Pond Plant Requirements

[mark4785]

Hi,

I have recently ordered some floating pond baskets, suitable for marginal plants, but I am not sure what kind of substrate to use and how much of it to use in the baskets.

The baskets are 30cm wide and anything placed within it (i.e. compost) cannot infiltrate it's base and get into the pond water. However, pond water can get through the base to the roots of the plants.

I currently have some Watercress and Veronica Beccabunda marginal plants and was wondering if they would survive if I placed them in 15cm deep pea gravel?

The person who sold me the Veronica described it as a marginal plant however the leafs that are above water level have become very drooped and shriveled. My opinion of these is that they should be free floating plants so that they can be soaked from top to bottom. Am I right?

I would appreciate any advice/pointers on substrate as I am not a fan of putting any form of compost into an ammonia free pond.

 

[FishStrings]

They need to be put in some sort of aquarium plant substrate with those key words and you need to add iron fertilizer.

 

[RadaR]

Any aquarium plant can be rooted into an inert substrate as long as the water column is dosed. Plants absorb as much nutrients through their leaves as they can through their roots.
Iron rich fert has got little to do with it either. Dave has mentioned this in another thread. Take a look at this thread for a broad overview of planted tanks.