How to save water hyacinth Eichornia in winter. Water hyacinth: planting and care

In the quiet garden ponds you can find amazing water hyacinth. It is noteworthy that the plant, whose scientific name is eichhornia crassipes, is not a hyacinth per se.

What is water hyacinth like?

The green miracle of water hyacinth fell into home ponds from tropical rivers, where it grows like an ordinary weed. Eichornia earned the love of flower growers thanks to beautiful hyacinth flowers. Air floats located at the base of the petioles keep the plant afloat. An upright peduncle grows from a rosette of leathery leaves in the hot summer of July-August.

The plant is not so demanding that the size, depth of the reservoir, the composition of the soil do not play a significant role. Water flower hyacinth or eichonia actively blooms in the hot months. If summer did not set, then the plant directs its efforts to the formation of processes.

The decisive factors for the flowering of water hyacinth are the duration of daylight hours and the temperature regime.

Microclimate for water hyacinth

Simple care for eichhornia allows you to grow water hyacinth at home. The main rules of agricultural technology relate to temperature and lighting requirements. Water hyacinth does not impose special requirements on the composition and amount of water. The plant takes root in silt at a depth of a reservoir less than half a meter. In deeper ponds, its roots freely straighten in the water column and provide a copy of food.

The air temperature in the homeland of Eichornia in the Amazon over the course of the year ranges from +14 ° C to +40 ° C. Water hyacinth is not able to withstand cooling to +13 ° C. A decrease in daily average temperature to +20 ° C causes active growth of daughter plants. Eichornia blooms when the thermometer is stably kept in the range +28 ° C +30 ° C.

Hyacinth fertilizers in a pond

Eichony is often used for wastewater treatment. The root system of tropical weed successfully assimilates dissolved trace elements of heavy metals and other industrial and agricultural wastes.

Growing water hyacinth in a decorative reservoir, it is necessary to add mineral fertilizers or nitrogen complexes to the water:

Superphosphate.
Diammophos.
Urea
Saltpeter.

Eichonia responds well to organic dressing:

Mullein.
Chicken droppings.
Wood ash.
Compost.
Ground silt.

Water hyacinth is fed in the spring after wintering, by adding a weak solution of fertilizer to the pond. During the summer, organic residues of plants that support the nutrient medium fall into the pond.

How to organize a winter for eichornia

Gardeners successfully grow water hyacinth in open middle-water reservoirs, providing the plant with the right wintering indoors.

Eichornia is taken out of the decorative pond when the nights get cooler +14 ° C.
The specimen is placed in a container with settled water at room temperature. For these purposes, terrariums, aquariums, barrels or other containers can serve.

The plant is placed on a floating foam ring. This allows you to protect the leaves from decay. Only the root system should be in the water. The leaves of water hyacinth will be protected from rot, remaining dry thanks to the floating raft.
In winter, Eichornia is fed a mineral complex for aquarium flora. Do not forget about the support of a 12-hour daylight. The best solution would be to install a container on the south window, provided there are no drafts.

Terrarium with water hyacinth should not be covered, since the plant needs oxygen.
It’s easy to take care of Eichornia in winter.

Important:

Monitor the water level.
Arrange artificial lighting.
Ventilate the terrarium regularly.
Keep the specimen away from drafts.
Feed at least once a month.
The optimum air temperature for wintering water hyacinth is in the range +20 + 22 ° C.

How to propagate water hyacinth

In tropical rivers, water hyacinth reproduces in two ways:

The seeds.
Child processes.

Eichornia seeds germinate at an air temperature of +35 ° C, which is difficult to achieve in a temperate climate. For this reason, in gardening, water hyacinth is almost never propagated by seed.

Water hyacinth is very easily bred by daughter plants. A thin “antennae” similar to a strawberry grows from the center of the leaf outlet, on which young eichhornia forms. The main rule of propagation of this culture is the observance of personal safety techniques. Plant juice irritates the skin and gloves should be used.

