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Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should the
Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and replant
the whatever.
I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping but
I wanted to check in with you guys first.
TIA
JB
0
Planting Medium for Water Lillies, etc.
Started by Guest_JB_*, Mar 21 2009 05:22 PM
12 replies to this topic
#2 Guest_ReelMcKoi_*
-
- Guests
Posted 22 March 2009 - 01:53 AM
"JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote in message
news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Dep
ot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and
not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and shoul
d
> the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket an
d
> replant the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
======================
My water lilies do best in a heavy clay soil with a Jobe's rose
stick broken in thirds or fourths placed midway in the soil. Then
the soil is covered with and inch or two of gravel. You'll get large
plants full of flowers this way.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>
news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Dep
ot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and
not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and shoul
d
> the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket an
d
> replant the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
======================
My water lilies do best in a heavy clay soil with a Jobe's rose
stick broken in thirds or fourths placed midway in the soil. Then
the soil is covered with and inch or two of gravel. You'll get large
plants full of flowers this way.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>
#3 Guest_Jim and Phyllis_*
-
- Guests
Posted 22 March 2009 - 02:14 PM
We have a cement bottom on the pond. Our lilies are 1. in pots with
clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
little things!
Jim
clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
little things!
Jim
#4 Guest_Joe_*
-
- Guests
Posted 22 March 2009 - 08:01 PM
JB wrote:
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should the
> Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and replant
> the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping but
> I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
>
>
I've found the best and cheapest medium is generic un-oderized cat litter.
It's 100% clay. Make sure you wash it first to get rid of the dust.
San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should the
> Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and replant
> the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping but
> I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
>
>
I've found the best and cheapest medium is generic un-oderized cat litter.
It's 100% clay. Make sure you wash it first to get rid of the dust.
San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.
#5 Guest_~ jan_*
-
- Guests
Posted 22 March 2009 - 08:02 PM
On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:22:38 EDT, "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote:
>Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
>It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
>soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should the
>Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and replant
>the whatever.
>
>I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping but
>I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>JB
One of the problems will small pebbles, koi/goldfish can get them stuck in
their mouth. Whatever choice of medium, cover it will larger rocks so they
can't do that.
I personally use my sandy soil, as I like to fertilize my flowering plants,
cannas & lilies mostly. Not a good idea to do that using pebbles. Too much
flow thru and thus leaching. When it comes to iris, I use big rocks just to
keep them steady and upright in the basket. I use those "throw-tabs" on
them. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
>Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
>It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
>soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should the
>Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and replant
>the whatever.
>
>I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping but
>I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>JB
One of the problems will small pebbles, koi/goldfish can get them stuck in
their mouth. Whatever choice of medium, cover it will larger rocks so they
can't do that.
I personally use my sandy soil, as I like to fertilize my flowering plants,
cannas & lilies mostly. Not a good idea to do that using pebbles. Too much
flow thru and thus leaching. When it comes to iris, I use big rocks just to
keep them steady and upright in the basket. I use those "throw-tabs" on
them. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
#6 Guest_ReelMcKoi_*
-
- Guests
Posted 22 March 2009 - 08:02 PM
"Jim and Phyllis" <jimandphyllisrp@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b34d919f-eb2d-45fc-8a87-009dcb47a2ed@j39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
> We have a cement bottom on the pond. Our lilies are 1. in pots with
> clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
> jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
> little things!
>
> Jim
>
=====================
When I tried gravel and kitty litter all I got were leaves and very
few flowers. The dense clay soil I believe, holds the Fertilizer in plac
e
so the roots can get it before it leeches out as it would in gravel or
litter.
Anyway, that was my experience with water lilies. YMMV. ;-)
Now I'll leave them to jump the pots. I really don't care what they do. I
'm
not hauling them out again to repot as in years past.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>
news:b34d919f-eb2d-45fc-8a87-009dcb47a2ed@j39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
> We have a cement bottom on the pond. Our lilies are 1. in pots with
> clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
> jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
> little things!
>
> Jim
>
=====================
When I tried gravel and kitty litter all I got were leaves and very
few flowers. The dense clay soil I believe, holds the Fertilizer in plac
e
so the roots can get it before it leeches out as it would in gravel or
litter.
