Submerged Plants

[Duck Farmer]

Hello Everyone!

I would like to add some plants to my pond to help keep sediment from kicking up but also add some natural filtration. I added some IRIS and cattail but my ducks ate them in short order. It would seem my only option is submerged plants. Any recommendations?

That being said, Once a plant is well established, ducks will just nibble here and there and wont completely eat the whole thing, which was a mistake I made with my IRIS, the roots weren't established so the duckies uprooted them easily.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Do you have fish? They love nibbling on submerged plants!

 

[Duck Farmer]

Nope! Just Ducks, because ducks like nibbling on fish!!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Just be prepared. The growth rate of the submerged plants will likely be faster than normal considering the nutrients that your ducks will add. You may find yourself thinning plants quite often.

 

[adavisus]

Dunno if you noticed, ducks have looong necks and just luuuurve exploring underwater, they even have flippers, for snorkelling.... diving for tasty nibbly pond plants

Hornwort, being a less tasty plant, might be your best chance of trying a submerged aquatic

 

[Duck Farmer]

Just be prepared. The growth rate of the submerged plants will likely be faster than normal considering the nutrients that your ducks will add. You may find yourself thinning plants quite often.

I am hoping the ducks might help with that, but your point is well taken.

Dunno if you noticed, ducks have looong necks and just luuuurve exploring underwater, they even have flippers, for snorkelling.... diving for tasty nibbly pond plants

Hornwort, being a less tasty plant, might be your best chance of trying a submerged aquatic

LOL!

That is true! I am hoping that they will at least give the plants time to establish since they wont be overtly advertised like a salad buffet.

 

[Frog Whisperer]

Hello Everyone!

I would like to add some plants to my pond to help keep sediment from kicking up but also add some natural filtration. I added some IRIS and cattail but my ducks ate them in short order. It would seem my only option is submerged plants. Any recommendations?

That being said, Once a plant is well established, ducks will just nibble here and there and wont completely eat the whole thing, which was a mistake I made with my IRIS, the roots weren't established so the duckies uprooted them easily.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

You don't say what growing zone you are in but for submerged plants Hornwort is one of the best to filter and oxygenate the water. It is fast growing so a few bunches go along way. It is easy to control by removing overgrowth easily. I have started to keep the little net baggies that small onions and garlic or other produce come in. I fill the baggies with pea gravel and large sand and a few aquatic fertilizer crystals or part of a tab. Don't over do the fertilizer, it wouldn't be necessary in an established pond and adds to algae growth if you over do it. A rubber band around the top of the bag also serves to slip the bottom of the bunch through to use as a weight to sink the bunch in the pond and hold it in place and keep it from drifting into your filtration. Hornwort is hardy but is also easy to remove and replace each spring. When ordering by mail, I always ask for my submersibles to be shipped when water temps stabilize at about 50 degrees or above. The water isn't freezing so there is no risk to a submerged plant and it gives them the time to grow up with the hardy lilies. Happy gardening. Hope this helps.

 

[Duck Farmer]

Wellllll I went to a local fishstore and got some hornswort and some other plants, including a beautiful lily pad root/plant. There was a rush of feathers and quacking and even though I planted some at the bottom, all the plants were demolished.

I am thinking that there will not be a lot of plants in this particular pond lol. That said, the water is fairly clear and clean so the filters are doing there jobs. The PH, nitrites and nitrates are all in the happy level so I'm calling it a win!