Hi Have grown WH since the early eighties. But still learning about them lol. I redid a pond in March due to an invasion of strangler fig and marshmallow which has run continuously since 1982 . The pool is above ground, heated 5x10 x3 deep. I refilled on March 6 and put 5 WH .On April 15 I removed 25 plants and yesterday removed 125 !! Is that an astounding rate of growth ?? lol Have often noticed this growth before but have never kept track. The first flower occured on June 3 and now 25 are in flower . To my knowledge there are at least 5 subspecies or species of the genus but have no idea how to tell them apart. One question that others might know the answer to ?? Have you ever had them produce viable seed.?? Have maintained two ponds about 15 feet apart for many years yet have never had them move on their own . All those flowers there has got to be some seeds in there !!!lol gary

Water hyacinth is easy to overwinter. All it needs is a sunny place. I put a few plants in a large glass bowl and place it near a window. The plants require water every once in a while and I also have to thin them out occasionally. The local stores usually don't sell water hyacinth until after Memorial Day, so I get a head start with my overwintered plants. I also don't have to worry about quarantining the plants or introducing a parasite to my pond.

To a human the water looks still. At the microscopic level it's Mr Toad's wild ride. Thermal current, wind, fish and insects swimming. Take a look at your pond water under a microscope and you'll see a disco. And the bacterial world, even smaller. The weird thing about bacteria is they may not be aware you've set up a lovely filter for them. These unappreciative creatures just set up shop where ever there's food. Pond surface, plants, plant roots, Even those tiny specks of particles suspended in the water look like planets to bacteria (well, very small planets, OK, moons, maybe asteroids). Total surface area inside your pond is probably a few hundred times greater than the total surface area in the filter. And as matter builds up in the filter and cogs it the less of a home for bacteria. I've actually never cleaned a pond that didn't have a complete dead and cogged "bio filter". I'm sure they exist, somewhere. Bio filters are needed for high fish loads and basically spotless ponds. They are just for the removal of ammonia and nitrate. What's your ammonia level? Zero? If it is zero what are you trying to reduce it to? I'd bet serious cash you could remove your bio filter completely and you'd see no increase in ammonia. Try it. I don't know your pond so there is some chance I'd be wrong. Keep the bio filter alive but separate from the pond. Measure ammonia. Ever see more than a trace I'm an idiot and you can hook the filter back up. Takes about a week to test. Do it and you will learn more about ponding than you ever will from books or the internet. Things are not as straight forward as they seem. So, I wouldn't really worry about "dead spots". If you are they'd be very easy to test for using an ammonia test. Then your mind would be at ease.

Osmocote is really best for container annuals rather than perennial vines like Clematis. Alfalfa has a hormone that encourages additional vines to grow from the crown. You can buy a big bag for about ten bucks at a farm/ranch/feed store. Cheaper than a little box of meal at a garden center/nursery. When all you have is one long scraggly stem pruning down to a foot or six inches encourages more vines up from the crown as well. Clematis are not instant gratification plants. Especially the Type IIs like Nelly, it can take more than three years before you get many flowers. Having multiple vines and pruning and pinching really encourages more flower buds.