Overwintering Hyacinths

Thanks. I am in zone 5 so probably will be too cold for them but since I
have tons it's worth a try. My pond is close to 4' deep. Should I sink
small sturdy ones or big lush ones?

Heather


"jammer" wrote in message
...
Sorry....and i think the pond is about 18 inches deep




On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:37:53 -0400, "Heather"



wrote:

At what water temp do you do this and how deep do you sink them??

Great idea. No other strategy has worked for us.

We have, however, just put plastic over the pond with hyacinths and let them
hang in for the winter. The core plants sometimes make it. We will try the
pot and window method and the sink method.

Thanks for the window method.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Bill Sanchez" wrote in message
news:zcMcb.579730$Ho3.108131@sccrnsc03...
Just plant them in a pot with no drainage hole like any other plant, but
in
clay dirt and place the plant on a southern window that gets some
sunlight.
Keep soil soggy and they should easily make it till spring. I have had
good
success with this method.


"Tbumpy" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried to overwinter hyacinths? I've read to put them in a
shallow
bowl with aquatic planting soil on the bottom and lots of water so that
it's a
thin mud consistency. I would like to be able to save some of them since
they
can be a bit expensive to buy. Any comments appreciated. Thanks in
advance

Tina

I have chosen my three biggest ones to sink this year. Zone 5 though,
i dont know...it is worth a try and if you have a 4 ft depth, that is
WAY better than my 18 inches. Try it and let me know next spring.





On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:38:41 -0400, "Heather"
wrote:

Thanks. I am in zone 5 so probably will be too cold for them but since I
have tons it's worth a try. My pond is close to 4' deep. Should I sink
small sturdy ones or big lush ones?

Heather


"jammer" wrote in message
.. .
Sorry....and i think the pond is about 18 inches deep




On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:37:53 -0400, "Heather"



wrote:

At what water temp do you do this and how deep do you sink them??

Heather..
Don't sink your hyacinths in your zone 5 pond!
Hyacinths are tropical and will not overwinter in a cold pond in zone 5 over
the winter.
What they will do in your pond is decompose, and add anaerobic contents to
further stress your fish over the winter.
Unless you want to risk a fish kill after a long winter (and this year they
predict one) either trash the hyacinths in your compost pile (best choice),
or spend $$ by bringing them inside, maintaining them under high output
lighting, and over wintering them.
By the time you figure out the costs of electricity and hardware to do that,
you are cheaper off buying them in the spring for $1.50 to $2.00 apiece.
If you try them with standard fluorescent lighting/window lighting only,
they may survive to as late as February or March, before they turn soft and
"mushy", and then rot out.
Happy ponding,
Greg


To reply directly to me remove
"koi" from my email address
"Heather" wrote in message
...
Thanks. I am in zone 5 so probably will be too cold for them but since I
have tons it's worth a try. My pond is close to 4' deep. Should I sink
small sturdy ones or big lush ones?

Heather


"jammer" wrote in message
...
Sorry....and i think the pond is about 18 inches deep




On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:37:53 -0400, "Heather"



wrote:

At what water temp do you do this and how deep do you sink them??

OK - good point. I was only thinking of trying one anyway. I do have a
good south window on the second floor. I may try one there. Bought some
great ones with big roots last spring for less than $5 CDN so won't spend
$$$ on hydro. If the sun won't do it, oh well.

Interesting tho' about sinking them. Must be dark and rather cool. I
wonder if I put one in a container of water in the bar fridge at 40 F if it
would winter over like Jammers in the bottom of his pond....

Heather



"Gregory Young" wrote in message
.. .
Heather..
Don't sink your hyacinths in your zone 5 pond!
Hyacinths are tropical and will not overwinter in a cold pond in zone 5
over
the winter.
What they will do in your pond is decompose, and add anaerobic contents to
further stress your fish over the winter.
Unless you want to risk a fish kill after a long winter (and this year
they
predict one) either trash the hyacinths in your compost pile (best
choice),
or spend $$ by bringing them inside, maintaining them under high output
lighting, and over wintering them.
By the time you figure out the costs of electricity and hardware to do
that,
you are cheaper off buying them in the spring for $1.50 to $2.00 apiece.
If you try them with standard fluorescent lighting/window lighting only,
they may survive to as late as February or March, before they turn soft
and
"mushy", and then rot out.
Happy ponding,
Greg


To reply directly to me remove
"koi" from my email address
"Heather" wrote in message
...
Thanks. I am in zone 5 so probably will be too cold for them but since
I
have tons it's worth a try. My pond is close to 4' deep. Should I sink
small sturdy ones or big lush ones?