Young outlets are separated at the beginning of summer, so that the plant has time to grow stronger before the onset of autumn. The young process is carefully separated from the mother bush and placed in a permanent place. The process of planting and caring for a new water hyacinth is not difficult. Echornias planted in a new reservoir require protection from drafts and top dressing with a nitrogen complex of fertilizers. Soon, the bush will adapt to the changing microclimate and continue the growing season.

Errors of agricultural technology Eichornia

The decorative value of water hyacinth lies in the beauty of its flowers. Direct flower stalks are crowned with from five to 12 gently purple one-day flowers.

Errors in agricultural technology when growing tropical weed in a decorative pond can lead to:

The distortion of peduncles.
Decay of leaves in the winter.
Excessive sprawl in the pond.
Water hyacinth loses leaves in winter.
The death of a wintering instance of Eichhornia.
The lack of flowering water hyacinth.

Water hyacinth, growing in a pond with stagnant water, produces a direct strong peduncle. In restless, river water, a thin peduncle, inclined to water, grows.
Leaves of wintering water hyacinth easily affects rot. It is necessary to arrange planting on a floating raft so that the leaves do not come into contact with water. It is also extremely important not to cover the terrarium or ventilate daily, avoiding fatal drafts.

Eichornia is able to completely fill the entire surface of the reservoir, since it produces 200-300 shoots during the summer season. Unpretentious culture suppresses the flora and upset the pond.

It is required to regularly remove excess specimens in order to avoid the expansion of water hyacinth.
In winter, Eichornia may lose several leaves, which is acceptable, in the absence of other problems. The plant will safely wait for spring, if it is provided with support in the form of additional lighting and top dressing. A copy will quickly return attractiveness after returning to an open reservoir.

Water hyacinth is not allowed to be placed in dark cellars for the winter. Tropical plants do not stop photosynthesis throughout the year. Without light, eichhornia will quickly perish. The second common misconception is a flower transplant into soil or sand. The roots of this plant easily germinate in the muddy river soil. We should not forget that water hyacinth never grows on the shore.

Eichornia does not bloom in the cool summer. Usually, active flowering is observed in July-August, when the weather is hot. Water hyacinth pleases with flowers at an air temperature of at least +25 ° C.
Experienced growers recommend purchasing eichornia seedlings from local gardeners.
In this case, there is a guarantee to obtain accurate information about the flowering of water hyacinth in the area.

Water hyacinth, aka eichornia, belongs to the Pontederiev family, which has about 30 varieties of water plants. This plant has long been a permanent inhabitant of ornamental ponds and aquariums, but there was a period when it posed a serious threat to the ecological system. They began to call it water hyacinth due to the similarity of flowers, but in reality, eichhornia has nothing to do with hyacinth.

Eichornia is a floating plant

In nature, Eichornia grows in freshwater bodies of water in tropical and subtropical climates. The most densely populated by hyacinth area on earth - this is the amazon poolwhere the average temperature is 20 to 27 degrees above zero. Most often, water hyacinth is on the surface of the water and only occasionally dissolves its roots in the muddy bottom. It is noteworthy that this plant settles in reservoirs of absolutely any depth.

Eichornia is a floating plant with large ellipsoid leaves with small swellings on the bases of leaf petioles. These blisters filled with air, which holds large leaves on the surface of the water. Beautiful leaves of dark green color, having a smooth texture, are collected in a kind of basket, and flowers resembling an orchid blossom only for one day.

Threadlike roots perfectly clean the reservoir of toxic chemical elements that fall there through the fault of man. When grown at home, for example, in an aquarium, the flower will not allow an excessive concentration of salts in the water, neutralizing them.

Flowers and propagation

The flowers of the plant are very beautiful and elegant, have six petals of a pleasant lilac color, one of which is necessarily decorated with a bright speck. In the middle of the flower are several tall stamens of dark blue color. After pollination in the place where the flower was, a fruit grows with a large number of seeds, which subsequently fall into the water.

