Eichhornia crassipes is a floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon Basin in South America. Eichhornia crassipes has strong environmental adaptability and can grow in ponds, ditches and low-lying, waterlogged fields. However, it prefers a warm climate and sunny environment and likes to grow in shallow and still water.
Benefits of growing Eichhornia crassipes:
🌺Ornamental value: Water hyacinth has a beautiful appearance and is known as the "lavender crown that beautifies the world". Its flowers are blue-violet with patterns on the petals shaped like the eyes of a phoenix, hence the name "Eichhornia water lion". Whether for garden pond planting or viewing potted plants, it is an excellent choice.
💧Water treatment: Eichhornia hyacinth has strong sewage absorption capacity and can absorb sulfur, nitrogen and certain heavy metal elements. It has a significant effect in treating polluted waters, especially in purifying industrial wastewater or domestic sewage containing a lot of organic matter.
🥣Livestock and poultry feed: The stems and leaves of Eichhornia crassipes are fresh and tasty, easy to digest and rich in nutrients. It is a high-yield and high-quality livestock and poultry feed.
🌿Medicinal value: Eichhornia crassipes has the effects of dissipating heat, detoxifying, dehumidifying and expelling wind. It belongs to the treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine. As for the pharmacological effect, it is mainly used to treat skin eczema and rubella. It can also be used to treat symptoms such as heat stroke and polydipsia in summer.
✨Promotes biodiversity: If their reproduction is properly controlled, water hyacinths can provide shelter and habitat for aquatic ecosystems, thus helping to promote biodiversity.
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How to grow water hyacinths:
🫘Collection and processing of seeds
- Collection time: Eichhornia crassipes seeds generally ripen between September and October. At this time, you can choose a pond with more flowering plants to collect. When the small fruits turn light yellow, pick the bent fruit stalks. After harvesting, place them in the air to dry, peel them off and remove the seeds.
- Seed treatment: After the seeds are harvested, they must be dried and stored properly.
🏡Choice of planting environment
- Water quality: Eichhornia crassipes likes to grow in shallow and still water. It does not have high requirements for water quality.
- Light: Eichhornia crassipes prefers a sunny environment and should be planted in a location with full sun. When planting in a container, make sure the container receives enough sunlight.
- Temperature: Water hyacinths prefer a warm climate and can tolerate high temperatures, but will stop growing if the temperature is below 10 °C.
🌱Planting method
- Sowing method: Soak the treated seeds in water for a few days, wait for them to absorb water and swell, and then sow on the water or on land. After sowing, keep the water temperature in a suitable range and check the germination of the seeds regularly.
- Division method: Select vigorous mother plants for division in spring or summer. Take the mother plant out of the water or soil, carefully separate the seedlings with fibrous roots, and then transplant them into a new container or pond. After division, old and dead leaves must be properly pruned to promote the growth of new leaves.
🌺Post-maintenance management
- Water management: Eichhornia crassipes does not tolerate drought. During the growth period, water should be added in time and the appropriate water depth should be maintained. Generally, the water depth is about 30cm. In hot seasons or dry weather, the frequency and amount of watering should be increased.
- Fertilization management: Eichhornia crassipes loves fertilizer and should be fertilized appropriately during the growth period. In addition to mixing a small amount of organic fertilizer into the planting soil as a base fertilizer, top dressing fertilizer must be applied according to the growth of the plants. Generally, top dressing with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once a month can meet the growth needs.
- Pruning management: Because Eichhornia crassipes grows vigorously and multiplies quickly, too dense branches and dead leaves should be pruned in time to improve the ventilation and light transmission conditions and promote the growth of new leaves. At the same time, old and diseased leaves should also be removed to reduce nutrient consumption and the occurrence of pests and diseases.
- Disease and pest control: Eichhornia crassipes rarely suffers from diseases in an environment with sufficient light and good ventilation. However, when temperatures are low and ventilation is poor, pests such as cabbage caterpillars can also eat the young leaves. At this time, the pests should be caught in time or appropriate pesticides should be used to control them.
❄️Wintering management
- Warming measures: Eichhornia crassipes is not cold tolerant and stops growing at temperatures below 10 °C and can suffer frost damage. Therefore, heat-retaining measures should be taken in winter, such as moving the container indoors or covering it with insulating materials to ensure safe overwintering.
- Reduce watering: When the temperature is low in winter, the growth rate of the hyacinth will slow down or even stop growing. At this time, the frequency and amount of watering should be reduced to avoid root rot caused by water accumulation.
