plants

[dugahole]

plants for the pond are pricy i take it the can be grown from seed lillys and such where can i get seeds

 

[sissy]

lilies are tubers and lotus is from seed and you can get the seeds at a craft store in the dried flower arrangement section .Grasses are great for ponds callingcolleen is from Canada and has a post here for Canada ponders and maybe can guide you better to what you need and they will be good for your weather

 

[pugle1]

Duckweed at the garden center I go to is fairly expensive. I just harvest my own from the south end of Lake Simcoe (the marshy area near Bradford). I simply dip in a nice bucket and get all kinds, plus some aquatic snail larvae as well that hitch a ride. They look after my algae nicely and the duckweed gives shade to my fish and is also a food source for them. Just simple brown minnows and 59 cent feeder gold fish, and thy survived the winter quite handily.

I bought my lilies, but harvested my own cat tails in the early spring. If you do this, you just need to make sure the source is a nice clean pollution free area. I'm lucky that way, it's just county forest with a nice boardwalk into the marsh, not a provincial reserve or anything, and when you scoop duckweed, there's so much that it just fill right back in where you took some out. I even ended up with some dragonfly nymphs too.

I added water hyacinth ( bought those on sale... 2 for the price of 3 ) but you're right... garden center aquatic plants are pricey. Except for the hyacinth, I'm trying to stick with what grows around here naturally. Hardy plants that are native to this area.

 

[addy1]

I am even skipping the hyacinths, sticking with what will live in my pond year round. Have plenty of good hardy plants to make the water do well.

 

[sissy]

Thats why I am trying the grasses this year like collen said they do work good at filtering the water .I got pots I cut down and after soaking them I am going to add some to my filters after i take the covers off .I have the pump in the bottom so any gunk I can just pump it out from the bottom of the filter .I figure it will hurt nothing giving it a try .I figure I will put screening between plants and filter this way i can trim some of the roots so they can't grow through the filter media .

 

[addy1]

Do you have any rush sissy? that stuff grows great and large root masses. shallow, foot down, dirt, bog, nothing bothers it.

 

[pugle1]

addy1, is that rush as in bull rush / cat tails? I have the mini's that I got around here as mentioned above, but full grown bull rushes are just too big for my 10 x 11 pond.

 

[addy1]

Can you see the fine grass looking plant with the iris, that is the rush I have. Not cattails.

Found the name, hard rush, I think lol

 

[sissy]

I have mini catails but no rush and I have not seen it here anywhere

 

[icsd71]

I started Lotus this spring from seeds. Now I have extra plants right now. Got all I needed for just a few bucks. Check ebay or on line seed companys.

 

[HARO]

Dugahole; Whereabouts in Ontario? I may be able to help you out. PM me if you prefer.
John

 

[pugle1]

addy1 .... it's your fault!!!! ... now I need to get some iris put in! ...LOL As for rushes .I still don't know the diff between rushes, reeds and good old hardy bull rush or cat tails for that matter. I'm still wondering if they're all in the same family. Mini cattails are what I have. Still no flower / seed head. but it's early in the season. The mini cats are spreading as I just used a couple shovels full of my compost enriched garden soil around the area where they're growing.... new shoots popping up like crazy. The water plant pot that I originally placed in the pond needs to come out. I guess I'll need to wait until fall to take the pot out. Roots abound!

 

[addy1]

Geez I am in trouble again! I just love my plants and enjoy sharing the love lol. They help keep my pond perfect. Sitting here looking at our underwater feed counting the trap door snails that are five feet down in the water. In this view I can see 26. Water is so clear just love it.

 

[pugle1]

John, I just wanted to say thank you in public for the wonderful plants that I got from you. Now I just need to enlarge the pond...lol. You're the best!

A few new pics in my gallery. Still a long way to go to finish everything, that is if there is such a thing as finished when it comes to this hobby....lol

Paul

 

[HARO]

You are certainly welcome, Paul, It was a pleasure meeting you and Debbie. I would much rather see the plants go to someone who will enjoy them than toss them in the compost. I checked your pictures... still a little straggly, but should fill out nicely over the summer.
John