2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Water hyacinth, or eichornia, is also called the green plague, since in a number of countries with mild climates it poses a certain threat to water bodies - growing rapidly and displacing other plants, it interferes with navigation. But in the UK, it is grown as an ornamental plant for garden ponds. Indeed, this beautiful plant is able to noticeably enrich the flora of ponds in household plots, which is not distinguished by a special variety. Water hyacinth is also used as an aquarium plant. During its flowering, it is able to outshine many garden flowers with its beauty
Getting to know the plant
Water hyacinth is a plant of the Pontederia family that floats on the surface of the water. The petioles of its shiny leaves are thickened, and the leaves themselves are colored dark green. Thanks to such "swellings" in the bases of the leaves, the water hyacinth perfectly floats, because inside them there is a porous tissue with air chambers that facilitates this.
At the end of summer, flowers of a pale lilac, blue, yellow or even pink color appear sitting on rather dense peduncles. They protrude about 30 cm above the water surface. The flowers are very decorative and even somewhat resemble orchids. But if the summer is cool, the water hyacinth may not bloom at all, although it will continue to build up its vegetative mass.
The homeland of the water hyacinth is South America, more precisely, its tropical part. Currently, it is quite widespread in North America, Africa, as well as in subtropical zones and other areas.
Benefits of water hyacinth
For more than a hundred years, experts have been actively using one of the most useful properties of water hyacinth. It turns out that he feels great in heavily polluted water bodies and can quickly clean up even the most muddy pond. The fact is that an extensive root system, reminiscent of a thick long beard, collects suspended matter contained in the water, and this amazing plant processes all the organic pollutants collected in this way at lightning speed. Water hyacinth is able to quickly absorb phosphates, phenols and various insecticides, as well as absorb silver, nickel and cadmium.
How to grow
Planting a water hyacinth is usually carried out in June. Due to the fact that it does not differ in frost resistance and is not very hardy, before the onset of the first frosts, it should be moved indoors - it will not survive in open reservoirs in winter. For full growth and development, water hyacinth requires a lot of nutrition and heat, because it is a tropical plant. However, in the cold season, it is allowed to keep it indoors in vessels with water or in aquariums.
It is desirable to provide the plant with good lighting. The best way is to place the water hyacinth in the ring float so that the roots are submerged in the water, and the leaves on the float do not touch the water - then they will not rot. Another option for storing it in winter is to plant the plant in wet sand, ensuring it is regularly watered. The ideal temperature for wintering this handsome man will be 24 - 26 degrees.
In spring, the water hyacinth is transferred to the heated water of the reservoir in the backyard, where, having begun to multiply, it pleases the eye with beautiful inflorescences and emerald greens. In natural and artificial reservoirs filled with warm water, this plant grows and blooms very rapidly.
An interesting feature of the water hyacinth should also be noted - the more restless the surface of the water, the more its stalks become fat. If the petioles grow on a windowsill in a vase or decorate a quiet pond, then they grow slender and longer.
You can fertilize water hyacinth with both fertilizers intended for indoor plants and fertilizers for aquarium plants.
Recommended:
Water Hyacinth
Water hyacinth (lat.Eichhornia crassipes) - a plant belonging to the Pontederia family, called the green plague in countries with mild climates. This is due to the fact that the water hyacinth that has begun to grow rapidly displaces other plants and is a serious obstacle to full-fledged navigation.
Pond Device In The Country
The pond is an artificial reservoir for storing water. Artificial reservoirs have gained great popularity in the arrangement of personal plots. An artificially established pond can be used for irrigation, water supply, breeding fish or waterfowl, and a pond can also be a purely decorative element and serve to decorate the site
Pond
The romance of the word "pond" originates in early childhood, when a mother reads to her child about the amusing and touching adventures of a careless and naive wooden man with a long nose. Under the quiet and gentle voice of my mother, the imagination draws the calm surface of an old pond, covered with greenish mud. Not at all scary frogs croaking, led by a kind three-hundred-year-old turtle; wide leaves of water lilies sway slightly from the light breeze created by the transparent wings of huge streaks
7 Reasons To Buy An Air Purifier
Increasingly, people are buying air purifiers in home appliance stores. What is the reason for their popularity? Isn't it enough to just ventilate the room or dust it off? Consider several reasons to start an air purifier at home
Mexican Oak - Beautiful Water
Mexican oak is a true aquatic beauty native to Central and South America. The name of this wonderful plant is due to the similarity of the shape of its leaves with oak leaves. By the way, the Mexican oak also has a second name - changeable trichocoronis. In Korea, it is one of the most popular plants for wonderful aqua designs. And this is not surprising - the Mexican oak is very unpretentious, and under conditions that make it possible to speed up its growth and color, it creates
