One water hyacinth sitting on a 9" paper plate. The above photos were taken later in the season
The 2 photos above are of the same species of water hyacinths. The photos were taken at the same time and coming from the same pond. The difference in their growth?
One was allowed to spread out and and grew compact. The other was crowded in the pond and since it could not spread out it grew taller in size.
*The water has to be warm, above 75 degrees
* They need to be crowded together. You can make a ring out of tubing to confine them
* Koi love to eat the roots so keep them separate from the fish. Once they eat the roots the plant goes down hill.
* Remove them from the pond periodically and dip them up and down in a bucket of clean water to release all the crud they collect.
* If they become yellow, remove them from the pond and soak them over night in a bucket of water that has water soluble fertilizer added to it.
* The soft plants and roots make for a great place for the fish to spawn
* Water hyacinths love moving water
They are hardy to zone 8. In lesser zones you can over winter them in a suitable container in front of a sunny window.
This plant is illegal in AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, LA, SC, and TX and can not be shipped to those states!