Koi driving me nuts!!!!

[Priscilla]

Okay, I love my fish ..... BUT I wish I had done a bit of research before I bought the koi. They are brutal on the plants! I netted some water hyacinths and lettuces, but the lil buggers are push up the net and still eating the roots! I added a rock to the middle of each plant net, see if that will keep them out. ARGGGGGG!!!! I want plants in the pond, I really do.

I'm going to the hardware store tomorrow and look for some stiffer mesh, try to keep them out of the roots.

I have 6 koi, all are under 6 inches, I didn't think they would be able to destroy the plants. I guess its better to get my plant set up sturdy from now, obviously the bigger they get, the more trouble I'm going to have with them.

Just venting.

Any advice around the water lilies? I really want to be able to keep those, I bought them on the sly from a park worker, and after my dodgy transaction, sitting in a parking lot waiting for the delivery (feeling like a criminal), I really want them to LIVE!!!!!! Currently they are in a 3 gal pot, with some pea gravel on top and then some lava rock on the pea gravel. Any extra precautions I need to take?????

Thanks.

 

[sissy]

Yep koi are rooters and love to tear things apart .I am waiting to see if power goes out here wind is blowing every thing around they are saying some of the gusts are around 65 mph .

 

[Priscilla]

Whoa! 65mph!!!! Stay safe. Hope you don't lose power! Keep me updated.

 

[morewater]

Yeah, Koi will root around and spill all your pea gravel out of your potted lilies.

That's why I don't pot my lilies, I've stuck the tubers under the large rocks in the bottom of my pond, no soil, no fertilizer. I got rid of the pots two years ago and my lilies bloom like crazy.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I don't have any advice for you. The one Koi I had would always make a mess; rip apart the Water Hyacinth roots, knock the pea gravel everywhere. We ended up giving it away to a guy down the street. He had koi and a bigger pond for it. Even if I had a larger pond, I'd never buy Koi again.

 

[Dave's pond Indiana]

Yeah, Koi will root around and spill all your pea gravel out of your potted lilies.

That's why I don't pot my lilies, I've stuck the tubers under the large rocks in the bottom of my pond, no soil, no fertilizer. I got rid of the pots two years ago and my lilies bloom like crazy.

I have Koi up to 30' and all my lilies are bare root. My Koi will destroy any plants with floating roots.

 

[RobAmy]

Yeah, Koi will root around and spill all your pea gravel out of your potted lilies.

That's why I don't pot my lilies, I've stuck the tubers under the large rocks in the bottom of my pond, no soil, no fertilizer. I got rid of the pots two years ago and my lilies bloom like crazy.

Please explain this a little, size rock angle of tuber, depth etc. do you winter them. Do you need to separate them? I would love to get rid of the pots

 

[j.w]

Couldn't you make a floating plant container ring or square w/ fiberglass screen door material surrounding the bottom attached to black tubing plugged at both ends so it floats and then just drop the water lilies in there w/ some netting wrapped around the tuber so the lily can grow out of it and then put a rock in the netting to keep it in the bottom of the floating container? Or will koi eat the floating pads also?

 

[Priscilla]

Yeah, Koi will root around and spill all your pea gravel out of your potted lilies.

That's why I don't pot my lilies, I've stuck the tubers under the large rocks in the bottom of my pond, no soil, no fertilizer. I got rid of the pots two years ago and my lilies bloom like crazy.

Don't they just pull them out? Well obviously not, since its working for you.

 

[Priscilla]

I have Koi up to 30' and all my lilies are bare root. My Koi will destroy any plants with floating roots.

What do you mean your lilies are bare root? How do you secure them?

 

[Lisak1]

I'm just so happy to see my fish swimming around today that they can eat anything they want! Actually, my koi never bother the plants.. no clue why. They just mind their own business I guess! Are my fish really well behaved? Or just extra dumb?

 

[mrsclem]

I have mine in plastic planter baskets with a couple of rocks to weigh them down and them plastic poultry netting wire strapped over the top. Leaves will grow up thru the netting. Yes the koi will eat the leaves. Mine had so much fun last year ripping apart the flowers but I kept them fed so most of the plants survived. BTW- These are my small koi-3-15". Don't have any plants in with the big girls. I use window box planters on the edges of the raised pond.

 

[Priscilla]

I have mine in plastic planter baskets with a couple of rocks to weigh them down and them plastic poultry netting wire strapped over the top. Leaves will grow up thru the netting. Yes the koi will eat the leaves. Mine had so much fun last year ripping apart the flowers but I kept them fed so most of the plants survived. BTW- These are my small koi-3-15". Don't have any plants in with the big girls. I use window box planters on the edges of the raised pond.

I was thinking of building in planter boxes on the edges of my pond. I think I will consider that more seriously after this post.

Please tell more about you big girls.

Lisa, you are so lucky! I have lots of roots just floating out of rocks at the edges of my pond, of course they don't bother those, oh no, they go for my favorite, the water hyacinths.

 

[brokensword]

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/floating-planter-rings.2581/

 

[koiguy1969]

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/floating-planter-rings.2581/
solution above for the hyacinth and lettuce problem