Bringing Pond Plants Indoors

[CACAdmin]

It's still a long time yet before winterizing or taking ponds down happens but a question came to mind because this may be done at any time (not just at the end of the season).

When taking plants indoors from a pond to place in a tank (i.e. floating plants), should these plants be disinfected to rid them of any unknown bugs, etc. on them? I would prefer not to, as I think little microorganisms and bugs from the outdoors are probably beneficial food for the fish in the tank (an opportunity to eat something live they might not otherwise have the chance to).

[Pamelajo]

Off topic but still on pond plants and bringing them in.
A friend who I got a dwarf palm told me to bring it in and put it in a container with water and put it in front of a west window, she also lets her water lettuce and hyacinths float in this container for the winter. She says everything survives, another person she knows does the same but buys two small feeder gold fish and put them in there for the winter to swim around until spring. No lights, filters etc and his plants look better than the stores come spring, she has seen them. Sounds like the trick maybe natural light.
Don't bring them in until just before 1 st frost. Room may be cool, but not below 50.
I have a basement window that faces South wondering if that would be better.

[Laura]

It doesn't feel that it's a long way off - it's been chilly.
I would probably give them a pottassium permangenate bath if I was adding them to a different tank.

I kept my papyrus indoors last winter and it did fine until we got kittens........
It recovered when I put it outside and looks great again. Some buggies and snails came with it and they just ended up back in the pond in the spring.

I think I'll try the hyacinth that way too - I tried potting it last year and failed miserably. I also have this funky twisty grass that I'll bring in - it looks really neat. (juncus effuses http://www.plantsafari.com/Catalog/Detail/00672.html)

[Pamelajo]

That is neat! Yes it has been chilly here too! I am usually hot, but yesterday afternoon I closed all the windows to 2" and went and put socks and a sweater on.

[CACAdmin]

Laura, that juncus effuses looks neat.

My success with aquatic plants brought in from my pond in other years was virtually nil with the exception of last year when my water lettuce did survive in my Bio-Cube (just ended up being much smaller plantlets). I attributed this to the amount of light. I've tried bringing the pond indoors and there is lots of natural (indirect) light just no direct sunlight. Eveything eventually died.

If, as it appears, they need direct sunlight, your south facing window might be the eay to go, Pam.

[OldMan]

I intend to try bringing in my water hyacinth but have no idea if it will make it. I do not have east or west windows and get very little usable direct sun through the south windows. This means trying to keep it alive using artificial lighting but it gets quite a bit of light where it is now. I see no reason not to try it though. The ones I leave out will all die anyway.
I agree with Pam that it is already feeling like fall. It was cool enough yesterday morning to remind me of mid-October when I went outside to get on my motorcycle for the ride to work. Even coming home in the afternoon was a cool ride. Right now the temperature here is 8C and I get to leave for work in about 10 minutes. Time for my fall riding gear.

[CACAdmin]

It's certainly not feeling like fall here. 18 already at 6:45 am. Going up to 23 again today. Perfect summer weather.

Good luck with your water hyacinthe OldMan. BTW, does yours bloom for you in the pond?

[OldMan]

I have not seen it bloom but have only had it a few months. This is my first year experimenting with it.

[CACAdmin]

I tried it for a couple of years and it never bllomed but I attributed that to lack of sufficient direct sunlight (which may or may not have been the case)

[Pamelajo]

Mine has not bloomed either, but it gets quite a bit of shade. I did put some in the new pond and it gets more sun, so we will see.

[CACAdmin]

You're really enjoying this new pond project, I can tell... it's a nice little oasis in your backyard. I'll be interested to see if your water hyacinthe blooms.

[Pamelajo]

Yep I am.

[Ursus sapien]

Salvinia and duckweed are easy indoors, but azolla never really thrives inside. Going to try several methods for over wintering the big floating plants, hyacinth, lettuce and parrot feather, this year. Light and humidity are key for lettuce.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for posting the pics. A beautiful, healthy crop of pond plants. Nice to see what a water hyacinthe blooming looks like. (Pam, hopfully, you'll have that to look forward to next summer.)

I'm hope you'll share some of the various methods you try for and results you get from them when overwintering the larger plants.

[Ursus sapien]

My poor brother... I'm taking over one of his propagating beds (he's a 'plant guy'). It has heat cable running through a 15cm deep sand bed, and is covered in a thick poly sheet. It should hold 3 kiddie wading pools. We'll use an inline heater to assist the heating cables to keep the water temp 16C., and a 24" t5 over each pool. Stock with this year's goldfish fry for fertilizing and bug control and see you in April!
I'll try some of the plants in my unheated indoor tanks, as an experiment.
Hyacinth and lettuce need high humidity - lettuce especially will crisp without it. The lights can also burn the leaves, so there's a certain balance required.
Outdoors, they need about 8 hrs of direct sunlight to flower, while being shaded midday.

[fishykisses]

i just brought in a water lettuce and a water hyacinth to see how it does - i have too much to bring it all in but if they do ok, i'll bring in a couple more little ones. I didn't chemically wash them - just rinsed well under tap water. I'm not too worried cause i flood the pond to give it nearly 100% water change every week or sometimes more. It's cured the green water problem i've had every other year and the fish are doing great.

