I live in zone 5 and really don't want to have to buy my water plants year after year, and I was wondering if there was a way to overwinter them inside, like in an aquarium? I have water lettuce, water hyacinth, lily pads, arrowhead, fairy moss.
Over-wintering?
I am trying the water hyacinths in a pot in the house for the first time this year. They have been potted up for about a month and are still looking pretty good. They even bloomed. I know that it is next to impossible to get the lettuce and hyacinth through if you just have them in water.
When you talk about lily pads do you mean water lilies? There are both hardy and tropical. The hardy has a rhizome like an iris and can stay out for the winter in the pond as long as the rhizome does not freeze. Tropical lilies have a small tuber that can be overwintered in an aquarium. I think arrowhead is usually hardy but have never had it myself.
PortiarayLee
I have tried to over winter both water lettuce and water hyacinth, without success. My problem may have been insufficient light and heat. I got them through January but then they just started going down hill. By March I had a couple puny water lettuce, that only made it a couple more days.
I don't have a heater in my aquarium, so the temp will vary. I think that the lettuce & hyacinth. need more than a 70 degree temp, and a full spectrum of light. Probably at least 10 hrs per day.
As for the hardy lilies and or lotus if they are submerged in at least 18" and your pond don't freeze clear to the bottom, they will survive. I have had the arrow head survive, as well, only to die later. I suspect that my koi knocked the pot over and ate the roots.
I understand, not wanting to have to continually having to replace them. You would almost think the Middle East oil Cartel controlled the price. When in all actuality, they are noxious weeds in the South.
I didn't get any this year, however last year I contacted a couple people in the south, and paid postage, for some. Much cheaper than purchasing from the local nurseries.
Just a pic of our pond last winter. Don't really want to make you feel cold. lol
Don't give up.
I'm trying to overwinter some water lettuce and frogbit in an aquarium indoors with a grow light. There is a filter/pump and a bubbler. I won't claim failure yet, but they don't look too hot already. The water lettuce roots are breaking off like crazy and the bottom leaves seem to be rotting. The frog bit, however, is reproducing faster inside than it did outside.
I am also overwintering dwarf papyrus, umbrella plant, canna, elephant ear, and spiral rush in the same aquarium--all doing great.
I agree....I paid $4.00 for each water lettuce. That's insane, considering they each reproduce 3 more babies every couple weeks for me!
Wow, I bought three water lettuce at a garage sale (luckily stumbed over them), and by the end of the summer, they had all FOUR of my yard ponds and creek TAKEN over. Needless to say, the frogs loved it! I have a pic of one sitting on the edge...
I have tried for several years to SAVE my water lettuce and hycainths, putting them in a heated , grow light covered aquarium, in a bucket in the basement, just about anything I can think of to keep them, but alas they didn't make it. So..........every year I TRADE for them on Dave's Garden.
Every year I get wonderful plants and I don't feel so guilty when the fall comes and them die.
Even in Zone 6b the water hyacinth and water lettuce are very hard to keep over. Some people around here plant them like a houseplant for the winter and keep them well watered. One of my friends takes hers to a local GH and they overwinter them for her.
I overwintered my baby lotus last year in a bucket of water in the garage that stayed about 60* most of the time. It went dormant but came back great this year, now it has its own little pond to winter in.
I am trying to overwinter 2 sizes of Papyrus, 3 kinds of EE, Unbrella plant & a couple of baby tropical waterlilies.