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Keeping Water Hyacinth over winter, APD V2 #10



My email software went higgledy piggeldy and I could get no email for quite a
while. So, I am reading through a LOT of APDs. My apologies if this answer
duplicates another members'comments on more recent APDs I have not yet read!

I have been able to keep Water Hyacinth alive - not healthy, but alive -
through Iowa winters by planting it floating in a Rubbermaid TM. 50 gallon
flat stock tank with the roots trailing into about an inch of soil on the
bottom, in a Solar Heated South facing porch. It got 6 hours of direct sun
through the windows on clear days, and I extended the day to 12 hours with
fluorescent lights about 3 inches above the leaves. The lights were on a
timer, and turned on 3 hours before the direct sun hit, and remained on for
the rest of the 12 hour total day. Temperature stayed above freezing, but the
water got pretty chilly on cloudy days. It survived, and re-started into
normal growth and bloomin when I moved it back to the lily pool in late May.
PS. The Rubbermaidx Plastic Stock Tanks are very economical and make
excellent emergency tanks, etc. I have one of them sunk to the rim outdoors,
using it for a lily pool.