Soil less planting

[Bo -]

Hi i am a bit of a novice, however i love experimenting, i am trying soil less planting in my pond , putting plants just into the gravel at the bottom of pond, it`s a shallow wildlife pond, has anyone had success with this type of planting and do you have any pics, i will post pics soon.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome! While this planting technique is new to you, nearly everyone who has a garden pond has donw exactly what you described. No need for soil in a pond for planting.

 

[Bo -]

Thanks Lisak that`s good to know, was worried that i might kill the water Lillies

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Everything you see in this pond is bare root......just a plastic basket with a couple of rocks thrown in to keep the wind and the Koi from tipping them over

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

View attachment 114591 Everything you see in this pond is bare root......just a plastic basket with a couple of rocks thrown in to keep the wind and the Koi from tipping them over

All I do in the fall is pull the baskets out trim all the roots back to the edge of the baskets, cut everything off at the waterline......everything comes back except the King Tut papyrus.....it doesn't survive our zone 7 winters

 

[Stephen Noble]

Totally agree. I have Red Mangroves and all sorts of lilies etc. growing in gravel filled pots and they do fine.
Stephen

 

[GBBUDD]

View attachment 114591 Everything you see in this pond is bare root......just a plastic basket with a couple of rocks thrown in to keep the wind and the Koi from tipping them over

very nice the pond looks great.

 

[CometKeith]

Hi and welcome! Typically the plants that do best are pond plants, but sometime you can try other types of plants as well. I have seen all types of herbs and even impatiens grown straight in the water. There are some plants that don't want their roots to be constantly wet so pond plants ar a safer choice. I use pea gravel to plant my plants in. You have to wash it thoroughly before using it or else it will create a big mess!

 

[Jhn]

Totally agree. I have Red Mangroves and all sorts of lilies etc. growing in gravel filled pots and they do fine.
Stephen

Always thought about doing mangroves in my pond, but would need to bring them inside for the winter.

 

[Bo -]

Thanks everyone, i feel much more confident now

 

[Lisak1]

We look forward to seeing those pictures!

 

[Bo -]

This is my little pond before i took the plants out of the soil

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! Nice pond you have there.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Hi i am a bit of a novice, however i love experimenting, i am trying soil less planting in my pond , putting plants just into the gravel at the bottom of pond, it`s a shallow wildlife pond, has anyone had success with this type of planting and do you have any pics, i will post pics soon.

Here an image of one of the Red Mangroves I grew from seeds (propagules). This plant has been moved indoors
and outdoors between the watergardens over the years. Notice the prop roots growing out of the trunk. This tree is now about 3 1/2 feet tall.
Stephen

 

[Jhn]

@Stephen Noble very cool looking, love the look of the prop roots.

I had red mangroves growing in a sump, in my saltwater tank system for a few years. One of them got to be about 3-4 ft tall, however I decided to change that to an algae turf scrubber for better nutrient export.

May get some propagules this winter and move them into the pond next spring when the weather warms.