How to Add Plants to Your Fish Pond

Pond plants play a vital role in enhancing the overall appearance of the pond as well as promote an environment that is quite healthy for the fishes. Moreover pond plants provide shelter and food for the fishes as well as other creatures in the pond.

There are different types of pond plants such as floating plants, deep water plants, bog plants, marginal plants and oxygenating plants. Each plant may grow to different sizes hence; a plant that overgrows will not suit your little pond. So it is vital to understand about them before choosing plants for your pond. You must also consider winter hardy plants based on your area since it is a messy task to keep the pond plants alive in the pond until spring arrives. You can check with your local nursery staff if the details are not in the plant label.

Sometimes you may have to use pots to avoid problems with the roots, especially if your pond is too small to accommodate it. You may choose fabric pots or mesh pots. Fabric pots helps air to pass through them which promotes the growth of the plants in a healthy and natural way and would not let the soil leak from them thereby keeping the ponds clear. A mesh pot would allow the roots to receive enough water.

It is important to choose the right plants for each layer of your pond since each type of pond plant has different uses.

Deep water plants such as lotus, water hawthorn and water lilies can be used as a natural fertilizer since they remove the waste from the pond. These plants require lots of oxygen and sunlight and aquatic plant fertilizers and they can grow real quick comparatively. While water hawthorn can live in water that is 8 to 60 cms (3 to 24 inches) deep, lotus and water lilies require deeper water that is at least 60 cms (2 feet).

Oxygenating plants such as water violet, water buttercup, hornwort and water milfoil helps in providing oxygen to the fishes and other creatures in the pond. They also help reducing the algae growth in the pond by absorbing the carbon dioxide and nutrients that algae needs to survive. In addition to providing spawning areas for the fish, oxygenating plants also improves the water quality in the pond.

Floating plants are those that float atop the water and provide shade to the fishes and other creatures. Bladderwort, water chestnut, water soldier, water hyacinths and water lettuce are some good examples of floating plants. Duckweed is not a good choice since their quicker growth the entire pond may get easily covered. This prevents photosynthesis from taking place, thereby decreasing the oxygen level in the water which is required for the plants and fishes to survive.

Marginal plants are suitable to be grown towards the shallower edges of the pond since their requirement is just 5 to 30 cms (2 to 12 inches) of water. Bog bean, Golden Buttons, Japanese Arrowhead, Sweet Flag, Lobelia, Pickerel, Golden sedge, Marsh Marigold and Iris are some good examples of marginal plants. Cattail is another marginal plant that provides food, and shelter and prevents erosion as well. However, their quick growth makes them hard to control. Unless you can constantly prevent their over growth, it is better to avoid them.

Bog plants such as Lysimachia, Astilbe and Primula are those that grow in the edges of the pond and require lots of moisture. Bog plants can also survive in wet mud. They control the growth of algae since they filter excess nutrient required for their growth and hence avoids pond water from turning green.

         

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