It's been a month since my last posted pics and it won't be too long and a photo op will be no longer be an option as we are nearing the first frost. I have decided to remove the WH this week...half were taken out yesterday.
Overall, this years experiment has proven to be pretty cool, but probably not necessary. I really started paying attention to the water quality in the pond mid summer and came to the conclusion that the pond did NOT have high nutrient levels as I expected. Turns out the pond was just muddy due to an overabundance of crawdads and had some freak algae blooms.
I wonder what these monsters would do in a really fertile pond? I may do them again next year, but in one - 5x10 corral instead of two - 10x10's. They never even tried to flower which could be a good thing seeings how the seeds are supposed to stay viable for many, many years. I'm still not convinced that they would germinate in my area, but I'll leave that to the experts.
Next year, I want to try some pond lilies in hanging baskets off the dock and will need the real estate for the lilies.
I will stick to my estimates that I removed one 5 gallon bucket a day on average right up to the end. During the heat of the summer was a bit less, but the last few weeks were a bit more and the health of the plants were the best after the heat of the summer waned. What I can not truly explain is...the plants seem to double their square footage early in the season about every week or two...by all accounts, I should have been removing alot more of them once the corrals were full. Maybe they are programmed to slow down reproducing once they feel confined...I Don't Know!
Anyhow, here are the last photos for the year...Hope you enjoyed the season!