Once in the water, the seeds begin to grow rapidly, but for this they good light needed and a temperature of at least 25 degrees heat. In the Russian climate, this plant spreads vegetatively, releasing young shoots.

As already mentioned, it cleans water well, but using it for these purposes alone is dangerous because difficult to control breeding plants over a large area. The flower will multiply rapidly and completely capture the entire body of water, displacing other plants, will destroy the local fauna.

It should be noted that the aggressive behavior of the plant is manifested only under very warm and mild climatic conditions, for which the people called it the green plague. In climatic conditions similar to ours, he behaves quite moderately.

Eichhorn's popularity

The plant looks great in ponds, so it is understandable why it has gained great popularity among gardeners around the world. The plant can be grown even in central Russia with its cold climate in garden ponds. In small ponds, the water warms up well by the end of spring, and hyacinth can be planted in a pond.

It is noteworthy that if the water in which the flower grows will constantly be in restless statethen the petioles of the foliage will grow thick. If the pond is calm and calm or hyacinth grows in an aquarium, then the petioles will have a long, slender shape. Under suitable conditions, Eichornia will delight you with its greenery of large leaves and beautiful flowering.

Eichornia loves warmth

There is no particular difficulty in growing it, it is only necessary to create humidity and temperature suitable for the plant. Then will only have to watch after the development of the plant and in time to remove the emerging horizontal shoots from leaf sockets, in order to avoid excessive spread in the reservoir.

The lateral shoots of water hyacinth must be removed with rubber gloves, since the juice in the plant has a high concentration and often causes irritation of the skin. Eichornia blooms in the summer and loves warmly. In this regard, it is necessary to take care of the plant in the winter and observe a number of measures when growing it. In countries with a tropical climate, there is no cold winter, so hyacinth multiplies year-round.

Water hyacinth in winter

In a cool climate, the plant requires human intervention, therefore, in the cold season, hyacinth is moved from the reservoir to the aquarium or raw sand and taken to a warm room. Be sure to maintain heat and humidity until spring, otherwise the plant may die.

Moving from a reservoir should be carried out until the moment when the water reaches a temperature of 10 degrees heat. When the water temperature reaches about 15 degrees above zero, the plant is gently caught using a net from a reservoir and transferred to a previously prepared container.

It is important to note that the water in the tank should be the same as in the reservoir in which hyacinth grew, so that the plant does not undergo temperature shock and does not die. Since the flower came to us from a tropical climate, he needs to try to recreate maximally approximate conditions for life. In winter, daylight hours are much shorter than in summer, and water hyacinth is used to a 12-hour daylight, so fluorescent lamps are installed over containers with plants.

Subtleties of care

It is very important to ensure that the plant is not exposed to temperature extremes, and to protect hyacinth from drafts, but a constant supply of fresh air should be ensured. If you notice that during wintering it begins to lose its leaves, which means that the plant does not have enough lighting, in this case it is necessary to install additional lamps.

In the spring, when moving the plant into a new reservoir, superphosphate must first be added, and then hyacinth is planted. Sometimes eichornia leaves during wintering, they can rot in stagnant water, in order to avoid this, the plant is placed on a special ring float. With this device, the leaves do not touch the water, and the roots do not protrude to the surface, and rotting stops.

If you decide to buy a plant in a store, then it should be borne in mind that some varieties are too thermophilic and very whimsical, and even due to a small temperature difference, they may not bloom. It is recommended that you buy only eichornia species tested in our cold climate.

Eichornia as a purifier

The indigenous system of adult water hyacinth resembles a long and thick beard. In our climate, the roots of Eichornia, growing, reach more than one meter. Scientists have discovered the extraordinary ability of eichhornia - this impressive processing speed organic pollutants and various chemical compounds. In fact, it turns out that the more polluted the reservoir, the better hyacinth grows and spreads.