Anyway, that was my experience with water lilies. YMMV. ;-)
Now I'll leave them to jump the pots. I really don't care what they do. I
'm
not hauling them out again to repot as in years past.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>
#7 Guest_Hal_*
-
- Guests
Posted 23 March 2009 - 02:44 PM
On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:14:18 EDT, Jim and Phyllis
<jimandphyllisrp@gmail.com> wrote:
>We have a cement bottom on the pond. Our lilies are 1. in pots with
>clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
>jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
>little things!
I'm a bit jealous of you guys who have lots of room and plenty of
plants and get good results without fertilizer. My space and number
of plants is more limited and I try to raise a more prolific plant by
selecting the best media and fertilizer that gives more blooms per
plant. I found best performance for me was obtained with garden soil
(Dug from a nearby flower bed.) covered in stones the fish couldn't
move and fertilized with a higher phosphorous number than the nitrogen
or potash, such as a 1-2-1 type, (6-12-6 or 15-30-15) the easiest
fertilizer is the once a year type and the one I use now is a 12-20-8
and it works well and I only have to fertilize lilies once a year.
--
Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8
http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb
<jimandphyllisrp@gmail.com> wrote:
>We have a cement bottom on the pond. Our lilies are 1. in pots with
>clay, 2. in pots with 2" river rock and 3. loose because they have
>jumped. All seem to be thriving. We have not fertilized them. Tough
>little things!
I'm a bit jealous of you guys who have lots of room and plenty of
plants and get good results without fertilizer. My space and number
of plants is more limited and I try to raise a more prolific plant by
selecting the best media and fertilizer that gives more blooms per
plant. I found best performance for me was obtained with garden soil
(Dug from a nearby flower bed.) covered in stones the fish couldn't
move and fertilized with a higher phosphorous number than the nitrogen
or potash, such as a 1-2-1 type, (6-12-6 or 15-30-15) the easiest
fertilizer is the once a year type and the one I use now is a 12-20-8
and it works well and I only have to fertilize lilies once a year.
--
Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8
http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb
#8 Guest_Jim and Phyllis_*
-
- Guests
Posted 24 March 2009 - 01:21 AM
I'm getting more and more grateful as I hear about the struggle others
are having!
We do add potash in the summer for the pond.
Jim
are having!
We do add potash in the summer for the pond.
Jim
#9 Guest_popegw_*
-
- Guests
Posted 29 March 2009 - 02:50 PM
I've tried the Scotts before, along with the kitty litter, etc. but I have
found this to work best for me with my lilies and pickerel rush. I put
these plants in a pot and place enough small rocks on top to keep the plant
roots from floating up and out of the pot. The roots thrive on the
nutrients in my pond water with no fertilizer added like you have to do with
planting medium. When I clean my pond in the spring, I pull the pots out
and create new pots of plants, if needed, by breaking the root bases apart
and starting the process over again. Good luck!
"JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote in message
news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should
> the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and
> replant the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
>
found this to work best for me with my lilies and pickerel rush. I put
these plants in a pot and place enough small rocks on top to keep the plant
roots from floating up and out of the pot. The roots thrive on the
nutrients in my pond water with no fertilizer added like you have to do with
planting medium. When I clean my pond in the spring, I pull the pots out
and create new pots of plants, if needed, by breaking the root bases apart
and starting the process over again. Good luck!
"JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote in message
news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home Depot.
> It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually and not
> soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and should
> the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the basket and
> replant the whatever.
>
> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>
> TIA
>
> JB
>
#10 Guest_JB_*
-
- Guests
Posted 29 March 2009 - 07:37 PM
Thanks to all for the replies. I think I'll just go with small pebbles. From
what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number of
folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious. I
don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks. Keep
telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
doing this for 11 years now.
JB
"popegw" <popegw@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:n6GdnWpAbZdlFFLUnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@giganews.com...
> I've tried the Scotts before, along with the kitty litter, etc. but I have
> found this to work best for me with my lilies and pickerel rush. I put
> these plants in a pot and place enough small rocks on top to keep the
> plant roots from floating up and out of the pot. The roots thrive on the
> nutrients in my pond water with no fertilizer added like you have to do
> with planting medium. When I clean my pond in the spring, I pull the pots
> out and create new pots of plants, if needed, by breaking the root bases
> apart and starting the process over again. Good luck!
