Plant, care, overwinter, multiply and more

Plant the mussel flower correctly

Only expose the tropical floating plant when the water in the pond has reached a minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. If water lettuce moves from a warm environment into the open water zone, get used to the plant gradually to cooler water temperatures or only expose it at 20 degrees Celsius. Please note that a maximum of half of the water area is covered with mussel flowers and other plants.

Care tips

Since water lettuce thrives as a floating plant, you will not have to think about time-consuming maintenance. After all, there are a few precautions that must be taken so that you can enjoy a green water rose:

• Thinning out regularly during the growing season
• Remove so many runners that a maximum of 30 to 50 percent of the water is covered with plants
• In case of deficiency symptoms in a separate, watertight container fertilize with a special preparation

If the temperature falls below 15 degrees Celsius, give water salad. In a warm water aquarium, the tropical floating plant overwinters at temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. Alternatively, a vat with a clay soil layer and warm fresh water with a pH value of 6.5 to 7.2 can be used as winter quarters. Since the Shell flower does not stop growing, continue to thin out the plant regularly.

Which location is suitable?

Water lettuce fulfills its varied tasks as a floating plant with flying colors in the partially shaded place in the open water zone of your garden pond. A sunny location is tolerated as long as the mussel flower does not get under the blazing midday sun. Please do not expose the plant to currents or permanent water movements near a fountain.

Cut the mussel flower correctly

Water lettuce is not cut back in the true sense of the word. Instead, the vigorous floating plant is regularly thinned out so that it does not completely annex the pond and aquarium. The mussel flower can be cut all year round. Use the net to bring the plant towards you and use a sharp knife or scissors to cut off runners, excess leaves, and runners. Regularly carry out this important maintenance early when more than half of the water surface is covered with plants. Furthermore, cut off runners with fully developed adventitious plants if you are planning a propagation.

Fertilize the mussel flower properly

Nutrient intake is usually not necessary in a well-balanced pond. Water lettuce is only fertilized if there are clear signs of deficiency, such as stunted growth or yellow leaves. Since not all living things and plants in the pond react positively to fertilizers, the mussel flowers move to a separate container for some time. A layer of earth on the ground and sufficiently warm fresh water create the appropriate framework conditions. Now you can apply a special fertilizer for floating plants according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Overwinter

The mussel flower, which is native to the tropics, does not tolerate temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius. Since it nevertheless has several years of vitality, use a net to get the floating plant out of the water in autumn. In a freshwater aquarium or a separate vat with a clay-covered bottom, hibernate water lettuce as follows:

• Warm water temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius
• Fresh water with a pH of 6.5 to 7.2
• No cover and no heating source nearby

If there is no adequate winter quarters available, you can still fetch water salad from the pond. Otherwise, in the course of rotting, all of the nutrients stored during the summer will get back into the water. In the next year you can then grapple with a lush algal bloom.
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Propagate mussel flower

Water salad takes care of its offspring on its own. A vital mother plant produces numerous runners in the form of adventitious plants. To get more specimens for your private water world, simply separate the fully developed daughter plants.

Is mussel flower poisonous?

The botanical assignment of Pistia stratiotes to the arum family leads to the right to assume that the plant is not entirely harmless. As there is currently a lack of well-founded scientific knowledge with regard to toxicity, we recommend careful handling. Please don't let the name water salad tempt you to eat the green leaves. The substances it contains, such as potassium oxalate, cause nausea and vomiting even in small amounts.

Yellow leaves

Yellow leaves on a mussel flower indicate a lack of nutrients. A pond or aquarium does not always completely cover the needs of this heavily draining floating plant. Since the addition of fertilizer in the garden pond always goes hand in hand with the risk of algae bloom, use the net to get the suffering water salad out of the water. Put the plant in a tub to add a special fertilizer for aquatic plants to the water in it. Once the green water rose has recovered, it moves to its original place.

How is water lettuce cared for in the aquarium?

In an open warm water aquarium, water lettuce feels in good hands under the following conditions:

• Fresh water with temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius
• A carbonate hardness of a maximum of 15 KH
• An ideal pH of 6.5 to 7.2
• A partially shaded, airy location, far away from any heat source
• Thinning out the plant if undesired spreading takes place

An aquarium with a cover is unsuitable for the mussel flower. The increased heat as well as dripping condensation water under a lid significantly impair the vitality and beauty of a green water rose. Rotting forms within a short time and the floating plant dies.
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Why does the mussel flower prevent algae bloom?

When crystal clear pond water turns into a yellow-brown broth, algae have found enough nutrients here for their growth. There is always a nutrient surplus behind the hated algal bloom. As a heavily draining floating plant, water lettuce prevents this shortcoming. The long thread roots remove phosphorus, nitrogen, nitrate and excess fish food from the water. The lurking algae are thus deprived of their livelihood. Therefore, do not cut off the thread roots, because they play a key role in keeping the water in the pond and aquarium clean and free of algae.
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