watercress

Discussion in 'Water Gardening' started by deadlyart, Oct 14, 2006.

  1. deadlyart

    deadlyart New Seed

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    does anyone know how to grow water cress in the uk. I really would like to know a bit about it if anyone can help.
     
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  3. eileen

    eileen Resident Taxonomist Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Easy as pie!!

    Sprinkle the seeds on to a piece of wet blotting paper or doubled over paper kitchen towel and hey presto before you know it they'll all have roots. Keep them well watered and soon you'll be picking the cress!! There.........I told you it was easy didn''t I? :D
     
  4. pondlady

    pondlady Young Pine

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    You can grow watercress bare root (unpotted) in any pond. Better like it tho. You will have barrels of it very soon.
     
  5. deadlyart

    deadlyart New Seed

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    Eileen you are a fountain of knowledge, I have never come across seeds for water cress but then maybe I haven't looked hard enough i will search at the garden centre.

    The idea of having loads of it sounds good Pondlady I was thinking of growing it to sell.
     



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  6. pondlady

    pondlady Young Pine

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    I'm not sure how much it likes freezes. But you can have as much as you can carry in the summer. And them more next week.
     
  7. OutdoorDecor

    OutdoorDecor New Seed

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    Water Cress

    I would like to add that in most of the world due to bacteria and other things in ponds and lakes you may not want to grow in in a natural setting unless you plan to fully cook it.
     
  8. pondlady

    pondlady Young Pine

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    How could you grow it? Other veggies and herbs are grown in the ground and sprayed by poisons. Rice is grown in paddies fertilized by human wastes, but I don't think it is eaten raw. So how to grow watercress?
     
  9. OutdoorDecor

    OutdoorDecor New Seed

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    How to grow

    I would use some kind of sterile fertilizer and grow in in a hydroponic way in a clean container if you are planning on using it in salad (raw). This should minimize the ecoli and other possible contaminants. If you only eat it cooked then I would think growing it in a wild setting would be fine.
    (I have read all about things you grow in the water in many different books and on this issue they just all seem to agree)
     
  10. pondlady

    pondlady Young Pine

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    Hydroponics! What a good idea!
     
  11. deadlyart

    deadlyart New Seed

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    I hadn't considered the contamination aspect of it at all, so thanks for mentioning it. As far as cooking is concerned do people actually eat it cooked then? As you have probably guessed I don't know a great deal about water cress. Hydroponics is so expensive to set up I don't think I could do it that way.
     
  12. blackrose

    blackrose In Flower

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    Re: How to grow

    :!: great idea! safety and all.i'm sure i've learned much too since i am a watercress fan too! :D
     

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