New to aquatic plants ... Any fun tricks / tips / info ?

[crsublette]

I am just familiar with plants I put in dirt, hehe. I keep a sparse xericscape rock garden where in the beginning all I do is put down some root stimulant and organic plant fertilizer for the first couple months, that's it.

Don't know what to do with aquatic plants.

Do I take the plants out of its container?

Should I get these pot thingies sold in shops that says it is for pond plants?

There seems to be a clay plant media to keep a plant anchored. Is this useful?

If I do just keep the plant in the container, should I cut holes into the sides so more roots come out of it?

I am getting good plant ideas ya'll. I just don't know about the rest of it such as planting them. I don't know, lol.

Addy, is it just the clay kitty litter that will work well?

Anything a first timer should know? tricks? tips?

 

[addy1]

Depends on the type of plant. I use the pure kitty litter clay, walmart cheap stuff. For lilies, taro, iris either an oil pan or a left over black planting pot from home depot, fill it with kitty clay stick the plant in, stick it in the pond. The home depot pots I block the holes on the bottom ow the clay just pours out.

The lilies I stick in fertilizer tabs off and on during the summer. I also put 1/4 cup osmocote in the bottom of the pan before I add the kitty clay.

For pond floaters just toss them in.

You can also stick marginals just in the rocks around the sides of your pond. My bog plants are all taken out of their pots and put right into the pea gravel.

I usually remove any bought plants from their containers. I wouldn't waste the money on the pots you can buy for ponds they are not cheap, at least here they arent

 

[pecan]

I pretty much do the same thing as Addy, but use yard dirt (not soil, basic dirt) instead of clay kitty litter. in my pond I have the following:

Planted in free black nursery pots that plants come in with basic dirt:

Canna Lily
2 Sweet Flags
4 Iris's
1 Bald Cypress
9 Water Lilies (in holeless plastic containers ($1.49 each) bought in the storage section at walmart)

Planted bare root in bog, pond edge and skippy filters

2 Hostas
1 Sweet Flag
1 Day Lily
About 10 Mint (bought in the veggie section since they are cheaper than there than in the pond section)
About 20 Watercress (bought at the grociery store)
About 20 creeping Jenny
1 Fern
2 Reeds
2 Grasses of some sort
3 Monkey flowers
Several other plants I am not quite sure what they are.

When possible I try to plant directly in the rocks on the edge of the pond or in the bog rather than using dirt and pots. The plus with doing this is less mess and less re-potting. The bad thing is some plants can really take over the pond this way and you can't put fertilizer tabs in the pots if they aren't in pots. I just pull the plant out of the pot it came in, rinse all the dirt off the roots with the hose and bury the roots in the rocks.

I have been trying many regular dirt planting garden plants rather than more expensive pond plants. I have found that many do well planted directly in water (like hostas, creeping jenny etc. ), and it saves money.

 

[crsublette]

Awesome good stuff.

I have been trying many regular dirt planting garden plants rather than more expensive pond plants. I have found that many do well planted directly in water (like hostas, creeping jenny etc. ), and it saves money.

Wow, now that is interesting I never thought of that. Created a new thread to ask more about that. Sounds neats.

 

[Heidi]

Thank you Pecan for the list of plants. I, too, wasn't sure what to plant. I can't wait to buy more and will keep my fingers crossed that my pond clears up. I've added 4 bales of barley straw and several ladies knee highs fulls of active charcoal, so all should be good as soon as it cycles (knock on wood).

 

[Roansdad]

i never use dirt in my pond. i repot everything i buy into oil-dry, same as the kitty litter suggestion, its just clay or i use pea gravel. my opinion is dirt just leaches into the water and adds to the unclarity. also this type of planting forces the plants to take their nutrients directly from the water(hindering algae growth) and not from the soil

 

[taherrmann4]

It depends on the type of dirt you use, I am not sure I would call the stuff in my yard dirt it is more like clay and that is what I have used with no ill effects in the clarity of the water.

 

[j.w]

Clay is clay although their are different varieties. We have sandy soil here and it mucks up the pond if you use it. I like using the clay whether it be kitty litter or your own ground type. Have used the gravel but it makes the pots super heavy to get out of the pond so sticking w/ clay. I agree it helps keep the algae away too as an added benefit!

 

[addy1]

our dirt is clay / shale, dirt mix, it makes a mess of the pond if you put it in. I use kitty litter.

 

[pecan]

I am likely to switch to kitty litter as well. Have had bad results with the yard dirt this year Need to muk out the pond again today and do some re-potting

 

[sissy]

my tip is i over winter as much as i can in a concrete tub I drag into my basement .Concrete tubs cheap overwintering saved well i'm not sure how much yet since pond plants are not for sale here yet .All it took was a window and a oxygen pump for less than 30 dollars at petco that has 4 outlets .The plants need air to there roots