Having noticed this feature, people began to grow eichhoria and successfully used it in sewage treatment plants and industrial plants, saving on expensive water treatment systems. Scientists from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics conducted research and experiments in various places and conditions. As a result, it was proved that eichhornia also successfully absorbs radionuclides of cesium, strontium and a number of heavy metals.

After the plant has developed its resource, it can be burned. From one ton absorbed radioactive elements Eichhornius burning only about 20 kilograms of radioactive ash, which is later to be buried.

Water hyacinth as a dietary supplement

In Southeast Asia, water hyacinth has long been used as a dietary supplement in livestock diets. In Russia, Eichornia underwent official research at the Don Zonal Institute of Agriculture.

Scientists have found that the plant is very rich in the following substances:

Protein.
Carotene.
Vitamins: A, B, C, E.

One hectare of treatment facilities based on Eichornia produces from 350 to 1500 tons of plant mass, from which about 30 tons of dry fortified feed is obtained.

One ton of such feed contains:

Potassium - 60 kg.
Nitrogen - 20 kg.
Phosphorus - 17 kg.
Protein - 28 kg.
A large number of amino acids.

The nuances of using

The use of feed from water hyacinth contributes to the best absorption of the main livestock and birds. To use water hyacinth for livestock feed, plant drying is necessary. It is produced in the shade, under a canopy, for better preservation of nutrients and vitamins, especially carotene. Depending on the growth medium of eichhornia, the chemical composition may vary somewhat.

If you use eichhornia in agriculture, then it will undoubtedly, to some extent, help in solving problems with livestock feed and birds. The green mass that you get from your pond will subsequently be enough to feed livestock or poultry from your private treatment facilities. And most importantly, the reservoir on which eichornia will grow will be environmentally friendly.

Eichornia or aquatic hyacinth is an aquatic plant for a pond native to the tropics. It is successfully grown in our conditions, in ponds and ponds, despite its tropical origin. Moreover, thanks to harsh winters, water hyacinth got rid of some of its shortcomings!

7 factors for successful storage in the winter in an aquarium + 3 other storage methods, and features of care in the summer, not everything is so simple with water hyacinth!

Water hyacinth (Eichornia) - description

Eichornia leaves are collected in a socket. At the base of the leaf is a specific bloating, a hallmark of the plant, inside of which is a porous tissue, due to which the plant is kept afloat. According to gardeners, in calm waters, this compaction becomes less pronounced. The roots are long (up to 0.5 m), completely immersed in water.

The flower is unusually beautiful, in shape resembles hyacinth, pink, blue or purple. Flowers appear in late summer.

Water hyacinth is able to absorb dangerous and harmful elements dissolved in water:

insecticides
phenols
phosphates
cadmium,
nickel
silver.

In warm regions, at home, eichhornia multiplies rapidly and soon covers the surface of reservoirs with a dense carpet. Due to the dense plant layer, the oxygen regime of the reservoir sharply worsens, which leads to the death of other plants, the reservoir itself acquires an extremely unpleasant odor.

In our conditions, with cold winters, Eichornia does not have time to fill the water surface during the warm season enough to become a problem. And for the winter she has to hide in a warm room. It seems to be an unpretentious plant, but in the summer and during the winter, water hyacinth manifests its character, knowing its requirements, you can easily get along with it!

Eichornia in a pond, pond - summer period, landing and care

Eichornia absorbs harmful substances, it would seem that you can not find a better plant for cleansing the pond. But it’s not so simple, in the mineralized and nutrient-poor water of the lake, it does not grow very well. More precisely, it does not grow at all.

There must be plenty of nutrients in the water!
And the water should be saturated with oxygen to the maximum!

As soon as the plant lacks oxygen, growth and development will stop!

In practice, forced aeration of reservoirs is equipped, and fertilizers are provided.

