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 Aquatic
Plants
When choosing aquatic plants for your pond, choose carefully. Plants
should be vigorous and fresh-looking. Make sure the water they are
growing in is free of algae, duckweed and blanketweed. The undersides
of the leaves should be clean. Masses of jelly-like snail eggs can
sometimes be found there in poor specimens.
You should buy plants that oxygenate the water when starting a
new pond. Every square yard of water surface should have at least
5 bunches of oxygenating plants. These are usually sold as bunched
cuttings without roots that have a small piece of lead at one end
to keep them anchored until they are established. Keep them submerged
in water until they are planted. Most varieties of oxygenators are
very prone to drying out quickly.
Fill your pond with water a few days before planting to allow the
temperature of the water to stabilize and any chlorine to evaporate
off. The water may be colonized by microorganisms which aid in creating
a beneficial environment for fish and plants during this maturation
period.
For best results and to make rearrangement and division easier,
plant larger stationary plants such as water lilies and water irises
in black planting baskets lined with burlap. This allows water and
gases to circulate through the soil without the soil washing away
into the water. The baskets should be filled with a good heavy garden
soil that has not been fertilized or manured recently. Do not use
peat moss or potting soil as these tend to float after the basket
is submerged. Potting soil should not be used because it contains
fertilizers which will encourage the growth of algae. To fertilize
your aquatic plants, mix a handful of bone meal into the soil prior
to filling the baskets. Always plant into moistened soil and soak
the baskets well before submerging them so that they do not float.
Follow the planting depth listed on the label of each plant as
these vary widely. Planting depth is measured from the top of the
soil in the basket to the water's surface. Do not plant too deeply
as this limits the amount of sunlight plants receive and may cause
them to die from lack of adequate photosynthesis. Placing baskets
containing young specimens on stacks of bricks to give them adequate
height may be necessary at first. As the young plants mature, the
stacks can be gradually lowered increasing the planting depth to
the proper level for a mature plant over time. Top dress the deepest
plants on the bottom of the pond with pea gravel.
Aquatic plants differ from terrestrial perennials in that they
should be planted between late spring and midsummer when in active
growth. Plenty of sunlight is available and water temperatures are
warmer which allows them to become fully established before die-back
in the fall.
Include some floating plants on the surface of the water. Water
hyacinths are a favorite due to their ease of division and profuse
violet blooms. In warm temperatures, they will multiply rapidly,
discouraging the growth of algae and providing essential shade for
fish. Just toss them into the water. Their roots take up nutrients
directly from the water. Their position is unimportant, and they
need no lead anchors.
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