How to Care for an Indoor Floating Lettuce Plant

Floating lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is often thought of as an outdoor pond plant. Many enthusiasts are surprised to learn that it is equally at home in the freshwater home aquarium. The plant’s roots provide excellent refuge for fish. It can grow large outdoors, but maintains a size of slightly less than 2 inches when grown inside. As long as indoor lettuce is kept warm and receives plenty of light, it thrives in either hard or soft water. This plant is easy to care for and not fussy about water quality. While you don’t want to keep the water dirty, floating lettuce thrives best in polluted water rich in nitrates.

Aquarium heater
Aquarium screen cover

Instructions

- 1
  Set the aquarium heater to maintain a warm environment between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Floating lettuce is native to the tropics and subtropics and does not tolerate cold water.
- 2
  Turn the aquarium lights on for 10 to 12 hours daily.
- 3
  Maintain a slightly pH between 6.5 and 7.2 for your indoor floating lettuce.
- 4
  Opening the aquarium’s top allows excellent ventilation. Floating lettuce leaves dry out and turn brown and brittle without adequate air circulation. Fit your tank with an aquarium screen cover if you keep jumpers.
- 5
  Pinch off some of the plantlets that develop if floating lettuce threatens to crowd the water surface. Leave some space between individual plants.
- 6
  Pick off and discard leaves when they yellow or fade.

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