which is especially helpful for fish ponds.
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Filter water – The plants absorb excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, filtering chemicals and pollution.
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Provide shade – Their spread across the water creates cool shade below, perfect for fish.
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Prevent algae – By absorbing nutrients, the plants prevent algae blooms and growth.
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Remove heavy metals – Water hyacinths absorb and remove some heavy metals from contaminated water.
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Stabilize pH – They help stabilize pH levels in water bodies for better ecosystem balance.
Considering all these useful traits, water hyacinths make excellent additions to almost any water feature.
A Few Words of Caution
Despite their popularity, water hyacinths are actually considered an invasive species in some warmer regions. Their fast spreading capabilities allow them to quickly dominate bodies of water if left unchecked.
When planting water hyacinths, take a few precautions:
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Avoid planting in natural open waters where they may spread uncontrollably.
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Use contained water features like ponds, pools, and fountains instead.
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Regularly thin and remove excess plants to control spread.
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Compost or discard extra plants rather than disposing in natural areas.
As long as proper containment methods are followed, you can safely enjoy the beauty of water hyacinths without worry.
Achieve a Gorgeous Water Garden with Water Hyacinths
Following the recommendations above will have you on your way to a thriving water hyacinth garden in no time. Their vivid flowers and rapid spreading create dramatic displays of exotic tropical beauty. And caring for water hyacinths couldn’t be much easier. Just give them bright light, nutrient-rich water, and minimal care for success. Let them grace your pond or pool with elegance and help support a healthy water environment at the same time.
Why is Water Hyacinth harmful?
Water hyacinth is thought to be an invasive species all over the world because it grows so quickly and can cover large areas of water. These mats shade out the other aquatic plants. Eventually these shaded plants die and decay. The decaying process depletes the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. As oxygen levels decline, many fish are unable to survive. Often the waters below water hyacinth masses become devoid of life.
Water hyacinth first appeared in Lake Victoria in Africa in 1989. It eventually spread to cover about 77 square miles of the lake.
Dense plant mats also interfere with boat navigation and prevent fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities. Water hyacinth may also clog intake pipes used for drinking water, hydro power, or irrigation. Because the big plants cover a lot of ground, evapo-transpiration may cause the lake level to drop. This is when water evaporates from the lake surface and goes through plant leaves as vapor. Water hyacinth is a major threat to biodiversity and human health around the world because it makes great habitat for mosquitoes that spread diseases like Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (“triple E”) and West Nile Virus.
What is Water Hyacinth?
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a large aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin. It has thick, waxy, oval-shaped leaves that are 4 to 8 inches across. They grow from the middle of the plant on changed stems that can reach up to 1 meter above the water. Under the plant, a mass of thin roots hangs in the water. These roots are dark purple or black and have small white hairs on them. The stems are spongy, bulbous stalks (called petioles) that contain air-filled tissues that keep the plant afloat. The stalks hold 8 to 15 blue-violet flowers with six petals each. One petal is deeper violet with a yellow spot on it.
Water hyacinth produces thousands of seeds each year, which can remain viable for up to 30 years.
One of the fastest growing plants known; water hyacinths can double populations in two weeks. Some populations in Southeast Asia have been documented to grow up to 5 meters per day. The plant is capable of reproduction by two vegetative methods: seeds and horizontal stems. Flowers open briefly during the summer before beginning to wither. After the flowers die, the stalk slowly bends into the water, letting the seeds fall to the ground, where they can stay alive for up to 30 years. Water hyacinth can also make new plants by sending out short stems called stolons from the base of the parent plant. These stems grow into new plants called daughter plants. Fragmentation, or breaking up into smaller pieces, can happen because of wind, waves, or motor boat propellers. Plant pieces are easily moved to new places where they can reproduce and cause another infestation once they’re broken up.
Water hyacinth mats are capable of attaining incredibly high plant density and biomass. A single hectare can contain more than 360 metric tons of plant biomass.
Water hyacinth is considered a noxious weed species in more than 50 countries. Water hyacinth was first introduced into the United States during the 1884 Cotton States Exposition in New Orleans. The plants were given as gifts to attendees, who later took them home to add to backyard ponds. By 1900, water hyacinths had escaped cultivation and become a serious pest. Today, water hyacinth grows in California, Hawaii, and all the states in the southeast, from Virginia in the north to Texas in the west. Seasonal escapes from farms have been seen in New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, but the populations did not make it through the winter. The plant previously occurred in Arizona, Arkansas, and Washington State but is now considered eradicated in these locations. Water hyacinth can grow in a lot of different types of water, like lakes, streams, ponds, waterways, ditches, and backwater areas. However, it likes and grows best in waters that are high in nutrients.
See the current distribution of water hyacinth in the United States
Guide to Water Hyacinths (Beautiful Aquatic Plants)
FAQ
How do you plant water hyacinths in a pond?
Can water hyacinth be planted in soil?
How long does it take for water hyacinth to spread?
How do you grow a water hyacinth?
Water hyacinths need full sun and hot summer temperatures. Introduce them to the garden by scattering bunches of plants over the surface of the water. They quickly take hold and begin to grow. Thin the plants when they cover more than 60 percent of the water surface.
How does water hyacinth propagate?
Natural Propagation: Water Hyacinth propagates naturally by producing runners, or stolons, that grow out from the parent plant, forming new daughter plants. Separation: Once these daughter plants are well-formed, with their own root systems and leaves, they can be gently separated from the mother plant.
Does water hyacinth grow fast?
Water hyacinth is fairly easy to grow and maintain, and the main care activity involved is pruning in order to effectively control its growth. The rapid growth habit of this species is a huge problem as the plant can double its population within a week. Interesting fact: Water hyacinth is known as one of the fastest-growing plants.
How to grow Hyacinth in a container?
Growing Water Hyacinth in a container is an effective way to control its rapid expansion. First, pick a spacious container that can hold water. Fill it with dechlorinated tap water or rainwater, and adjust the pH level to be slightly alkaline. Then, simply place the plant on the water’s surface.