Landing

In shallow reservoirs, the water warms up well in the sun and already in mid-spring you can plant a plant in a pond.

In well-heated water of the reservoir, eichhoria begins to multiply rapidly.

Propagated vegetatively, daughter plants develop on the side shoots, they are separated and planted.

The best pond for eichornia:

Open
Not deep
With forced aeration or dynamic natural, with springs and the movement of water.
With a large amount of organic residues - for nutrition.

Water hyacinth - how to save in winter?

When the temperature drops below +10 degrees - water hyacinth is brought into the room. More precisely, the future planting material is brought in. The main task is to keep plants alive for reproduction next season.

Known methods for storing water hyacinth in winter are:

in aquarium
in raw sand
in silt
in a three-liter jar

How to store water hyacinth in an aquarium in winter: 7 success factors

Water should be drawn from the reservoir in which eichornia grew, this is the best option. In an extreme case - defended. Water from the reservoir should be prepared in advance for the whole winter.
To the bottom of the tank add sludge from a pond native to water hyacinth.
Storage tank should be transparent: aquarium, jar.
Water should contain plant nutrients. some gardeners recommend adding fertilizer to aquarium plants.
Do I need a backlight? Most gardeners believe that lighting can not be dispensed with, but there are practical examples when hyacinth survived in an ordinary bank on an ordinary window sill without additional lighting.
Often leaves rot during storage. To prevent this phenomenon, the plant is "planted" on a foam float in an aquarium, a glass container. So that the leaves do not touch the surface of the water.
The temperature will suit an ordinary room.

Storage of eichhornia in the wet sand in winter

Water hyacinth is planted in sand, and humidity is constantly maintained.

How to store water hyacinth in winter in silt

Another way to store Eichornia.

A deep pot is filled with sludge from the day of the reservoir.
Constantly maintain the water level in the pot 3-5 cm.
The pot is put on a regular windowsill.
Do not finish.

How to store eichornia in a three-liter jar in winter

The third year of successful storage of eichornia in a three-liter jar in the apartment!

Tightly closed plastic cover.
North window.
No backlight.
Young processes (diameter about 10 cm) are stored, the roots are about 10 cm long.
I take water - from my native reservoir.
The bank is filled by a third.
The temperature on the windowsill is room temperature, but fluctuates when airing.

By spring, the water turns dark brown like tea. Most leaves die off, most of the roots fall away. But the plant itself survives. In a reservoir, it quickly grows roots and leaves, and blooms by August.

The area for growing Eichornia, and where to buy water hyacinth?

We know for certain that wild hyacinth can be grown in almost all regions of our country with a warm summer. It turned out to grow and propagate in their pond among the readers of their cities:

Minsk
Tashkent
Moscow
Penza
Krasnodar
Uralsk
Volgograd
Novosibirsk
Saint Petersburg

And these are just the facts we know. You can buy eichornia - water hyacinth easily and simply in the online stores of the “Everything for Ponds, Ponds, Fountains” group.

So bolder, everything will turn out!

Water hyacinth - photo

Eichornia (water hyacinth) - video

Have you encountered water hyacinth? Manages to save in the winter? How to store? Share in the comments!

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Water hyacinth is a tropical perennial plant that must be planted in the summer in the water. It is considered a good reservoir cleaner. A capricious plant - requires a stable temperature and constant lighting. Consider how to save water hyacinth in our latitudes in winter.

Hyacinth is an aquatic floating perennial plant native to the United States. In another way it is called "Eichornia." Most often it is found in the marshy areas of the Amazon. But now water hyacinth is prevalent throughout the world. The plant mainly grows in the tropics, on the surface of water bodies - rivers, lakes and ponds. In addition, it can even be grown in an aquarium and in decorative ponds.

Under favorable climatic conditions, hyacinth grows very quickly. This interferes with shipping, because of this the plant is often called water plague.

