Texas White List is Expanding

The Texas White List is a list of aquatic plants that are permitted to be grown in Texas. This impacts exports to other States and into Canda. The list started off with very few aquatic plants being permitted, among them, most varieties of Nymphaea. The concern has also been that if ine state is successful in restricting the growing of these aquatic plants, more states would follow suit.

Rolf Nelson, president of IWGS has just shared the news that ALL Nymphaea species have been put on the Approved List (white list) in Texas. This means that growers in Texas can grow, sell,and possess any and all Nymphaea species and their hybrids.

However, the Ineligible Species List still contains many aquatic plants we all enjoy having in our water gardens, such as Colocasia esculenta, Hydrocleys nymphoides, Juncus inflexus, Ludwigia sedioides, Mentha aquatica, Typha laxmannii and Typha minima.

Hyacinths Spawn Goldfish

I have always recognized that hyacinths are very beneficial in a water garden, but transplanting goldfish eggs was not on my list of benefits for this little plant. Each fall, I am amazed at the number of little goldfish that I am finding in my growing tanks and ponds that have never had goldfish in them. I have also had customers return little goldfish to me that they find in their ponds at seasons end, and haven't the heart to allow them to freeze into a 'fishsicle'.

Where did these little goldfish come from? It all links back to the roots of the hyacinths. I have hyacinths around in my goldfish and koi pond, and I switch them into different ponds to allow their roots to rejuvenate. Apparently these roots have unhatched goldfish eggs on them, and when they go into a pond that has no fish in it, the eggs hatch and the little fish survive.