I have a dream to build a pool in my house. Why? Because I want to have water plant such as lotus. Apparently, I do not have to have a pool to plant the water plant. Moreover, to build a pool, it needs wide area. If you have limited area like I do, don’t worry, we can still plant them in the pot.
As I know, water plant can be classified into four kinds: oxygenerator, bog plant, marginal plant and floating plant. Oxygenerator cleans the air and absorb the salt content in the water. With the whole plant sink in the water, this plant is generally used as aquarium decoration, such as Amazon sword plant, Nuphar japonicum, and Java Fern.
Bog plant is originally flooded by bog and a little bit water. It is used as pool decoration. It can be planted directly in the ground or planted first in the pot.
While marginal plant, its root and stalk are submerged in the water. But the most of its stalk is on the surface of water. It grows high and planted in the side of pool, like arrowhead, Cyperus alternifolius and Typha angustifolia.
And the floating plant, its root floats on the water. It is easy to plant it; just put it on the water. It does not need spoil as the place to plant. The plants are water hyacinth and azolla piñata.
Water lily is the most popular water plant. The flower is in pink, white, yellow and purple. It blooms in day or night. Water lily is different from lotus. Lotus leaf does not float on the water, but stand straightly on it. The color is in pink, white and yellow, crème. But you cannot enjoy the beautiful of lotus for long time because the flower blooms in three or four days only. Then it will drop of by itself.
Water hyacinth is popular as water weeds than water plant. The flower is big enough, in purple and gives different enchantment in the pool. How about futoi or hippochaetes lymenalis? It is gathered like bush, keep beautiful and natural as pool plant or displayed in special container. The stalk is green and up straight like palm leaf rid. To keep the stalk green, just don’t place it under the shelter.
Or maybe you know water drop, arrowhead, blue diamond, water poppy, cat tail, cyperus papyrus, giant arum or iris.
Water plant loves direct sunlight. The good soil to plant is rice field mud. The texture is soft and has pores. If the growth looks late with the leaves do not green or shiny, it means the root has full or too long. So you have to cut the root and repotting each four or six months. Also, the bad quality of water can cause the stem, root and leaves pale or spoiled. Even, it can make the plant died.
The solution is change the water every one or two weeks. But if the pool is big enough, once in a month is enough. Watering is good to keep the plant fresh, especially for water plant in the pot. Do it twice in a day. But in rainy season, once a day is enough. To avoid mosquito lava, raise the fishes. It can also give another advantage. Its feces can be used as fertilizer.
Fun, isn’t? So, what are we waiting for? Let’s make the house fresh with some water plants!