PlantFiles: Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes

Before you put this in your pond, be sure you have time
to take out the offspring.

We've grown many things in our gardens and ponds, but have
never seen anything multiply as fast as Pistia stratiotes.

Thankfully, it makes great compost. It keeps the fish shaded,
the water clear and is not bad looking.

Good for the ponds, but one must keep it in check.

Water Lettuce Pistia stratiotes is native to Texas and other States and is considered an invasive noxious plant, and is prohibited in Texas.

I've not had good fortune with water plants, but the water lettuce has held up against the overwhelming odds in my semi-shade little garden (childern, dogs, chickens...). My biggest problem is, I get lots & lots of daughter plants, but the larger mothers have disappeared. Finally realized my goldfish were enjoying them - a lot! I've isolated some in floating baskets to see if I can get some larger specimines.
Have not had these long, but will try & overwinter some - why not? I'll report back on success or no...

This is the perfect pond cover plant in central Maryland. They spread quickly and are much easier to control than water hyacinth. The babies are not as easily broken off, so fewer end up in the skimmer. Once they get going, you will have to thin them several times or they'll complete with the water lillies. They're happy wherever you place them - in a streambed, perched in the middle of a waterfall, or tucked between the stalks of taller water plants. They do not flower, however. They are not hardy here and must be pulled after the first hard frost, but do not allow them to escape into waterways in the summer. No one I know has had success overwintering these indoors.

This plant is a danger to warm areas. It reproduces exponetionally and reduces the oxygen levels in a body of water by reducing the water's surface area. Not to mention clogging rivers and waterways. Its only natural predator, the Manatee is not capaple of keeping it in check.

This plant is thriving here in my pond on central Vancouver Island, Canada (off the West Coast, above Washington State). They are having lots of babies - my plants started as babies that my mom gave me from her water gardens. I will let you know about their wintering over here in the north!

If introduced to optimal conditions, this plant can block water ways, and will ban natural species from their habitat. But on closed ponds and fountains, this is a beautiful addition, and fishes seem to like swimming around its roots.

Here in Florida, they seem to thrive during the summer. The growth rate is almost exponential.

They barely survive the cold weather and totally vanish
at near-freezing temperatures. But by next spring, they seem to appear out of no where and then gradually take
over.

The only other thing that has a greater growth rate is the
Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

This plant can barely survive the hot sun in our yard. Then what is left after summer, the winter finishes off.

I keep this plant in my stillwater vase (huge) to oxygenated for the guppies. The lettuce will multiply quickly and I move them to the larger goldfish pond. The goldfish will munch on the lettuce when hungry. This keeps the lettuce from overtaking the pond. It also helps shade the pond to reduce build up of algae.

This plant really multiplies fast great for fast pond cover.

Will help eat the extra nutrients in your pond that feed green algae. Remove yellow leaves and add to the compost pile. Divide babies from mother for faster growth.

A floating oxygenator, Pistia stratiotes provides oxygen to fish and helps keep pond water clear.

Take care to ensure the plants do not escape into any nearby bodies of fresh water, as they are considered a noxious invasive weed, posing a threat to waterways.