Marginal Plant Question

[Philip]

Hi all-- brand new to the forums. I have a ~2500 gallon pond that i'm looking to add some marginal/bog plants to, but i'm trying to figure out how to protect them from 2 hungry RES turtles. I was thinking about purchasing two "tuff stuff" plastic tubs, drilling holes in them for water movement, filling them with some sort of clay material, planting the plants (thinking water canna, thalia, or cat tail), and adding a gravel layer to the top. The water level would be just below the top of the gravel.

Do you think that this would work? I know aquatic plants are a no-go since they devour anything i put in there, but i would really like to add some sort of marginal plants as the pond is looking rather bare.

Thanks!

 

[j.w]

Philip
Some here use 100% clay kitty litter for the soil for their plants. Your plan sounds feasible as long as the little turtle buggers can get their claws up on the top of that tub and pull themselves up and into the tub. I think you could even put a tub or big pot like that in the pond sitting on something like a plastic milk crate down in the water as long as they can't get up in the pots. I don't have turtles so no expert on this subject.

 

[Philip]

Thanks for the quick reply! I suppose i could put some sort of barrier around the pots until the plants mature-- perhaps stainless steel mesh? The pond is relatively deep, so the tubs would sit on top of a few large boulders that are already situated.

 

[adavisus]

Some plants are less tasty, or just too tough to chow down on. Water lettuce, thalia, iris, cyperus among others...
Some plants are good for turts to eat, consider them 'sacrificial' plants, those could be added to the turts dining room as and when...
A mesh fence would help separate the plants while they establish...


Regards, andy
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[Mmathis]

Beware that turtles are excellent climbers, and a mesh-type material might make it actually easier for them to gain access. Maybe if you could somehow bend or construct the mesh so it flares back over the water -- picture the turt climbing vertically, then up-side-down....

 

[Fishylove]

Lol! TM love the sketch!