Need advice or links on overwintering pond plants.

My local garden shop has water lettuce for $0.25 I bought 16 of them and
through in the pond already. With it being so late in the year they just
aren't selling them. I also got a few other things I think they were called
water Hyacinths (SP) they look like a group of floating radishes. How do you
over winter this kind of stuff? I would like to put them in a wood indoor
pond that is 10'9" wide x 4'8" long by 2'4" deep.

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 11:09:48 -0500, "Mickey" wrote:

My local garden shop has water lettuce for $0.25 I bought 16 of them and
through in the pond already. With it being so late in the year they just
aren't selling them. I also got a few other things I think they were called
water Hyacinths (SP) they look like a group of floating radishes. How do you
over winter this kind of stuff? I would like to put them in a wood indoor
pond that is 10'9" wide x 4'8" long by 2'4" deep.

I would suspect they would need artificial light. I am in zone 7. It
will get in the teens and stay there for a few days to a week
sometimes during the winter. I tied 3 WH to a brick and sank them last
fall. One survived to make 12. I just threw away 4 of them.

The hyacinths and lettuce are tropical plants and are generally considered
expendable. Buy new each year. I have seen a number of people say that
they have tried to overwinter them in the house, but there is insufficient
light, unless you have a tremendous number of grow lights, and they die.
You can start a season with 2 or 3 and by mid season, it is compost time for
large numbers of them. I am able to overwinter mine, but I build a
greenhouse like structure over my pond and heat the ponds to 70.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"Mickey" wrote in message
...
My local garden shop has water lettuce for $0.25 I bought 16 of them and
through in the pond already. With it being so late in the year they just
aren't selling them. I also got a few other things I think they were
called
water Hyacinths (SP) they look like a group of floating radishes. How do
you
over winter this kind of stuff? I would like to put them in a wood indoor
pond that is 10'9" wide x 4'8" long by 2'4" deep.

I am in zone3 the water lettuce at my local green houses are $3.50 - $6.00
each. My round pond has a diameter of 20 feet and holds 3000 gallons. If I
had to buy enough of them at $3.59 I would be broke. I have planted
aquariums now so I might try it.

"Mickey" wrote in message
...
My local garden shop has water lettuce for $0.25 I bought 16 of them and
through in the pond already. With it being so late in the year they just
aren't selling them. I also got a few other things I think they were
called
water Hyacinths (SP) they look like a group of floating radishes. How do
you
over winter this kind of stuff? I would like to put them in a wood indoor
pond that is 10'9" wide x 4'8" long by 2'4" deep.

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 11:09:48 -0500, "Mickey" wrote:

My local garden shop has water lettuce for $0.25 I bought 16 of them and
through in the pond already. With it being so late in the year they just
aren't selling them. I also got a few other things I think they were called
water Hyacinths (SP) they look like a group of floating radishes. How do you
over winter this kind of stuff? I would like to put them in a wood indoor
pond that is 10'9" wide x 4'8" long by 2'4" deep.

Well.... it can be done, but it is a lot of work and you will probably
spend more on power for lighting then purchasing new one. To bring in you
have to get all the bugs & eggs off them. This can be done, with a little
water and oil mixed with water and sprayed on. Obviously you don't want to
put them with fish until you've completed this process. W.lettuce just seem
to disappear, so I've had no success with those. WH, otoh, did best when
the roots were in contact with soil, I had 300 watt halogen bulb over them
and in an East facing window. If you were to have a South facing window
you'd get better results. We once had a ponder on here that had so many WH
by winter's end she opened a pond shop in the spring (I do believe). ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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