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Articles/FAQ
Planting Your Water Garden:
It is exciting to see the lush foliage and beautiful flowers produced by your aquataic plants. The diversity of plants available can make every pond a unique delight. Plants provide protection and spawning areas for your fish, consume algae-promoting niutrients and offer shade from sunlight that would otherwise promote the growth of unsightly algae. Plants also produce oxygen during daylight hours through the process of photosynthesis. It is during the daytime, when pond temperatures are at their highest, that fish have the greatest need for oxygen. A properly planted pond will allow your water garden to come as close as possible to a balanced environment like those found in nature.
Coverage of 50% of the pond surface with plants is hightly recommended. The type of plants selected should satisfy the needs of your pond and your desires as well. See your local plant dealer for the best plants in your area. Aquatic plants can be grouped into the following three categories.
1. Floating Plants: These plants grow with part or all of their floiage on or near the surface of the water.
There are two type of floating plants, distinguished by the location of their roots.
One type grows with its roots in the soil and its leaves on the surface. (lilies, parrot;s feather, lotus).
The second type grows so that the entire plant appears at the water's surface, with roots dangling in the water. (water hyacinths, clover, water lettuce and Azolla)
2. Submerged Plants: these plants grow entirely beneath the surface of the water. Submerged plants are fery efficient at utilizing nutrients, which would otherwise promote algae blooms. They improve water quality, and provide an area for fish to spawn and serve as shelter for small fish. (Elodea, Anacharis, and hornwort)
3. Marginal or Bog Plants: These plants grow in shallow water, most prefer two to six inches deep - where roots can get wet, but stems and leaves cana be above the water's surface. (Cattails, sweet lag, rush, and iris).
The more plants you have the better your water clarity.
As in regular landscape plants the pH of the enfironment is important to plant growth. In the pond environment, you need to check the pH of the pond water. The ideal pH level in you pond is in the 6.8 to 7.8 range. (Using your test kit you can determine how much pH Increaser or pH Decreaser to add to your pond.
Aphids are one of the most destructive of all water plants. Aphids can appear on plants anytime during the growing season. Winged adults can easily spread from nearby gardens. Aphids feed on you plants by piercing the leaves, stems, and buds and sucking out the plants liquid. When this is done, the surrounding plant tissue begins to die. Entire plants can be destroyed by aphid damage. Use Blade Runner to care for this problem.
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