Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Grow Water Lettuce
How to Grow Water Lettuce. Water lettuce provides a floating rosette of attractive foliage that resembles lettuce. The plants float in ponds and water features, forming dense clumps of leaves. The leaves remain dry while the long roots dangle freely in the water. The plants shade the water and the floating roots leach nutrients from the pond, which...
Water lettuce provides a floating rosette of attractive foliage that resembles lettuce. The plants float in ponds and water features, forming dense clumps of leaves. The leaves remain dry while the long roots dangle freely in the water. The plants shade the water and the floating roots leach nutrients from the pond, which helps prevent algae growth. Water lettuce grows naturally as a tropical perennial. In colder climates, grow the plant as an annual or bring it indoors to overwinter.
Things You'll Need
Plastic mesh or hoop
Bucket
Fertilizer
Grow lights
Partition off a section of the pond for the water lettuce, as water lettuce prefers crowding. Use clear plastic mesh formed into a cylinder or a floating hoop to create the water lettuce section.
Float the plants inside the mesh or plastic hoop. Set the plants so the feathery roots trail under the water and the rosette of leaves floats on top of the water. Insert enough plants inside the hoop so they float freely but the leaves touch each other.
Fill a bucket with water to fertilize the lettuce in midsummer. Add a soluble pond fertilizer to the bucket of water at the rate recommended on the label. Remove the lettuce from the pond and float the plants in the bucket of water for 24 hours to fertilize them. Repeat the fertilization procedure six weeks later.
Bring water lettuce indoors for winter, as they can't tolerate frost. Float the plants in a bucket of water in a warm room where they receive six hours of bright sunlight. Alternatively, set a grow light 6 inches above the plants and leave it on for 10 to 12 hours a day.
Tips & Warnings
You can add pond fertilizer directly to the pond if you have a lot of lettuce, but it may cause a temporary algae bloom.
Fish hide in and feed upon water lettuce roots. If the fish overeat the lettuce, block access to the roots with a plastic mesh cylinder.
Water lettuce is considered an invasive water plant in many areas and should only be grown in ponds and water features that do not connect to natural waterways.