[Pamelajo]

I just picked some 3 water lettuce for $.99 each, will bring them in and try keeping them in the sunlight.

[CACAdmin]

Good luck with them, fishykisses, let us know how they do.

Pam, that's an awesome deal on water lettuce. At the beginning od the season here at the garden shops water lettuce sells for $3.99 - $4.99 ea. At 99 cents each it's well worth it to experiment. Let us know how it goes.

[CACAdmin]

My poor brother... I'm taking over one of his propagating beds (he's a 'plant guy'). It has heat cable running through a 15cm deep sand bed, and is covered in a thick poly sheet. It should hold 3 kiddie wading pools. We'll use an inline heater to assist the heating cables to keep the water temp 16C., and a 24" t5 over each pool. Stock with this year's goldfish fry for fertilizing and bug control and see you in April!
I'll try some of the plants in my unheated indoor tanks, as an experiment.
Hyacinth and lettuce need high humidity - lettuce especially will crisp without it. The lights can also burn the leaves, so there's a certain balance required.
Outdoors, they need about 8 hrs of direct sunlight to flower, while being shaded midday.

Nice to have a brother whose arm you can twist to enable you to carry out this project. I'll be eager to hear how it goes.

[Ursus sapien]

Nice to have a brother whose arm you can twist to enable you to carry out this project. I'll be eager to hear how it goes.

He rocks. We're like 2 little boys at the side of a pond... he's even got a butterfly net poking out of the top of his landscaping truck, so he can collect duckweed for my fish:-)

If anyone is in my area tomorrow, I"m closing down the tilapia pond for the winter - lots of water lettuce and salvinia you can take for free.

[CACAdmin]

If anyone is in my area tomorrow, I"m closing down the tilapia pond for the winter - lots of water lettuce and salvinia you can take for free.
That's awesome! You should post it in the Swap Meet & Free Items (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=32) Section.

[STANKYfish]

I usually bring my large pond plants to a room under my deck that has a west facing window. No watering till early spring then water lightly and give sunlight and back into the pond.

[CACAdmin]

I usually bring my large pond plants to a room under my deck that has a west facing window. No watering till early spring then water lightly and give sunlight and back into the pond.

What type of pond plants do you over-winter this way?

[STANKYfish]

I don't know all the names but generally all the tall and potted plants. Ginger and canna lilies are the only ones whom i know the names. Never have i successfully overwintered any floaties, but will try this winter by bringing them into my tanks. Oh yes my water lillies would have made it if my two large breed pups did not drag them out of pond and continue to devour them. We do have a wild purple flower plant , that came from a ditch. This one has overwintered in a pail before it was put in pond.

[CACAdmin]

We'd love to see pics of your pond (and plants) if you get a chance to take some pics and post them.:yes:

[Ursus sapien]

I usually bring my large pond plants to a room under my deck that has a west facing window. No wa'tering till early spring then water lightly and give sunlight and back into the pond.

does that include floaters? I'm curious about the 'no watering' part- makes sense with potted water plants...

[Laura]

I started bringing in my water hyacinth and other plants a month or so ago - the hyacinth is in a 33 gallon with a standard double flourescent light tube. I keep the water level low and it has a glass lid, so may have the humidity that another member said was important. Anyways, it's doing fine and sending our runners with new plantlets.

If it keeps up this way, I should have a pond-full come the springtime.

I just emptied the pond on Saturday and brought the remaining hyacinth indoors. I wasn't going to - I normally just leave it to freeze, but I found a gold WCMM fry so had to see how many were there - to do so entailed emptying the pond. I only found 2 of the little guys, but didn't want them to freeze in the pond.

[CACAdmin]

Those little fry have no idea how lucky they were that you found them. As for the water hyacinthe, that's fantastic news. It's obviously doing extemely well if it's sending out runners.

[CACAdmin]

How are everyone's pond plants which they brought indoors doing? My water lettuce for some reason seems to be doing just fine (reporocing well and growing good size plants (unlike other years). I can't think of anything which is different this year. Maybe I'm acutally getting a green aquatic thumb... ok, so maybe not :twitcy: ... but maybe there's hope for me yet. :rolleyes:

[Pamelajo]

My lettuce and hyacinths are dying but my palm are doing not bad.

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear your water lettuce and water hyacinthe aren't doing so well. The tank mine are doing well in is room temp, slightly higher lighting than the others and lots of water flow... have no idea if any of those factors are aiding their success or not.

Best of luck with the palm.

[Pamelajo]

The water temp in the pond is 60 so that may be a factor.

[CACAdmin]

The temp might make them slow down for the 'winter' but I somehow I don't think it would make them die off... but then again, what do I know? I can't explain how and when I have success with it.

[OldMan]

My pond plants have all turned completely to mush. I guess I will need to spends a couple of dollars next spring after all.

[Laura]

My papyrus and spiral grass are doing fine. The hyacinth still seems happy - room temp and a couple of regular florescent tubes are doing the trick with a lowered water level.

[bae3]

My lettuce and hyacinths are dying but my palm are doing not bad.

If your palm is Neantha bella, it's one of those terrestrial plants that are sold as aquatics because they can tolerate immersion for some time. It's a nice relatively low-light houseplant, and doesn't need to sit in water if it's planted in normal houseplant type soil.