Hyacinth has bloated petioles on which the plant is held in water. These petioles contain air and are completely composed of tissue with a honeycomb structure. They calmly withstand the magnificent emerald outlet, from the center of which the peduncles leave. The leaves of the plant are oval, dense and wrinkled. On one flower, you can count up to 10 leaves. The root system is fibrous and can reach a length of up to 0.5 m. The rhizome of water hyacinth has a unique property: it is able to purify water from phosphates, nitrates, heavy metals, phenols and other harmful impurities.

Flowering lasts throughout the summer, with each flower blooming for only 2 days. However, due to their large number, flowering seems long and plentiful. Hyacinths bloom especially beautifully and brightly in rainy and warm weather.

The flower stalk, after flowering, goes under water. If summer turned out to be cold, then a huge cap of emerald dense foliage appears over the water surface. Due to the dense plant layer, the oxygen regime of water bodies deteriorates. This can lead to the death of other aquatic plants, the pond itself acquires a very unpleasant odor. This phenomenon, as a rule, is observed in the homeland of water hyacinth.

Planting and caring for Eichornia

When planting a flower in a pond, you need to consider that the water must be fortified and contain a large amount of organic substances. Gardeners advise adding humus, river sludge, compost, mullein and purchased complex top dressings to the water. It is on the number of micronutrients that the active growth of outlets depends.

Planting should be in late spring - early summer, when a stable temperature is established. Ideal for planting an open, not deep pond with forced aeration or dynamic natural with the movement of water. Eichornia can grow in reservoirs of any depth. If the depth is less than 50 cm, the plant will take root in shallow water or muddy soil. And if the depth is greater, then the flower will simply float.

The plant does not require special care. From time to time, old black petioles of leaflets must be cut from it. They easily break off from the mother flower.

Active growth begins at a temperature of 25-27 degrees. Flowering begins at temperatures above 28 degrees. Such a climate in Asia and the United States. Of course, in the central and northern part of Russia it is difficult to achieve full bloom. Nevertheless, water hyacinth grows well in the south of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus. The closer the plant is to the south, the more abundant it blooms.

A flower needs daylight for more than 14 hours. With a lack of sunlight, the plant begins to wither and discard leaves. If there is a lack of lighting, then the plant needs to be highlighted artificially. To do this, you can use fluorescent lamps.

Propagation of the flower is amazingly fast. The procedure is a bit like the propagation of strawberries - hyacinth has daughter processes. In a month, the mother plant gives more than 100 new copies.

The increase in mass of water hyacinth begins with a decrease in daylight hours. In addition, the flower can propagate by seed. However, the full ripening of seeds occurs at a stable temperature of over 36 degrees. After flowering, the fruits rupture with the seeds, after which they fall into the water. With a lack of heat, they decay, but at a high temperature they begin to grow very much.

When growing in our latitudes, it is very important to know how to preserve water hyacinth in winter. Let's consider this moment in more detail.

Winter Hyacinth Wintering

When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, the plant must be brought into the room. More precisely, future planting material is recorded. The main objective is to keep hyacinth alive for reproduction next summer.

Only young shoots with a diameter of about 10 cm and roots in length reach no more than 10 cm should be taken for storage.

Known methods of storing water hyacinth are wintering in:

aquarium;
sand;
three liter jar.

Wintering in the aquarium

This is not such a laborious process as it might seem at first glance. Choosing this method, you need to consider some nuances. These include:

Collect water from the same reservoir where Eichornia grew. This is the best option. If this is not possible, take the defended. Harvest water from the reservoir for the whole winter in advance.
Put sludge from the pond hyacinth native to the bottom of the aquarium.
Water should contain nutrients for the flower. You can add special fertilizers for aquarium plants.
For storage, normal room temperature is suitable.
It is advisable to put the aquarium on the windowsill so that there is the necessary lighting. In the evening, the plant can be additionally illuminated with a fluorescent lamp.
To prevent leaf decay, “plant” hyacinth on the foam float so that the leaves do not touch the water.

