As spring approaches and the water temperatures get warmer, now is the perfect time to buy plants to liven up your pond ready for the summer months. Pond plants play an important role in the ecological system in your water garden or koi pond, and are essential for keeping algae at bay. Pond plants can also be particularly useful for filtering fish waste, as these plants convert it into plant food.
There are a wide variety of plants to choose from and can play a big role in helping your pond to thrive, whilst helping to eliminate dangerous chemicals in the pond. Aquatic plants are an easy and fantastic way of adding decoration to the pond, and choosing the right plants for your pond is crucial for both their successful growth and longevity.
There are 4 main types of pond plants which all require suitable locations in the pond to grow efficiently
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Oxygenators / Submersed Pond Plants
These plants grow submerged in ponds which are useful for helping to compete against algae for nutrients and are particularly useful for providing protection and cover for fish spawn. Submersed pond plants are also great for oxygenating the pond water, and bubbles of oxygen can often be observed coming from the leaves of these plants.
Submersed or oxygenating plants can however be problematic if you have too many in your pond. Not only can they take up valuable room that your fish need, ponds can become deprived of oxygen as these plants absorb oxygen, and release carbon dioxide at night time. This inevitably can cause fish to suffocate and die. These plants can be purchased in bunches and will require anchoring firmly in place using pond baskets.
Deep Water Pond Plants
Plants such as Water Lilies and Lotus’s are great examples of deep water plants. These pond plants look fantastic in the summer time when in full bloom, and come in a wide variety of beautiful colours. Available in hardy and tropical varieties, you can choose the perfect deep water plant for your pond. <br />Deep water plants can be bought bare-rooted or already grown into a container, in which you simply place into the pond at the appropriate depth.
Marginal Pond Plants
Marginal plants are grown on the inside edge of the pond as they prefer shallow areas of water. Marginal plants or Bog plants are particularly great at blending in the pond to your garden, and can really create a fantastic appearance for your pond. Well known species of marginal are plants such as Cattails, Cannas and Reeds, and do well in moist/boggy conditions. Marginal plants are easy to grow and are a great choice for most ponds.
Floating Pond Plants
An elegant and stylish way of adding colour and life to the pond is by using floating pond plants such as Water Hyacinths and Water Lettuce, which add shade, cover and most importantly colour to the pond.
Floating pond plants are useful in a pond as they help to keep water cool in the summer months, along with keeping algae at bay. It is recommended that 60% of the pond should be covered with floating water plants in order to achieve a good balance for your pond. Floating water plants can simply be placed on the water surface and generally do not need much maintenance.
Pond plants add an elegant and wonderful looking display to your pond, creating a tranquil area in the garden for you to relax and enjoy. Get your pond started this spring, and watch your garden come to life.
Here at Aquatix-2u we stock a large range of water plant kits from companies like Moerings and Waterworld so there is plenty to choose from to enable you to have a variety of plants in your pond
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Baskets / Containers
If you are planting a smaller sized pond it may benefit your aquatic plants to be grown in containers, as this will help to allow you to control where they grow and will prevent them from growing too large and becoming invasive.
At Aquatix-2u, we stock planting socks, containers, baskets and even floating islands to give you complete choice on where you want to place your plants.