Heather


"jammer" wrote in message
...
Sorry....and i think the pond is about 18 inches deep




On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:37:53 -0400, "Heather"



wrote:

At what water temp do you do this and how deep do you sink them??

If I move a few specimens into the aquarium, how much light do you think I
might need?

This is my first winter for the pond and the aquarium. I've been reading all
I can about lighting for the aquarium watts/gallon, NO, HO, VHO, CF and etc.
But I'm still not too sure how much/type of light might keep the Water
Hyacinths alive without stressing the fish. I've read that something like 2
watts per gallon of regular fluorescent light (NO) should be OK for low
light plants. But I don't imagine Water Hyacinths are low light. I also
imagine 130 watts of fluorescent light in a 65 gallon aquarium might be a
bit bright for the fish?





"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote in
message ...
Great idea. No other strategy has worked for us.

We have, however, just put plastic over the pond with hyacinths and let
them
hang in for the winter. The core plants sometimes make it. We will try
the
pot and window method and the sink method.

Thanks for the window method.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Bill Sanchez" wrote in message
news:zcMcb.579730$Ho3.108131@sccrnsc03...
Just plant them in a pot with no drainage hole like any other plant, but
in
clay dirt and place the plant on a southern window that gets some
sunlight.
Keep soil soggy and they should easily make it till spring. I have had
good
success with this method.


"Tbumpy" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried to overwinter hyacinths? I've read to put them in a
shallow
bowl with aquatic planting soil on the bottom and lots of water so
that
it's a
thin mud consistency. I would like to be able to save some of them
since
they
can be a bit expensive to buy. Any comments appreciated. Thanks in
advance

Tina

The 2 watts would most likely be fine your plants are not submerged. And the
light is over a compact spot not spread out so it is more intense. My water
Hyacinth is doing fine over my tanks. Look at a post I wrote earlier in this
thread I don't remember the exact wattage now.
"Bill Stock" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
If I move a few specimens into the aquarium, how much light do you think I
might need?

This is my first winter for the pond and the aquarium. I've been reading
all
I can about lighting for the aquarium watts/gallon, NO, HO, VHO, CF and
etc.
But I'm still not too sure how much/type of light might keep the Water
Hyacinths alive without stressing the fish. I've read that something like
2
watts per gallon of regular fluorescent light (NO) should be OK for low
light plants. But I don't imagine Water Hyacinths are low light. I also
imagine 130 watts of fluorescent light in a 65 gallon aquarium might be a
bit bright for the fish?





"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote in
message ...
Great idea. No other strategy has worked for us.

We have, however, just put plastic over the pond with hyacinths and let
them
hang in for the winter. The core plants sometimes make it. We will try
the
pot and window method and the sink method.

Thanks for the window method.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Bill Sanchez" wrote in message
news:zcMcb.579730$Ho3.108131@sccrnsc03...
Just plant them in a pot with no drainage hole like any other plant,
but
in
clay dirt and place the plant on a southern window that gets some
sunlight.
Keep soil soggy and they should easily make it till spring. I have had
good
success with this method.


"Tbumpy" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried to overwinter hyacinths? I've read to put them in a
shallow
bowl with aquatic planting soil on the bottom and lots of water so
that
it's a
thin mud consistency. I would like to be able to save some of them
since
they
can be a bit expensive to buy. Any comments appreciated. Thanks in
advance

Tina

Thanks Mickey.

Your post actually showed up after your reply! But I found it on Deja.

That's the good news I wanted. I've actually got a few WH in the tank now,
with the crappy 25 watt light that came with the aquarium. They aren't
thriving, but they aren't dead either.

What kind of fish are you keeping in your tanks? Where did you get the
compact fluorescents, DIY or commercial? Do you find the amount of light
stresses the fish when the lights first come on or do you have separate
timers? (More than one lamp)



"Mickey" wrote in message
...
The 2 watts would most likely be fine your plants are not submerged. And
the
light is over a compact spot not spread out so it is more intense. My
water
Hyacinth is doing fine over my tanks. Look at a post I wrote earlier in
this
thread I don't remember the exact wattage now.
"Bill Stock" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
If I move a few specimens into the aquarium, how much light do you think
I
might need?