Silt storage

Take a deep pot and fill it with silt from the bottom of the pond.
Pour some water there. Keep in mind that the water level in the pot should be at least 3-5 cm.
Put the pot on a regular windowsill.

In this case, it is not necessary to finish up. It is only necessary to monitor the water level.

Sand storage

Take any transparent pot and fill it with sand. In winter, it is necessary to constantly maintain humidity, otherwise hyacinth will die. Special conditions for care are not required: room temperature, additional lighting is not necessary.

Wintering in the bank

Hyacinth can calmly winter in an ordinary three-liter jar. For successful storage, follow these guidelines:

Fill a clean jar with water from a native reservoir by a third.
Put the shoots there and close tightly with a plastic cover.
The bank needs to be put on the north window. Room temperature will do. Additional lighting is not needed.

By spring, the water will turn dark brown. This is not necessary to be afraid, this is a completely normal phenomenon. The bulk of the roots will disappear, most of the leaves will die, but the plant itself will survive. After planting in a pond, the leaves and roots will quickly grow back.

Water hyacinth is a flower of tremendous beauty. It is unpretentious in care, but quite demanding in terms of temperature and lighting. Particular attention should be paid to caring for the plant in the winter. There are many ways to save a flower for further propagation.

A small aquarium or a bright aquarium in an apartment will never go out of style. Such things create a special atmosphere and comfort. When fish and shells live in the water - this is wonderful, but if you add a couple of interesting ones there, your body of water will become extraordinary, special and irresistible. There are many colors for decoration, especially watermark stands out among them. In this article we will talk about his self-planting and further care for such a beautiful plant.

Description

Aquatic (Eichhornia crassipes) - native to the tropical regions of South America. It is also called excellent eichornia. The natural environment for the flower are lakes, rivers (with no strong currents), ponds, swamps and even ditches.

Did you know? In America, South Asia and other countries of the warm climate, the people have received the nickname "water plague", since the plant develops very much and almost completely covers the river due to favorable weather conditions. This is a real disaster for the locals.

From the point of view of botany, it is a monocotyledonous plant belonging to the genus Eichornia. Its petiole leaves in diameter up to 20 centimeters, have a rounded shape, are collected in a socket so that hyacinth is always afloat. This is due to air at the base of the sheet. Its coating is smooth, dense and glossy. The excellent root system of Eichornia is completely immersed in the aquatic environment and grows to 0.7 meters in length.

The stem usually reaches 10-15 centimeters in height and gives approximately 10-15 flowers. In the natural environment, it can grow up to one meter, and in the aquarium, water hyacinth, of course, will be much less. Large-sized flowers, reaching a diameter of 20-30 millimeters, the gamma can vary from pale pink to a deep lilac shade. Due to its magical appearance and pleasant fragrant aroma of inflorescences, Eichornia is also called beautiful. In the European climate, the plant is likely to please color in the spring-summer season.

View Features

The species is very unusual and has many differences from other plants living. Under suitable conditions, hyacinth grows incredibly quickly and covers a dense layer of the entire surface of the reservoir, which interferes with the passage of ships along the river, for hydroelectric power stations, fishing and other crafts.

Important! It is not recommended to breed excellent eichornia in large quantities, since the plant has the ability to braid a pond / aquarium so tightly that the air will not get into it well, and aquatic inhabitants, whether fish or algae, cannot exist normally.

In some cases, the edges of the leaves of Eichornia are gentle and undulating, this gives a special aesthetic appearance to the plant. It feels great in warm and calm places. Given a suitable environment, this representative of the flora can turn into an almost constantly flowering and perennial inhabitant. Water hyacinth is notable for its aquarium benefits. Thanks to its absorber capabilities, the plant remarkably purifies water, makes it transparent and removes unpleasant odors. It is capable of absorbing toxic insecticides, heavy metals, fish waste products and other toxic substances. Many experienced owners of aquariums advise not to purchase an expensive filter, but it is better to grow eichhoria. Hyacinth is also good in quality, as it contains a lot of minerals and vitamins.

