How to give plants in a new pond "a boost."

[bagsmom]

So I have the new pond going. 4 tiny fish. A few pieces of parrot's feather are doing their thing and I have a couple of little marginals. They are pass-alongs, so I'm not exactly sure what they are. Some of them look like teeny versions of lily pads. Very cute. They seem to be fine, but the color has changed from a bright green to a dull green. Could just be the life cycle of the leaves.
The pond is full of algae. That is growing fantastic! LOL. I know that is all a part of the life cycle of a new pond.
But tell me -- other than waiting for Spring to get more entrenched, is there anything I can do for the plants?

Specifically, will adding more fish provide waste products that could give the plants a boost?

I was thinking of borrowing my neighbor's pleco to feast on the algae. I know they will poop like crazy after that -- but might that be a good thing for the plants?

I know it is a delicate process and that I wouldn't want to overwhelm the new pond chemistry with a fish overload. But I wonder if getting a few more in there will give the plants something to "eat."

 

[bagsmom]

Just came back from a pond peek. The floating plants are getting yellowed down under the water.
I wonder if they are planted a little too deep? The leaves are floating nicely, though. Lots of algae growing on the leaves that are underwater.

 

[Tula]

@sissy keeps a separate tub, with miracle grow in it....she moves water hyacinth from their to pond, depending on if they need a boost.

 

[CometKeith]

Usually most plants don't do anything until summer months. Most people experiment with different plants to see which do best over time and every pond is different. Parrot feather likes warm weather so I'm not surprised its not doing much now. You can try getting some sedges. Even though it's cold by me my sedges are showing some signs of life. Also you can try some floating plants but again if your pond water is cold they won't do anything until things warm up. You can try going to a local nursery and seeing what pond plants they are selling because that will tell you what will grow right now. Stay the course and don't be tempted to add more fish. Doing that very slowly over time is much smarter.

 

[Linus_Cello]

No need to do anything. Warmer water and stronger light in late spring will give plants a boost.

 

[Lisak1]

You may find that your plants need a boost in the first year or so. Our plants floundered that first summer - they grew, but they were yellowing and looked sad. I finally gave them some fertilizer and BOOM! By year two though, they no longer needed the support - obviously the fish had started to contribute at a level that the plants were getting what they needed.

Two things I've done to fertilize - I used an aquatic plant tab and pushed it directly into the root ball of my marginals. The goal is to keep the fertilizer out of the water as much as possible. I've also used steel wool pads as an iron source - same approach. Just push it directly into the gravel near the plants roots. Both achieved the goal of greening up the plants.

 

[tbendl]

I use a little Osmocote to fertilize my lillies and that's it.