Watercress gets going really early and can be
removed easily, even it rooted in, its roots are
brittle.
I buy mine at the grocery store. It will root upside
down it is so ridiculously easy to grow.

k :-)

"kthirtya" wrote in message
oups.com...
Watercress gets going really early and can be
removed easily, even it rooted in, its roots are
brittle.
I buy mine at the grocery store. It will root upside
down it is so ridiculously easy to grow.

k :-)

Watercress is almost ideal - grows really rapidly even in a settlement tank
with no substrate or in a tank which still has plastic Flocor! Here in the
UK it can go almost dormant during hard winters, but usually restarts growth
very early - I use it in all my filter tanks. We also like to eat
watercress ourselves (much better, fresher and cheaper than supermarket
stuff) and have an almost unlimited supply most of the year - the only
problems can occur with cabbage white butterflie caterpillars and a tiny
beetle (unidentified) which can both devastate the crop. Clearing off the
infected top growth usually encourages regrowth within a couple of days and
the water cleaning action continues virtually unaffected during this period.
Watercress should be cropped frequently to encourage maximum growth - if you
have no other uses it is a very good additive to a compost heap (seems to
work like a natural accelerator).

I also have a mixture of pond iris varieties and Papyrus in the header pond.
The irises make a great show, but are very invasive and require regular
root/tuber pruning to ensure a good flow of water. The papyrus is probably
the best of all in efficiency of nutrient removal, but is a little tender.

Pond plants are a no-go with my Koi - even overturned a large plastic
washing basket (about 3 ft by 2 feet and weghted down with bricks!) we tried
to use to grow water lilies!

Peter
--
Peter & Elizabeth Corser
Leighton Buzzard, UK

Was: Filter plants starting to grow - any new ones to recommend?

On Sun, 8 Apr 2007 10:14:34 CST, "Peter Corser" wrote:

Watercress is almost ideal - grows really rapidly even in a settlement tank
with no substrate or in a tank which still has plastic Flocor! Here in the
UK it can go almost dormant during hard winters, but usually restarts growth
very early - I use it in all my filter tanks. We also like to eat
watercress ourselves (much better, fresher and cheaper than supermarket
stuff) and have an almost unlimited supply most of the year -

Watercress is really high is good stuff also, but I took a bite out of mine
and quickly spit it out, very BITTER. Is that normal? Are there different
kinds of watercress types? Mine started out as a grocery store variety. How
on earth do you eat it, I can't imagine having even a small bit of it in
anything?

Pond plants are a no-go with my Koi - even overturned a large plastic
washing basket (about 3 ft by 2 feet and weghted down with bricks!) we tried
to use to grow water lilies! Peter

Now that's amazing. How big are your koi? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

I actually like the taste of watercress, even
the supermarket kind which is what we use
when putting it in the pond. None out there
this year as DH doesn't like it to take over
the waterfall. Easy to rip out but marriage
is a compromise...

k :-)

"~ jan" wrote in message
.. .
Was: Filter plants starting to grow - any new ones to recommend?

On Sun, 8 Apr 2007 10:14:34 CST, "Peter Corser"
wrote:

Watercress is almost ideal - grows really rapidly even in a settlement
tank
with no substrate or in a tank which still has plastic Flocor! Here in
the
UK it can go almost dormant during hard winters, but usually restarts
growth
very early - I use it in all my filter tanks. We also like to eat
watercress ourselves (much better, fresher and cheaper than supermarket
stuff) and have an almost unlimited supply most of the year -

Watercress is really high is good stuff also, but I took a bite out of
mine
and quickly spit it out, very BITTER. Is that normal? Are there different
kinds of watercress types? Mine started out as a grocery store variety.
How
on earth do you eat it, I can't imagine having even a small bit of it in
anything?

Pond plants are a no-go with my Koi - even overturned a large plastic
washing basket (about 3 ft by 2 feet and weghted down with bricks!) we
tried
to use to grow water lilies! Peter

Now that's amazing. How big are your koi? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Jan

Watercress should be very hot & peppery - most of what you get from the
supermarket has probably lost a lot of its taste in transport! Having said
that, the only source of watercress I have used for the pond is from the
supermarket. There may be different kinds of watercress, but I have never
seen or heard anything about the subject.

I eat loads of it raw and often straight from the pond after washing in
clean water (maybe I just have the taste), but it can be used in salads or
cooking (watercress soup is a favoured by some). We are members of a UK
Folk Dance Club (although my own activity is now zero due to medical
problems) and we always take fresh watercress to our dances or party nights
(done on what is known over here as an American Supper - everyone brings
something along to share with anyone else who fancies it) and the watercress
always runs out, no matter how much we take! Several of our neighbours are
also happy to take as much as they can.