Features of planting and growing

Eichornia is excellent - it is an incredibly demanding and capricious plant, so it is worth approaching the conditions for its planting and care responsibly. Water hyacinth as a decorative species can be grown in a pond or in an aquarium: the specificity of the process depends on the selected conditions.

In the pond

When growing eichhornia in a pond, the main task will be to create conditions that will be close to its natural. This is primarily warm, rich in organic substances and vitamins. It would be nice to add humus, prepared bottom sludge or compost. This culture is able to quickly decompose substances, therefore, various harmful means inherent in the pond, it is not afraid. That is why it is possible not to pre-clean the pond before landing. If possible, it is worth choosing water with a slightly alkaline reaction, but this is not the most important factor. An important condition for growing water hyacinth is the temperature of water and the environment in general. The fact is that in the homeland, the culture develops at + 24-30 ° C. The plant loves the sun and requires constant lighting. The planting should be started in May-June, so that the hyacinth has time to take root and grow to cold weather. In addition, at this time the greatest amount of solar heat and light. Eichornia excellent is difficult to tolerate temperature changes, so this indicator should be stable.

In aquarium

The content of eichornia in the aquarium has several features. On the one hand, it is much easier to control the temperature, there are a huge number of devices and devices that heat the water in the aquarium if necessary. On the other hand, there are several difficulties in this type of cultivation. Firstly, the capacity should be far from small, because the plant will develop poorly and may die from a lack of space. Secondly, artificial light for hyacinth will be required, and it needs a lot. Experts advise fluorescent lamps with a power of 3.2 watts or more. It will also be good to rearrange the aquarium, then your favorite will certainly bloom in our latitudes.

Breeding

Reproduction of water hyacinth is quite possible and easy to do. Experienced botanists say that this process is very similar to reproduction known to all. The plant has daughter processes. This means that eichhornia is able to reproduce. A similar procedure takes place at an incredibly fast pace - more than 100 new plants may appear within a month. As soon as the daughter process has several leaves, it can be safely planted from the main hyacinth.

Did you know? Eichornia is excellent - an almost universal flower, suitable not only for water purification and. In countries of suitable climate, hyacinth has recently begun to be massively grown for consumption as a salad and for the purpose of producing fossil fuels.

This flower can multiply and. True, there is one thing: the whole point is that for the full maturation of the grains and their preparation for planting, a temperature of + 35 ° C is required, therefore this method is possible, but requires artificial heating at home. Seeds are a longer and less effective species.

Care

When caring for the crop, it is worth maintaining the right temperature (from + 24 ° C). In the region of + 10-20 ° С the plant may not bloom, but it will “live”. Eichhornia needs daylight hours of about 14 hours.

In the process of growing at home, water hyacinth also requires frequent pruning. Especially do not forget about it in the aquarium, otherwise the fish will not get along with this plant.

Important! To prevent excessive reproduction of eichhornia, as soon as the plant begins to let out horizontal shoots, they must be removed. it necessary do with gloves, because hyacinth juice, if it comes into contact with the skin, can cause allergies and irritation.

Still cut off dead leaf petioles in the summer. The need for this becomes clearly visible, because they turn into sluggish and acquire a dark unnatural color. The plant is afraid of a draft, so it must be protected in this sense. In order to protect hyacinth, it is worth planting a swamp or near. For this purpose, many vertically growing representatives of the water world are suitable, only water lilies are the exception.

If excellent eichhornia multiplies too quickly, then its bushes need to be constantly done less often so that there is some distance between them. Noticing that the plant has become a little “inanimate", provide it with additional light and oxygen as soon as possible.