πΏ Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
Ideal for Aquaponics β’ Water Purification β’ Fish Habitat β’ Eco-Towers
Price:
β’ R15 per rosette
β’ R40 for 3 rosettes
(fresh, healthy plants)
β What Youβre Getting
This is Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), a bright green, free-floating aquatic plant with soft, velvety leaves that form attractive lettuce-like rosettes on the water surface.
Each rosette floats freely and produces long, feathery roots that hang down into the water.
Water lettuce is widely used because it:
Absorbs excess nutrients efficiently
Improves water clarity and stability
Creates habitat for fish and beneficial microbes
π± Why Water Lettuce Is So Valuable
β Fast, Easy Growth
Water lettuce spreads naturally by runners in warm, sunny conditions. It establishes quickly from just a few rosettes and is easy to thin or harvest as needed.
β Powerful Natural Water Cleaner
The dense root systems act like a living filter, removing:
Ammonia and nitrogen
Phosphates
Fine suspended particles
Perfect for improving water quality in ponds, fish systems, and aquaponics setups.
β Excellent Fish & Fry Habitat
The hanging roots provide shelter and feeding grounds for:
Small fish and fry
Shrimp and snails
Beneficial bacteria
This helps reduce stress on aquatic life and improves overall system balance.
β Helps Control Algae
By shading the water surface and competing for nutrients, water lettuce naturally suppresses algae growth without chemicals.
β Low Maintenance, High Return
No soil, no planting, no electricity.
It floats, grows, cleans water, and multiplies β making it ideal for simple, low-energy systems.
π How It Fits the MaterialCycle Vision
MaterialCycle is about small, regenerative loops that turn waste streams into value.
Water lettuce fits this perfectly:
Excess nutrients β living biomass
Dirty water β cleaner, more stable systems
Sunlight β growth and filtration
This same principle drives the MaterialCycle Towers:
simple materials, modular biology, and circular flows that work whenever the sun shines.
π§ Ideal For
Aquaponics and fish systems
Ponds and water features
Water polishing and nutrient removal
Fry and shrimp habitat
Algae control
Eco-Tower and modular water experiments
π¦ Availability
Harvested fresh from clean, circulating systems.
Pickup in Cape Town
Price subject to change:
R15 per rosette
R40 for 3 rosettes
Price subject to change:
R15 per rosette
R40 for 3 rosettes
Price subject to change:
R15 per rosette
R40 for 3 rosettes