Bog plants not thriving, Lilies yet to be determined

[jgell]

I've had my bog planted for almost two month and the plants are not doing well. I bought lilies online at the same time. The tubers were small, one is completely gone, one is putting out a few very small pads and one still seems to be in the dormant stage. So I went to the garden center and pick out two more good sized tubers and put them in last week. I have a heavy fish load for a 3600 gallon pond with an 8x12 surface area bog. I'm feeding the fish 4 cups a day and my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are reading 0 ppm. Are my plants starving?

 

[Jhn]

What plants do you have in there, I see pickerel weed and iris/cattails I think, what else?

The two I mentioned can take abit to get going, as in a year or so, once they do they can over run a pond. Also how deep is the water above the gravel in the pond?
A lot of us on here vary the water level above and below gravel in our bogs as it gives us a variety of plants to plant. You want aggressive growing plants that are easy to pull out, because they will consume tons of nutrients like watercress, forgetmenot, water celery, you can put cannas, taros, you are pretty much just limited by your imagination.

Also the lilies in your pond, to keep the big koi off them, cut and zip tie down green safety fence over the pots keeping the lilies down a few inches, and the koi cant get at them. It’s what many of us on here have done that have koi but also love plants in the ponds, myself included.

What type of turtles do you keep in the pond? I too have turtles about 10 in my pond compound. They are fun too watch.

 

[Mmathis]

In my experience, it can take a good growing season before the plants really get going. Be patient.

 

[poconojoe]

I have no problem with anything I plant in the bog. Everything thrives.
Currently I have:
Papyrus
Marsh Marigold... that one grows wild!
Fiber Optic plant
Creeping Jenny
Parrot's Feather
Mini Cat Tail
Cork Screw Rush
Water Forget-Me-Not
Aquatic Mint
Iris
And a few others I can't name, even some "weeds" that look good!
Last year a branch broke off of one of my tomato plants. I just stuck it in the bog and it grew! It even produced tomatoes!

 

[Abby]

We’ve had a similar experience as poconojoe… we have the following in our pond and bog

Bog:
Cattails
Taro
Cannas
Pennywort

Pond:
Lilies
Pickerel
Parrot feather
Grasses
Papyrus
Anacharis
Lotus
Hosta
Creeping Jenny

 

[GBBUDD]

As mentioned above pickerel weed/rush is not a plant that you trow in a bog and it takes off the e y in particular love sediment and dealing matter.if nothing else but from the previous years growth. Then as mentioned watch out they can become quite overbearing. For quick growth try hiacyins. . Water lettuce. . Water cress.. celery.. forget me nots parrot feather. Regular old impatience for quick color and the canvas as mentioned. You have all plants that will do fantastic in time . But generally in the second year.

 

[jgell]

Also the lilies in your pond, to keep the big koi off them, cut and zip tie down green safety fence over the pots keeping the lilies down a few inches, and the koi cant get at them. It’s what many of us on here have done that have koi but also love plants in the ponds, myself included.

What type of turtles do you keep in the pond? I too have turtles about 10 in my pond compound. They are fun too watch.

Jhn: Thanks for the suggestion about the safety fence. I already have some here so I'm going to set it up today. I currently have a western painted in the pond that I'm housing for a year while his own takes a sabbatical, Myrtle the turtle is the classroom pet. Also walking around the yard is a leopard tortoise, my classroom's pet, and two box turtles. I had an eastern painted in there until yesterday. She got stuck to my siphon pipe when I was draining the farm pond. I brought her to my pond to make sure she was okay. She did great so it was time to take her back to where I found her.

Seems like the common theme is to be patient with the bog plants and in the meantime pick some fast growing stuff that can be pulled out easily. Thanks for the suggestions.