>
> "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote in message
> news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
>> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home
>> Depot. It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually
>> and not soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and
>> should the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the
>> basket and replant the whatever.
>>
>> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
>> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> JB
>>
>
>
what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number of
folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious. I
don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks. Keep
telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
doing this for 11 years now.
JB
"popegw" <popegw@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:n6GdnWpAbZdlFFLUnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@giganews.com...
> I've tried the Scotts before, along with the kitty litter, etc. but I have
> found this to work best for me with my lilies and pickerel rush. I put
> these plants in a pot and place enough small rocks on top to keep the
> plant roots from floating up and out of the pot. The roots thrive on the
> nutrients in my pond water with no fertilizer added like you have to do
> with planting medium. When I clean my pond in the spring, I pull the pots
> out and create new pots of plants, if needed, by breaking the root bases
> apart and starting the process over again. Good luck!
>
> "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote in message
> news:QOGdnTcZv8eAnljUnZ2dnUVZ_s3inZ2d@earthlink.com...
>> Years back I was able to purchase some pond "soil" at Lowe's & Home
>> Depot. It was made by Scott's, I think. It was ceramic particles actually
>> and not soil. It was nice because it did not float or cloud the water and
>> should the Koi uproot the plant it was easy enough to scoop into the
>> basket and replant the whatever.
>>
>> I guess I could use very small pebbles like you can get for landscaping
>> but I wanted to check in with you guys first.
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> JB
>>
>
>
#11 Guest_~ jan_*
-
- Guests
Posted 29 March 2009 - 11:11 PM
On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:37:43 EDT, "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote:
>Thanks to all for the replies. I think I'll just go with small pebbles. From
>what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
>all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number of
>folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
>that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
>
>Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious. I
>don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks. Keep
>telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
>doing this for 11 years now.
>
>JB
No UV, no spring greenies here. Do you have a bio-filter? Do you do
frequent water change outs? How many fish?
I feed my lilies, lotus & cannas to get more flowers. The cannas only get
the tabs when I divide unless they're doing poorly. Usually they're so
vigorous I can't get a tab in after 2-3 months of growing time. Soil/clay
binds the chemical in fertilizers that algae loves to eat, I believe that
is the phosphate. I no longer have enough fish to rely on them keeping the
plants fed, especially in the lily pond. I once had 27 koi in koi ponds
when I first started out, I'm at 9 now and plan to keep it that way, or
even reduce that number depending on koi growth. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
>Thanks to all for the replies. I think I'll just go with small pebbles. From
>what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
>all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number of
>folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
>that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
>
>Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious. I
>don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks. Keep
>telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
>doing this for 11 years now.
>
>JB
No UV, no spring greenies here. Do you have a bio-filter? Do you do
frequent water change outs? How many fish?
I feed my lilies, lotus & cannas to get more flowers. The cannas only get
the tabs when I divide unless they're doing poorly. Usually they're so
vigorous I can't get a tab in after 2-3 months of growing time. Soil/clay
binds the chemical in fertilizers that algae loves to eat, I believe that
is the phosphate. I no longer have enough fish to rely on them keeping the
plants fed, especially in the lily pond. I once had 27 koi in koi ponds
when I first started out, I'm at 9 now and plan to keep it that way, or
even reduce that number depending on koi growth. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
#12 Guest_JB_*
-
- Guests
Posted 30 March 2009 - 11:39 PM
~jan,
I have a bio/mechanical filterfalls and do some water changes but not nearly
as frequent as I did years back with a smaller pond. I have 5 Koi, 3 that
I've had since 1998 and are about 24 inches long and weigh several pounds,
and around 25+ different types of goldfish in my 3,000 gallon pond. I turn
the water over once an hour through the filter.
"~ jan" <Seewebsite@jjspond.us> wrote in message
news:9huvs49t9j20jes15o8g4pntb9upnrspfo@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:37:43 EDT, "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote:
>
>>Thanks to all for the replies. I think I'll just go with small pebbles.
>>From
>>what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
>>all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number
>>of
>>folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
>>that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
>>
>>Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious.
