Regular dirt garden plants that are can be put into pond ?

[crsublette]

Sounds like this is common practice.

Pecan mentioned this in another thread and it just amazes me. I guess this would be the equivalent to putting these plants into a hydroponic garden.

Do these plants still oxygenate the water and take up Nitrates like the aquatic classified plants ??


I have just about 3~4" of water above my flagstone table in the center of my pond. Would these type of plants grow well in this just in their containers ?? Could Mint be grown in these conditions??


Sorry, I am not good with plants at all, lol. My routine is asking the lady in the greenhouse to bundle something pretty for me.

 

[addy1]

I have mint, in the ground, in the bog, in the pond as a floater. Yes mint does fine. It does need to be controlled......likes to take off, but I love the smell if it starts to spread too much I yank it.

If you put plants in pots in your pond, use a clay type soil, not garden soil out of bags, it will make a mess. I use kitty litter clay it works well. On top of your table you would end up with a mini bog type set up, shallow pots with water flow.

On your table you could try a lot of different plants, go to the nursery, find a plant you like and give it a try. The blue forgetmenot, grows great and blooms all summer. Day lilies, stella de oro, happy returns are growing great in my bog, including the large maryland "wild" day lilies, in fact they are growing so well I need to purge some, out to the yard they are going.

 

[HARO]

Plants respire through their leaves, so any plant with only its roots in the water can't 'oxygenate' the water.Plants normally referred to as 'oxygenaters' are those that grow entirely under the surface. Nitrates are taken in through the roots, so any plant with its roots in the water will help to remove this fertilizer from your pond.
John

 

[Waterbug]

The amount of water is key for many plants. Most plants, even pond plants, do better if they're not covered by water. Many regular plants can have "wet feet" meaning the water level is kept an inch or two below the soil. Many plants can be started in a regular pot and once they get going a bit can be moved to wet feet. Starting them in water can be a problem as they rot.

And that's the bottom line. Most plants can grow in water, but they're more susceptible to attack from bacteria and viruses. Some plants have more defenses than others. Some plants can grow fast enough to allow for some roots rotting.

 

[kougs]

I have in one of those fabric type baskets filled with clay kitty litter in my small stream, hostas. And they are starting to sprout. I was surprised. Saw this in another post and thought I'd try. It works.

 

[crsublette]

Good stuff. Thanks everyone.

Fun idea Kougs, I never thought of that.

Haro, thanks for the clarification.

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Very neat and Interesting Addy. I never would have considered that area of my flagstone table as a possible "bog" plant area.

So, for my stream, any "bog type" classified plant will work pretty good soaking up those nutrients?

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Some plants can grow fast enough to allow for some roots rotting.

"Roots rotting". Grr, sorry, I don't understand fully. When the roots start going outside the pot, is this when they are likely to rot? Or, are they rotting inside the container? Should I be concerned for my water with the roots rotting?

 

[crsublette]

If you put plants in pots in your pond, use a clay type soil, not garden soil out of bags, it will make a mess. I use kitty litter clay it works well. On top of your table you would end up with a mini bog type set up, shallow pots with water flow.

So, since these dirt garden plants will have the garden soil in the pots, should I do my best to knock off as much of the garden soil out of the plant's roots as possible and then repot it in a clay material ??

 

[addy1]

So, since these dirt garden plants will have the garden soil in the pots, should I do my best to knock off as much of the garden soil out of the plant's roots as possible and then repot it in a clay material ??

I take a hose and rinse off the soil. A lot of the soil plants are in floats. I made the mistake once, previous pond, it made a mess. I have not noticed any roots rotting. When I put in a land plant, I have pulled it out (gently) to check for new root growth, usually see the fine white roots growing everywhere. If the plant does not like the moisture, it usually just dies.

I would think the only time you would need to worry about your pond water, if roots rot, would be if you had a horrendous amount rotting. All pond plants "rot" as the leaves mature and die, i.e. lilies, it has not bothered my pond. I do try to keep the dieing leaves trimmed off, but don't get them all.

 

[crsublette]

Funny something I wanted to share ...

I was hoeing out of my yard a grass that grows in the early spring and the wind blew a clump of it into my little pond. So, meh, I saw it and wanted to see if it would grow any. Heh, the grass clump actually started to grow a bit in the pond while it was floating. I don't know how long it would have gone, but, when I went over to dip it out of the water to look at it, the grass clump had all sorts of new root growth and all sorts of green leaves still, haha. Crazy.

 

[addy1]

A lot of my grasses grow great in the rocks along the side of the pond. In the bog they go crazy, I had to prune some this year, took them out and stuck them into land.