How to Clean a Water Hyacinth for Drying

Water hyacinth plants are one of the easiest water plants to grow. They can easily become overgrown and spoil a garden. However, the unwanted hyacinth plants do not have to just be thrown away. There are many uses for water hyacinth plants that have been dried. Before the plants can be dried, they must first be cleaned. Cleaning water hyacinth plants is easy, and takes just a few minutes. Within an hour your water hyacinth plants will be ready for drying.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Hose
• Water hyacinth plants
• Gardening scissors
• Rubber gloves
• Bucket
• String
• Trash bags

1. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands while completing this project. Take the water hyacinth out of the pond. If the roots are clinging to the bottom of the pond or other plants, cut them with gardening scissors. Set them into a bucket or other container.
2. Remove any dead leaves from the hyacinth. Remove yellowed and spotted leaves as well. Throw the dead leaves into the trash. Remove any debris that can be removed by hand from the roots. Plant matter and algae often get tangled up in the roots of water hyacinth plants.
3. Lay the hyacinth plants on a driveway or other cement surface. Spray the roots with a hose to wash off any dirt or other plant matter from the roots. Shake excess water from the plants.
4. Fill a bucket with warm water. Place the hyacinth plants into the bucket and dip them up and down to remove any dirt that is still stuck on the plants. Continue to dip until the water remains clear.
5. Cut the roots off of the hyacinth plants with scissors or pruning shears. Throw the roots into the trash. Take the water hyacinth plants and bundle together in sets of five. Tie the bundles together with string. Lay the hyacinth plants out in the sun until they are completely dry. Once this occurs they can be brought inside or left outside until they are ready to be processed for other purposes.

Tips & Warnings

• Water hyacinth plants are used to make paper, baskets, fertilizer, compost and even furniture. It is necessary to clean and dry the hyacinth before any of these things can be made from the plant.

• If you are growing water hyacinth expressly for the purpose of drying, take care to keep the plant in the place where you intended for it to grow. Water hyacinth is notorious for becoming overgrown and clogging natural rivers and ponds.