Aquatic Gardens Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains: Volume 1. Design & Construction Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon  by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Water Lettuce Questions   2/1/14
How large will water lettuce get in my tank?
<Tends to do badly in aquaria... dislikes water droplets falling onto its leaves, and the relatively tall leaves are easily scorched by aquarium lights.>
How large will water lettuce get in a pond?
<Quite big; average plants are indeed about the size, shape of a smallish lettuce.>
I have a lid on my tank with a strip light resting on it. They say water lettuce can go in tanks with lids if they are well ventilated. How do I ventilate the tank? Would a fan work?
<Yes, is an approach taken by some. More often Water Lettuce in aquaria is grown when the tank is open-topped, with a fair distance (20, 30 cm) between the waterline and the lights. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Water Lettuce Questions
I'll have to try it with a fan and ventilation ports. I have a goldfish in the tank. Goldfish do jump.
<Indeed they can, though the fancy, twin-tailed ones only rarely.>
Can I overwinter small specimens, offshoots and seedlings, in my aquarium tank?
<For sure, or else on a bowl on a sunny windowsill. In the warmer parts of the US for example Pistia stratiotes is considered a pest plant, so it's clearly not difficult to grow and doesn't require tropical conditions to survive.>
I hear some keep them in jars over the winter. If my tank will not work, could I try that? If so, how would I go about doing this?
<As any other houseplant. Find somewhere sunny, get a decent size bowl, fill with aquarium water, add one or two Water Lettuce plants...>
Thank you so much Neal!
<Welcome, Neale.>
Re: Water Lettuce Questions
Thank you Neal. I might try overwintering smaller specimens in my goldfish tank. How far away from the lights would they have to be? I can do 4" without a problem. Is that enough for smaller specimens until spring? Thank you.
<Worth a shot, but you may find Amazon Frogbit or Giant Salvinia work better in that amount of airspace. Water Lettuce can, do reach heights of more than 10 cm/4 inches, in which case scalding is a very real problem.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Water Lettuce Questions   2/2/14
Thank you Neale!
<Most welcome.>

Where to Find Water Lettuce, Pistia stratiotes  12/7/05 Hi Catherine, Yes I can grow the plant here but I can't find the seed.  Any idea who might have it ? Any leads would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks, Carlos <I don't know of anywhere that ships seeds specifically. If I were you, I'd email or call customer support at various online shops and ask around. Some might even ship you plants. Good luck. Catherine.> 

I'll Have a Salad, Thank You  12/5/05 Mr. Fenner,  <This evening you get Catherine.> I found your name in a forum: The Aquarium Gardener Series. I am very interested in growing Water Lettuce. Since I live overseas, the only way I can buy the plant is to ship it to Florida but all the places that sell it, will NOT ship to Florida. <This species is considered an invasive pest in Florida and is illegal. No one can legally ship to Florida, nor may you take it there.> I am trying to find the seeds so I can grow it myself but have been unable to find them.  Do you know where I can purchase the seeds? <I would check with dealers that sell the plant. You should also check regulations in your country to ensure that the plant is allowed in.> I hope you can help me. <We try.> Thanks, Carlos  <Catherine>

Growing water lettuce Dear Sir, I am very interested to cultivate water lettuce. sir please give me the information about the cultivation of water lettuce i.e. seed, procedure of cultivation+, information about soil, buyers company etc. etc. With thanks,  -Supriyo Chaudhury <Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), is an extremely versatile floating plant. It can be found in soft acid waters of South America as well as the alkaline great lakes of eastern Africa. They reproduce by sending out runners or lateral shoots that protrude from a large strong mother plant. They do best in ponds and will be smaller in an aquarium. They love nitrate rich water and are frost sensitive. They are a nuisance in many parts of the world.-Chuck>  

Aquatic Gardens Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains: Volume 1. Design & Construction Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon  by Robert (Bob) Fenner