Kathy wrote:

It is a rec.pond's theory that water hyacinths will not bloom until they feel
threatened.

Some threatening activities -
being crowded together, water getting shallow, weather having a short cold snap
then warming, roots having contact with dirt.

My veggie filter drained over one weekend while I was away and the water
hyacinths were stressed, two of them (that survived the draining) bloomed when
they were rescued and put in the main pond.

That theory is as good as any. I would think a regular ripping out of
their "babies" would be stressful but apparently not. These things
reproduce like mad so they are almost always crowded with lots of babies
attached in strings. If I didn't routinely cull them, I'm certain they
would take over the world. *grin*

Getting a cold snap in central NC in the summer is like wishing for ice
water in h*ll - it's just not going to happen. The shallow water trick
also won't work for me simply because that would be detrimental to my
pond in general. I guess I may just have to give up on them ever
blooming. Is this the price I pay for having a healthy, balanced pond?
In the grand scheme of things, it could be worse. *smile*

Susan
shsimko[@]duke[.]edu