Clear water hyacinth from ponds before frost [Column]

Written by Gloria Day

It took almost all summer for the three water hyacinths I originally purchased in spring for my small pond to begin growing and expanding. All of a sudden I notice that they’ve taken over the real estate. I can’t count them all. They are covering more than 60% of the pond surface. Whoa! It’s time to cull the masses.
Water hyacinths are a great plant for a small pond. They provide cover for the fish and protection from sun. After they start to grow and spread they can provide camouflage from predators. The plant takes up impurities from the water and filters small particles. Some fish like to eat the roots. The hyacinth flower is pretty and fragrant.
The plant is best suited for a container water garden. It should never be released into a lake or other water source as it can produce enough mass in a season to clog waterways. Care should be taken not to let the roots interfere with pump systems in your pond.
Here in zone 6, the water hyacinth is not hardy and will die over the winter. Yet in zones warmer than ours it is considered a highly invasive plant and banned in some areas.
I’m going to start the fall cleanup in the pond this week by removing several of the water hyacinths to reduce the amount of surface they cover. I will add the plants to my compost as they are rich in nutrients. It’s important to keep this plant away from pets before it composts, since it can be toxic to cats and dogs.
Mike Gannon of Full Service Aquatics in Summit, N.J., writes the Love Your Pond blog, and has plenty to say about the invasive qualities of water hyacinth. He’s the creator of “The Pond Hunter” video series on YouTube and has appeared on HGTV and the DIY Network.
Some other interesting facts about this plant, according to Gannon, are:
The flowers are used to create a tonic for horses that is rubbed into the horses’ skin.
Given a good steaming or boiling, the plant’s flower stalks, buds and young leaves can be eaten. Water hyacinth is an ingredient in Taiwanese and Javanese cooking. (If ingested uncooked it will cause severe skin irritation)
The plant is rich in carotene.
Water hyacinth seeds stay viable up to 30 years.
Water hyacinth is used in perfume and cologne products.
It can be used as organic fertilizer and animal feed.
It can be processed to make paper, rope, handbags, even furniture.
It absorbs lead, mercury and carcinogens when used for remediation purposes.
Because of its amazing biomass it can be used to create fuels.
So if you’re in the same boat as I am, take care to clear out the water hyacinth from your pond before frost. Definitely do it sooner than later or you will have a huge mucky mess to clean up.
Keep your pond healthy and running smoothly whether you have fish or not. It’s the responsible thing to do. ?
Gloria Day is president of Pretty Dirty Ladies Inc. Garden Design & Maintenance; a member of Gardenwriters and the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association; and serves on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence Horticultural Advisory Committee. She lives in Berks County and can be reached at Gloria@prettydirtyladies.com.

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