This is my first winter for the pond and the aquarium. I've been reading
all
I can about lighting for the aquarium watts/gallon, NO, HO, VHO, CF and
etc.
But I'm still not too sure how much/type of light might keep the Water
Hyacinths alive without stressing the fish. I've read that something
like
2
watts per gallon of regular fluorescent light (NO) should be OK for low
light plants. But I don't imagine Water Hyacinths are low light. I also
imagine 130 watts of fluorescent light in a 65 gallon aquarium might be
a
bit bright for the fish?





"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote in
message ...
Great idea. No other strategy has worked for us.

We have, however, just put plastic over the pond with hyacinths and
let
them
hang in for the winter. The core plants sometimes make it. We will
try
the
pot and window method and the sink method.

Thanks for the window method.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Bill Sanchez" wrote in message
news:zcMcb.579730$Ho3.108131@sccrnsc03...
Just plant them in a pot with no drainage hole like any other plant,
but
in
clay dirt and place the plant on a southern window that gets some
sunlight.
Keep soil soggy and they should easily make it till spring. I have
had
good
success with this method.


"Tbumpy" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried to overwinter hyacinths? I've read to put them in
a
shallow
bowl with aquatic planting soil on the bottom and lots of water so
that
it's a
thin mud consistency. I would like to be able to save some of them
since
they
can be a bit expensive to buy. Any comments appreciated. Thanks in
advance

Tina

http://ahsupply.com/

This has been the source for all my lighting. The reflectors have stood up
for three + years on my 30 gallon tank. The larger tank has only been a year
or less. My WH is flourishing and still going after the last couple of weeks
indoors. All my lights come on at the same time and have not had any
problems. I plugged all the lights above my tanks into one power strip the
plugged the power strip into a good timer. The cheap ones don't have the
ground wire like they should. You might have to look for an outdoor timer.
Buy the good timer the cheap one my look tempting but it is not going to
provide protection against electricution.
My 30 gallon has two lights above it and the larger tank has three. The
tanks have a variety of non aggressive fish, Siamensis or SAE, Clown
Loaches, Koolie loaches, black loaches, Gouramis, Cherry Barbs, Tiger Barbs,
Octocinclus Catfish and a few I can't remember the name of currently.

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
Thanks Mickey.

Your post actually showed up after your reply! But I found it on Deja.

That's the good news I wanted. I've actually got a few WH in the tank now,
with the crappy 25 watt light that came with the aquarium. They aren't
thriving, but they aren't dead either.

What kind of fish are you keeping in your tanks? Where did you get the
compact fluorescents, DIY or commercial? Do you find the amount of light
stresses the fish when the lights first come on or do you have separate
timers? (More than one lamp)



"Mickey" wrote in message
...
The 2 watts would most likely be fine your plants are not submerged. And
the
light is over a compact spot not spread out so it is more intense. My
water
Hyacinth is doing fine over my tanks. Look at a post I wrote earlier in
this
thread I don't remember the exact wattage now.
"Bill Stock" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
If I move a few specimens into the aquarium, how much light do you
think
I
might need?

This is my first winter for the pond and the aquarium. I've been
reading
all
I can about lighting for the aquarium watts/gallon, NO, HO, VHO, CF
and
etc.
But I'm still not too sure how much/type of light might keep the Water
Hyacinths alive without stressing the fish. I've read that something
like
2
watts per gallon of regular fluorescent light (NO) should be OK for
low
light plants. But I don't imagine Water Hyacinths are low light. I
also
imagine 130 watts of fluorescent light in a 65 gallon aquarium might
be
a
bit bright for the fish?





"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote in
message ...
Great idea. No other strategy has worked for us.

We have, however, just put plastic over the pond with hyacinths and
let
them
hang in for the winter. The core plants sometimes make it. We will
try
the
pot and window method and the sink method.

Thanks for the window method.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Bill Sanchez" wrote in message
news:zcMcb.579730$Ho3.108131@sccrnsc03...
Just plant them in a pot with no drainage hole like any other
plant,
but
in
clay dirt and place the plant on a southern window that gets some
sunlight.
Keep soil soggy and they should easily make it till spring. I have
had
good
success with this method.


"Tbumpy" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried to overwinter hyacinths? I've read to put them
in
a
shallow
bowl with aquatic planting soil on the bottom and lots of water
so
that
it's a
thin mud consistency. I would like to be able to save some of
them
since
they
can be a bit expensive to buy. Any comments appreciated. Thanks
in
advance

Tina