Plants

[Das]

I have been buying plants weekly. What can I do to stop my koi them from eating them. I have Hyacinths, lillies,water lettuce..etc. they are just destroying everything. I am feeding them normally, 2 times, not too much. It is very, very hot here. 100 plus every day for the last month. Last couple days 110 plus. I over hear other ponders around here are having the same issue. My water gets warm but I add every day. Any ideas?

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! I can't help because I don't have koi, but I understand that they are very hard on plants. I think it's their nature to dig, root, and tear. There are some member who have come up with creative ways to deal with it, so hopefully someone will chime in.

 

[brokensword]

you can build screen/mesh baskets to place around your plants and most of the roots will be protected. Koi behavior toward plants is one big reason I have gf; I LIKE plants and don't want to be forced to protect them as described above.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

I too have large Koi and they do love to rearrange your plants. I plant most of mine barefoot in these baskets that I get from Lowe's. I just put enough rocks in them to keep them from moving them around.

 

[Usman]

floating basket or a garden pipe ring with net under it

 

[Jhn]

The plants you mentioned are going to be tough to keep with koi. If you have any shallow areas of your pond, you can try planting marginal/bog plants, ie arrowheads, pickerel rush, thalia to name a few. Can also boost pots up on crates, cinderblocks, whatever to get the rim above the water surface, which is key to keep the koi out. Also, could try small floating islands, have plant pockets in them.

You can try the floating ring with net hanging down, but eventually the koi figure it out. Short of creating another area where the koi have no access, there isn't a whole lot you can do for the plants you mentioned.

I have koi in my current pond but none are large, all 12" and under. I have let water celery grow through out the perimeter of my pond, which gives the koi something to eat on. As well, as a seperate area of the pond that I let get over run with plants for years, recently I moved some rocks around to open it up to the koi.