"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I read something here a while ago about plants (Water Lettuce) and Algae
exchanging chemical attacks. Is there anything to this or is it just an old
wives tail? The reason I ask is that my Water Hyacinth is dying off, it's
all turning brown and mushy around the edges. The leaves that are healthy
seem to be a good colour, but the outside leaves and pontoons are all split
and brown. I've been adding trace elements and Potash for a few weeks and I
even added some Nitrates (5 PPM) last week. The roots are constantly
covered in Hair Algae, so I'm wondering if it is having some sort of
chemical effect on the WH. So far the Water Lettuce does not have any Algae
on the roots, but I suspect that's more a matter of duration. It's only
been in the pond for a few days. Salt s/b zero, but I'm tempted to check at
this point.

Any WH rejuvenation advice would be appreciated.

TIA




This sounds like normal behavior for water hyacinth. The older outside parts
of the plant will go soft and brown. I've always just removed those parts
and the rest of the plant has always grown (and multiplied exponentially)
and thrived. At least this has always been the way mine have behaved.

joe