Description   - Water Hyacinth is a free-floating, flowering, aquatic perennial plant that is native to Brazil.   It arrived here in the United States in 1884 during an exposition in New Orleans.   It has dark, feathery roots that hang in the water.   Even though it is classified as a noxious, invasive weed, water hyacinth continues to be sold through aquarium supply dealers and over the Internet.

Water hyacinth’s minimum growth temperature is 54 F; its optimum growth temperature is 77-86 F; its maximum growth temperature is 92-95 F.   A seed bank at the bottom of the pond or waterway will replenish the supply of hyacinth as soon as temperatures return to an acceptable level – In the meantime, the seeds will lay dormant.

Control   – Control of this noxious weed is difficult, as populations have been alleged to double in as little as 6 days (according to the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants University of Florida website).   THE BEST FORM OF CONTROL IS PREVENTION - REFRAIN FROM INTRODUCING THIS SPECIES INTO ANY ECOSYSTEMS.  A healthy acre of water hyacinths can weigh up to 200 tons!

Poisens and herbicides are a somewhat effective means of controlling mass quantities of the aquatic weed.   The reasons that we do not use poisen and the problems with using an herbicide are three-fold:  

1) There is then an herbicide in the aquatic system which affects untold numbers of mini-systems.  

2) The plant, once it has died, sinks to the bottom of the waterway, thus increasing siltation and build-up of organic matter on the bottom.   This is of special concern in very slow or still water.   

3) Once the organic matter has sunk to the bottom of the waterway, a whole host of bacteria and other decomposers begin to break it down.   These bacteria breathe enormous quantities of dissolved oxygen in the water and the result is a net depletion of oxygen for aquatic animals.

Physical removal is a very slow and tedious process – one that can take a pretty big chuck of time, depending on the amount of material to be harvested.   We are trying several different methods.