One method which might make it more palatable to you would be to keep it for
a few days to let some of the strength subside. Wash and roughly drain a
bunch (enough to fill whatever size of plastic bag you have available), fill
the bag ensuring there is some, but only a little, water in the bag - seal
and it will keep for at least a week in the fridge and may be more to your
taste. If the bag has any kind of breathing hole it does not seem to work
as well. I usually rewash the watercress after 3 or 4 days - being lazy I
just empty any old water out of the bag, partly refill the bag, swirl around
and drain from the bag until there is no longer a continuous stream (a few
attempts and practice should make perfect!) and reseal the bag.

If all else fails watercress is a marvellous natural activator for a compost
heap/maker!

The koi are not particularly large - some around 2 ft/2 ft 6 in - but are
large enough to trash anything when they are breeding. I have also decided
that it is inadvisable to have any containers within the pond since my koi
and orfe love "jumping" for insects above the pond and containers could
cause damage.

The pond was built 29 years ago and some of the koi have been with us since
then - I have not added any fish to the pond for over 10 years (and that
pair of koi are stunted at about a foot in length). There are also about 15
huge Golden Orfe - the remnants of 60 we put into the pond as very small fry
over its first two years. These are a similar size to the koi and are the
reason the koi are not growing in size - koi do not emit pheromones when
they reach maturity, which is why koi can grow huge in a koi only pond, but
do respond to the pheromones of other fish. My koi could start growing
again once the orfe have gone, but ..........

Peter
--
Peter & Elizabeth Corser
Leighton Buzzard, UK

"Peter Corser" wrote:
"~ jan" wrote in message
Was: Filter plants starting to grow - any new ones to recommend?
wrote:

Nice description of your experience, Peter.

Another excellent pond plant is Pennywort. We just pull the whole plants
out of the ground,rinse off the dirt and drop them in the pond. They thrive
and provide good hiding places for the fry. I like the leaves in a salad,
too.

Pic posted at alt.binaries.aquaria, Subject: "Pond Pennywort (I think)"

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 08:13:27 CST, "Peter Corser" wrote:

Peter, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. A 29 yo pond, wow.

Watercress should be very hot & peppery -

Well... hot & peppery probably is equal to bitter on my tongue. ;-)

problems) and we always take fresh watercress to our dances or party nights
and the watercress always runs out.

Maybe they are fellow pond keepers and are taking it home as a pond plant.
:-) Apparently it is a locale taste. Here the grocery stores only started
carrying it because pond people started asking for it. Then they found some
of the immigrants would buy it as FOOD. Still, stores don't always carry
it.

One method which might make it more palatable

Sounds like work.... and the willingness to acquire the taste. (I don't
drink beer either for that reason.) :-)

If all else fails watercress is a marvellous natural activator for a compost
heap/maker!

Now this I can use... if the koi don't eat it first. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

watercress is only availabel in my local stores if someone requests it, and
I also found it very bitter.. almost a strong mustardy taste. The wife also
found it distasteful, and I can;t imagien havinbg a watercress sandwich.

OTOH, the fish gobbled all of it right up, faster then it could grow.. seems
my guys will eat any plant I toss in there!


--
Gareee
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

"Gareee©" wrote in message
...
watercress is only availabel in my local stores if someone requests it,
and I also found it very bitter.. almost a strong mustardy taste. The wife
also found it distasteful, and I can;t imagien havinbg a watercress
sandwich.

OTOH, the fish gobbled all of it right up, faster then it could grow..
seems my guys will eat any plant I toss in there!


--
Gareee
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

Not to be off-topic, but the best watercress is flowering nasturtum, which I
grew in my regular garden for many year. The seeds come in packets like any
other flower. My sister-in-law was taken aback that anyone would serve her
FLOWERS! But the blossoms are as delicious as the leaves, maybe even more
so.
I'm a sucker for the stems, too. Peppery and light, they add something to a
salad. The flowers make a lovely accent on top, and instead of parsley to
beautify a plate.
I live in a cooler climate, though.

--
kat ^.^
Welcome to Malaria Gardens
Mosquito rides Now Open for the Season
Please hold tightly to small children and pets
Rhinelander, WI

~ jan wrote, On 10/04/2007 06:40:
Watercress should be very hot & peppery -

Well... hot & peppery probably is equal to bitter on my tongue. ;-)
One method which might make it more palatable

Sounds like work.... and the willingness to acquire the taste. (I don't
drink beer either for that reason.) :-)

You sound like a supertaster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster).
I'm the opposite, water cress tastes great and I eat lemons like
oranges. It's good to be a genetic anomaly.
All this talk of biofilters has reminded me that the pile of decking
offcuts needs to be turned into a filter frame.

--
DavidM
www.djmorgan.org.uk