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  • Results 1 to 8 of 8

    Thread: When to put in floating plants? (in Maryland)

    1. #1
      kaevas is offline Junior Member
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      When to put in floating plants? (in Maryland)

      I'm pretty new to pond stuff, but I like gardening and I can usually get things to grow, at least decently.
      We have a 1500 gallon pond, and I'm looking to put in some floating plants, for oxygenation as well as aesthetics, of course.

      What I don't know is when to put them in! Maryland is zone 7, and usually I'd put plants in ground in early May (give or take). But I've read that putting in pond plants should be done earlier than ground plants, but nothing specific.

      I'm looking to put in giant sensitive plants (Aeschynomene fluitans) and frogbit (Limnobium spongia). We had some donated water hyacinths and water lettuce last year, and those worked out well, but they didn't really seed, to the best of my knowledge.

      Thanks in advance!
      Katie

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    2. #2
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      Unless you can cover on cold nights, after last frost. Most of my plants do Okay earlier, but some have been burned back heavily.

    3. #3
      CraigP's Avatar
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      As a point of interest....Aeschynomene fluitans is actually a rooted plant that floats. If floats fine for quite awhile, but eventually needs to be rooted in a substrate. At least that is my experience here in SW FL were it grows year round. It is quite possible, that given a shorter season, it will do just fine left to float.
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      Craig

    4. #4
      andrew davis's Avatar
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      Hardy perennials transplant ok during Winter, they get a chance to root in during mild spells and be strong enough to go into bloom before the heat of Summer can stress new plants

      Tender aquatic plants are better set out when you know your last frost is behind you. Here, 20°f can swing in mid April, that can destroy them. Tropical temps 80-60°f one week, 20-40°f the next are possible

      A body of water follows the temp trends, it lags a few weeks behind soil temperatures. If you are antsy, a sunny window is probably the safe bet...

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    5. #5
      kaevas is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks everyone! I think that I'll wait until late April/early May, depending on the weather trends. We're still in the midst of some huge temperature variations right now, so I'm going to wait longer

    6. #6
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      Katie, Even if your water hyacinth and water lettuce did make seed, chances are it would not have survived your winter. Most of the ponders I know have their plants reproduce by tubular shoots coming from the plant and a new plant growing from it. These need to have 50* or better temps, and will die back if they get too cold, or they will die completely. You would be better to put them out a week later than a week too early, as you don't want to start all over if you have a frost come in and kill your plants. Watching the weather trends is a good idea, especially with this years winter. You already have good advice concerning the other plants.
      Last edited by matherfish; 03-14-2014 at 12:27 PM.
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    7. #7
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      Am betting last frost is past, last night the first batch of water hyacinth went out to test the water!

      Brand spanking new plants that have formed in the last couple or three weeks, roots a foot long, ready to gobble those nitrates up

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    8. #8
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      Having been left out for the first time to 39°f temps, the next day the first has straightened itself upright and has a baaaaaby offset showing

      Regards, andy
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