>>I
>>don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks.
>>Keep
>>telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
>>doing this for 11 years now.
>>
>>JB
>
> No UV, no spring greenies here. Do you have a bio-filter? Do you do
> frequent water change outs? How many fish?
>
> I feed my lilies, lotus & cannas to get more flowers. The cannas only get
> the tabs when I divide unless they're doing poorly. Usually they're so
> vigorous I can't get a tab in after 2-3 months of growing time. Soil/clay
> binds the chemical in fertilizers that algae loves to eat, I believe that
> is the phosphate. I no longer have enough fish to rely on them keeping the
> plants fed, especially in the lily pond. I once had 27 koi in koi ponds
> when I first started out, I'm at 9 now and plan to keep it that way, or
> even reduce that number depending on koi growth. ~ jan
> ------------
> Zone 7a, SE Washington State
> Ponds: www.jjspond.us
>
I have a bio/mechanical filterfalls and do some water changes but not nearly
as frequent as I did years back with a smaller pond. I have 5 Koi, 3 that
I've had since 1998 and are about 24 inches long and weigh several pounds,
and around 25+ different types of goldfish in my 3,000 gallon pond. I turn
the water over once an hour through the filter.
"~ jan" <Seewebsite@jjspond.us> wrote in message
news:9huvs49t9j20jes15o8g4pntb9upnrspfo@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:37:43 EDT, "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote:
>
>>Thanks to all for the replies. I think I'll just go with small pebbles.
>>From
>>what I understand, the main purpose is to hold the plant down. It will get
>>all the nutrients it needs from the water. I was surprised at the number
>>of
>>folks that fertilize their plants. I'd read in one of Helen Nash's books
>>that this was not needed and would tend to encourage algae bloom.
>>
>>Do most of you "fertilizers" have a UV filter on your pond? Just curious.
>>I
>>don't and go through a healthy algae bloom each spring for a few weeks.
>>Keep
>>telling myself that I'm going to get a UV but haven't yet and I've been
>>doing this for 11 years now.
>>
>>JB
>
> No UV, no spring greenies here. Do you have a bio-filter? Do you do
> frequent water change outs? How many fish?
>
> I feed my lilies, lotus & cannas to get more flowers. The cannas only get
> the tabs when I divide unless they're doing poorly. Usually they're so
> vigorous I can't get a tab in after 2-3 months of growing time. Soil/clay
> binds the chemical in fertilizers that algae loves to eat, I believe that
> is the phosphate. I no longer have enough fish to rely on them keeping the
> plants fed, especially in the lily pond. I once had 27 koi in koi ponds
> when I first started out, I'm at 9 now and plan to keep it that way, or
> even reduce that number depending on koi growth. ~ jan
> ------------
> Zone 7a, SE Washington State
> Ponds: www.jjspond.us
>
#13 Guest_~ jan_*
-
- Guests
Posted 31 March 2009 - 05:07 PM
On Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:39:09 EDT, "JB" <jrbno@spamnoipa.net> wrote:
>~jan,
>
>I have a bio/mechanical filterfalls and do some water changes but not nearly
>as frequent as I did years back with a smaller pond. I have 5 Koi, 3 that
>I've had since 1998 and are about 24 inches long and weigh several pounds,
>and around 25+ different types of goldfish in my 3,000 gallon pond. I turn
>the water over once an hour through the filter.
If you're not too attached to the goldfish, you might want to get rid of
the majority of those, might help your spring greenies. Since I started
weekly water changes of 20+% my water quality has been amazing. I wish
though I could set up a flow thru system like many ponders have locally.
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
>~jan,
>
>I have a bio/mechanical filterfalls and do some water changes but not nearly
>as frequent as I did years back with a smaller pond. I have 5 Koi, 3 that
>I've had since 1998 and are about 24 inches long and weigh several pounds,
>and around 25+ different types of goldfish in my 3,000 gallon pond. I turn
>the water over once an hour through the filter.
If you're not too attached to the goldfish, you might want to get rid of
the majority of those, might help your spring greenies. Since I started
weekly water changes of 20+% my water quality has been amazing. I wish
though I could set up a flow thru system like many ponders have locally.
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
