I received some water plants for my little artificial water garden, but I don't have any idea how to plant or take care of them. I need to get them taken care of tomorrow, (Friday).
I got water lettuce, parrot's feather and water hyacinth.
How do I plant them? I need a detailed explanation if you would be so kind. I tried doing a search, and came up with planting them in a pot and then put them in the water garden? Doesn't the water get all muddy then?
Can you tell I've never done this before? :)
Need a water plants for dummies crash course
The water lettuce and hyacinth just float on the surface Joan. You can put them in a bucket with 20-20-20 MG every couple of weeks for a feeding....just rinse their long roots before you reintroduce them to the pond. No need to give extra feed to the algae.
The parrot's feather can be put in a 6 inch with a little clay and topped with a layer of fine gravel. It only needs an inch or two of the stem below the soil. They root quickly if they aren't rooted already. The pot just needs a few inches of water above it. Eventually it can be dropped down to a foot if the stems get long and ugly.
How was the weather down there this past week?
This message was edited Jun 24, 2005 12:10 AM
p.s. If they were picked up in a greenhouse you will need to harden the water hyacinth and lettuce off gradually to the sun.
Thank you so much! I'm printing your reply out and then going to go take care of these. I receive them in a trade, so I'm assuming they have been outside, but they've also been in a box for a few days. I'll maybe harden them off anyway, just to make sure.
Fine gravel, huh? That I can find. I don't think I can find clay though. Our soil is very sandy.
I'm surprised that it's the parrot's feather that needs soil. I would have guessed that the water hyacinth would be the one that needed that, by the looks of it.
Our weather has been very hot foe the last week or so. Finally some heat! The tomatoes are starting to look like they will live after all. It's been so wet and cold that they were sickly yellow looking. Now after a little heat they are greening up and looking much happier. How is your weather?
The water gardening places by us just float the parrot's feather. Mine does fine, with part of it floating and the rest trailing down to the bottom. I haven't potted any of it, but instead it floats along.
That certainly sounds easier. :)
I might try it both ways and see which does better for me. This is the first time I've done this, so I might as well figure out which works best in this climate. You never know. If I become addicted I'll be digging a pond in a couple weeks. LOL
The parrot's feather can be floated or potted up (I've done it like aggiecorgi too)....I find it potting it keeps it together and a little neater looking myself. Sandy soil would also work...it's clay that is easier to find here. You just don't want topsoil with organic matter that will break down in your pond.
Our weather was down right nasty and very, very, hot (102.4F) and humid for 4 days...... until it broke yesterday. Ü