Arachnis Pond Plant Anchor Ideas

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I'm currently using metal bands to hold together and anchor down my Arachnis plants. They work great except that where the metal band presses against the stems they rot pretty quickly and break free clogging up my skimmer. I'm looking for alternate anchor ideas that meet the following criteria:

1. Free floating or surface floating is not an option. I have a lot of trees and for the skimmer to be able to do it's job the pants must be fully submerged
2. I net clean the bottom of the pond almost daily. I need to be able to easily move the bundles of arachnis around with the net in order to clean the pond.
3. They need to be held securely together in a way that allows them to be moved around, but also not damage the stems so I do not have to constantly re-bundle them.

Thank you for your time and advice!
 

j.w

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I tried putting arachanis and hornwort in zippered net bags this year and so far so good. I put a few small rocks in the bag to sink it.
So does the Anacharis just stay in the netted bag like in a ball and the stems do not protrude out of the holes? If that is the case I guess you just use them as a good filtration plant and not to be seen? Or do they eventually sprout out of the bag holes? I can't keep them in my big pond just floating free as my pump will suck them up and kill them all. I still would still like to see them sprouting up if I somehow could keep them in one spot.
 
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I tried putting arachanis and hornwort in zippered net bags this year and so far so good. I put a few small rocks in the bag to sink it.
What a wonderfully intriguing idea. This sounds like it could become a popular way of growing Waterweed (Elodea spp., formerly Anacharis), Water-hornwort (Ceratophyllum spp.), and other submersible plants in highly managed ponds.
 

Mmathis

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I have used plastic mesh from the craft stores. There are 2 or 3 different sizes of holes. It didn’t work as well for anacharis as it did for the more grassy plants (that had roots and stems), but it helped. Problem is, you had to be careful stuffing the stems through the mesh holes because they are fragile. They also had to be weighted — I used the PL goop and glued a small rock between 2 layers of mesh.

No, I need amend the above! I looked back and found some pictures! Yay! So, I used plastic garden netting! Started out with craft mesh, but the holes were too small. Here are some pics……. D47CD5C6-2C96-465A-9393-A028299F01C1.jpeg3463114F-CB83-47F8-BF28-014942388292.jpegD0B5EC0F-7E2C-4721-960F-3DFBAC03F36C.jpeg
 
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Great pictures. Thank you for sharing. I agree this would be great for grasses... I'm actually thinking I might add some now after seeing this idea. I was going to get grasses before, but didn't want to deal with containers on the bottom of the pond other than the lilies I already have to clean around. This would definitely work for those.

I'm concerned the arachanis won't stay put, but it's worth a shot. Best alternate idea I've gotten so far and appreciate you sharing either way. Thank you!
 

addy1

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Mine has self anchored to the bottom, I don't net the bottom of the pond anymore not enough stuff to remove to make it worth while.
 
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I like the mesh bag idea. That sounds like the answer.

I have some anacharis that has gotten stuck on other plants, but some others that just float around.

I tried using those thin lead strips for fishing. They come in a matchbook just like matches, but I don't think it worked that well. Maybe not heavy enough, they are very thin.

Here's a question...
Will Anacharis survive the Pennsylvania zone 6b winters? I'm guessing no. So I'll be trying the mesh bag next year....
 

j.w

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Mine has self anchored to the bottom, I don't net the bottom of the pond anymore not enough stuff to remove to make it worth while.
I think ponds like yours that don't have a pump to suck all the plants up is a great way to go. Too bad I have a plant pump sucker! Hey another acronym, lol, PPS!
 
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This thread amuses me. Acronyms aside, I can't imagine a submerged plant in my pond lasting more than 24 hours. My fish are relentless in their pursuit of *anything* they can consume. A mesh bag would be no match for their hunger to E. A. T. !!!!!!! (lol)

I'm still trying to figure out a way to keep the friggin' squirrels from chowing down on all of the plants that are *above* the waterline. I've given up on trying to keep things that are submerged safe from hungry jaws...

:rolleyes:
 

addy1

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Here's a question...
Will Anacharis survive the Pennsylvania zone 6b winters? I'm guessing no. So I'll be trying the mesh bag next year....
Mine survives here we are 6b, My shallow ponds, including some of the tiny stream water collections freeze up and it comes back every year.
I have a forest of it in the big pond this year. Purging out of the hot tub pond to keep it under control, all anchored to the bottom. Growing in the lotus pond etc etc
20210418_115507.jpg
 
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This thread amuses me. Acronyms aside, I can't imagine a submerged plant in my pond lasting more than 24 hours. My fish are relentless in their pursuit of *anything* they can consume. A mesh bag would be no match for their hunger to E. A. T. !!!!!!! (lol)
Instead of just flexible mesh, perhaps literally caging the plants in a marine metal or hard plastic cage. The fish will eat the stems that grow out of the cage but the core mass of the plants will persist. I've actually done something very similar terrestrially to protect Catnip (Nepeta cataria) from cats.
 
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Instead of just flexible mesh, perhaps literally caging the plants in a marine metal or hard plastic cage. The fish will eat the stems that grow out of the cage but the core mass of the plants will persist. I've actually done something very similar terrestrially to protect Catnip (Nepeta cataria) from cats.
I guess if I cared enough, I could come up with a way to protect them. My waterlilies are in dish pans with welded wire over the top, but having other submerged plants doesn't interest me enough to put in the effort. I guess I'm a lazy plant parent. Hey! Another acronym: LPP :LOL:
 

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