For sale is one plant (pot full) of Water Chestnuts - Eleocharis dulcis
This water plant is currently growing in a 140mm pot size.
It is posted bare/loose rooted, and you will need to plant it when you receive it.
WATER CHESTNUTS - (Eleocharis dulcis) also known as Chinese Water Chestnuts, are tuberous, aquatic vegetables that grow underwater in marshes, ponds, shallow lakes and wetlands. They are grown widely distributed in Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and some Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands.
HEIGHT: Grows to 1 metre tall.
POSITION: Grow in full sun.
Can be grown in decorative water pot with no hole. In a decorative pot, think of them as a potted plant, growing in water, and then you can grow it on your patio, verandah, balcony etc.
Plant in early spring 5-10cm deep.
Plant 2-4 corms per square meter to allow enough room for them to spread.
Keep soil moist and allow growth to reach around 10-20cm high before flooding 10cm above the soil line.
Maintain this depth for the whole growing season.
By late Autumn, when the leaf tops will have browned off drain completely, keeping soil moist, to encourage hardening-off of the corms.
Leave 3-5 weeks to mature, and harvest when the corm, or bulb, turns a dark brown color.
Then refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag until ready to eat (can be enjoyed raw or cooked) or until replanting next spring, or alternatively you can leave under the soil for the cooler months.
An old bath tub, wading pool, wine barrel, laundry trough etc is an ideal place to grow Water Chestnuts.
FROST: Goes dormant for winter.
CARE: Fertilise in spring with one of Triffid Park’s water plant fertilizer tablets to encourage new growth at the start of the growing season.
Then again at the start of summer, and the start of autumn to encourage healthy growth and green foliage.
FERTILISER: Triffid Park's Water Plant Fertiliser Tablets are available on our Water Plant Sundries page. There are no nutrients in a plastic pond or tub, so these are a definite must when potting your water plants, and for fertilising 3 times per year.
AVAILABLE: Australia wide except for Northern Territory, as we do not have permits to export into the Northern Territory. We do have permits for all other states. Please DO NOT order this plant if you are in the N.T., as we will not send it.
EDIBLE USES:
It is not a nut, but a vegetable used commonly in Asian dishes.
CORMS/BULB can be eaten raw or cooked - boiled, fried, grilled, pickled - in stir-fries, chop suey, curries, omelets and salads. Peel and then dice, slice or grate.
Please research before cooking and eating, as above is a guide line only.
HEALTH BENEFITS:
Eating Water Chestnuts is regarded as beneficial to the body and contains essential nutrients and antioxidants that improve the overall health of the body and provides health benefits.
Nutritious and full of fibre yet Low in Calories
Water chestnuts are full of nutrients. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of raw water chestnuts provides:
- Calories: 97
- Fat: 0.1 grams
- Carbs: 23.9 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Potassium: 17% of the RDI
- Manganese: 17% of the RDI
- Copper: 16% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 16% of the RDI
- Riboflavin: 12% of the RDI
Contains high amounts of disease-fighting antioxidants.
May help to lower blood pressure.
Promote weight loss by keeping you fuller longer with fewer calories. (they are made of 74% water)
MEDICINAL USES:
Water Chestnuts are said to be helpful for coughs, measles, jaundice, urinary infections, fevers, diarrhoea, indigestion, sore throats, diabetes, hypertension and mouth ulcers.
Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
A water feature is supposed to be good feng shui, so make yours an edible water garden and plant some Water Chestnuts in it.
Water Chestnuts - Eleocharis dulcis
When you receive your water plant, it will come to you bare/loose rooted (not potted). You can repot water plants at any time of the year.
During spring, summer and autumn your water plant will arrive with some leaves. During the dormant period in winter, it may have no leaves depending on the variety.
If you are planting it in a pond or decorative water bowl, read the minimum and maximum depth requirements on the label. You will need to pot it into a pot large enough for it to grow, or even a 4 litre ice cream container will do (eat the icecream first!).
Use a good quality garden soil i.e. one that you could grow vegetables in is best - do not use potting mix as it can contain pine bark and other composts not suitable for ponds, as they can release the wrong nutrients which then feed algae.
When planting your water plant, you want the top of the growing tip to be level with the top of the pot. Work out how deep you will need to plant your water plant in the pot so the tip is level with the top, then fill the pot with your soil to where the roots would start. Place one of Triffid Park's Water Plant Fertiliser Tablets on the soil, sit the water plant beside the fertiliser tablet and fill the rest of the pot with your soil to just below the growing tip. Pat down firmly, then place a layer of small pebbles or gravel around the top to stop the mix floating. Take care not to cover the growing tip.
If you are planting into a dam or lagoon, plant straight into the base of the dam. Read the depth information for the water plant and do not plant any deeper than suggested when the dam is at full height or you will drown your water plant.
If you cannot get into the dam and dig a hole to plant the water plant, you can use a tent peg to hold it down.
Most dams will have enough nutrients to feed your water plants during the growing season, but one of Triffid Park's Water Plant Fertililser Tabets pushed into the root system on planting is a good way to get your water plant established.
Yabbies love new water plant leaves, so if you have yabbies in your dam, you will need to place a fine mesh cage around your water plant. The mesh needs to be large enought for the new leaves to grow through, but small enough that yabbies cant get through. Once the water plant is established the yabbies wont be as interested in the older growth.
Algae is caused by many factors:
Too little beneficial bacteria
Too few plants
Excess nutrients i.e. fertiliser, decaying fish food
Warm shallow water
Lack of an established ecosystem
Seasonal changes - sun and rain cause the ph to keep altering in ponds. This is very common in spring when the water is starting to warm up and the beneficial bacteria colonies are working to re-establish themselves after their winter slumber.
Some nutrients from the garden potting soil may leach out, however this is better than potting mix as it can contain pine bark and other composts not suitable for ponds. They can release the wrong nutrients which then feed algae. We recommend a good quality garden soil i.e. one that you could grow vegetables in is best. Then top with some clean washed river pebbles to weigh the pot down.