Water Lillies in Pond

[Zelinda]

Hello, since I am relatively new to Pond maintenance & management, I am always second guessing myself. I am content with the small pond and two comets I have, since it is a small, quiet spot, and I like my Zen decor around it. Anyway, two questions. What can I mulch the Painted Ferns that surround the Pond with? I am afraid that any conventional mulch would create toxic run-off when it rains. Also, I have one water lily pot that has survived, but I'd like to get more. I understand that they are heavy feeders, and I bought some fertilizer pellets that are supposedly not toxic to fish, but I am skeptical about this? Any suggestions from more experienced pond keepers would be appreciated, thanks

 

[BKHpondcritters]

You could use gravel to mulch the area around your pond, or natural shredded hardwood mulch. If you're concerned, you could avoid any mulch that's artificially colored. A bigger concern that I would have is that your pond is designed that run-off from the surrounding area is going *into* your pond, rather than away from it. Debris & dirt washing in can cause issues even if the run off isn't actually 'toxic'.
And any fertilizer tablet labeled for pond use is perfectly safe for fish. Just use as directed or you risk an algae bloom if the fertilizer gets loose in your pond. I use tabs every two weeks in my lilies all summer (as well as Osmocote in the pans when repotting) and have never had an issue.

 

[Lisak1]

Agree 100% with @BKHpondcritters - a pond should be designed to keep anything on the outside from leeching in. But mulch is safe, gravel is safe. And yes - fertilizer made for lilies is naturally fish safe. Are you planting hardy or tropical lilies? Hardy lilies should all survive -

 

[Zelinda]

You could use gravel to mulch the area around your pond, or natural shredded hardwood mulch. If you're concerned, you could avoid any mulch that's artificially colored. A bigger concern that I would have is that your pond is designed that run-off from the surrounding area is going *into* your pond, rather than away from it. Debris & dirt washing in can cause issues even if the run off isn't actually 'toxic'.
And any fertilizer tablet labeled for pond use is perfectly safe for fish. Just use as directed or you risk an algae bloom if the fertilizer gets loose in your pond. I use tabs every two weeks in my lilies all summer (as well as Osmocote in the pans when repotting) and have never had an issue.

Thanks so much for those tips. Zelinda

 

[Zelinda]

Agree 100% with @BKHpondcritters - a pond should be designed to keep anything on the outside from leeching in. But mulch is safe, gravel is safe. And yes - fertilizer made for lilies is naturally fish safe. Are you planting hardy or tropical lilies? Hardy lilies should all survive -

Thanks so much! Zelinda