Pond Plants

[mark4785]

Earlier this summer an algae bloom occurred in my 1400 litre pond; I responded to this by applying a bag of pete to lower the PH significantly (from very alkaline to slightly acidic) and thus kill the algae. The pond water is now crystal clear but the process of cleansing the water took a very long time. Instead of relying on manufactured products to eradicate algae, I have been thinking about switching to plants so that the nitrates, ammonia and phosphate is utilised before the algae can make use of it.

Do any plants exist for ponds which: 1. very efficently remove the toxins mentioned above? 2. are very hardy or possibly evergreen?

If so, may I please take the names of these plants. I'd appreciate any input on this.

I have used a variety of floating plants before and they seemed to break up and turn very jelly like. As a result I'm seeking a plant that is extremely hardy and is able to, to some degree, absorb the pond toxins i've mentioned very quickly and withstand cold British winters.


Thank you.

 

[flyhawk]

have you heard of milfoil?
how about hardy water lilies
they both grow in cold water
and are extremely hardy and suck up tonnnnnnnnns of nitrates

 

[mark4785]

Thank you for the plant names; I have made a note of them.

Are there any particular plants that stick out as being very hardy, something which would cope like a conifer (evergreen) during all the seasons but which can go into a pond (submerged or border plant)?

I picked up a pond plant named 'Carex Pendula'. I'd appreciate it if somebody with knowledge of this plant could give their opinion how hardy this is and whether action needs to be taken in the colder months (will it survive outdoors during a British winter or will It need to be moved indoors?). Unfortunately, the label it came with only states its flowering season and doesn't mention whether its a sensitive or hardy pond plant.

Thanks,

Mark.

 

[three-fingers]

I'd go for lots of water lillies and frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae ). Another one to look out for is Potamogeton perfoliatus, I used to have this in an aquarium, and it was very pretty. I collected it from Loch Tay, but I've seen it loads of places now, its a widespread native - so be on the lookout. You can also buy it on the net.

Along with any other marginal plants you like the look of at the garden centre (the ones that only have their roots in the water).

Carex pendula is great, its a British native, and I picked up some from my local canal. I just chucked it into my pond, took a couple of weeks to start growing again, and it's new growth is smaller than the old growth, but it did an excellent job at getting rid of the greenwater and is now thriving.

Remember, the more plants you start off with, the faster they will solve the problem .

 

[mark4785]

I'd go for lots of water lillies and frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae ). Another one to look out for is Potamogeton perfoliatus, I used to have this in an aquarium, and it was very pretty. I collected it from Loch Tay, but I've seen it loads of places now, its a widespread native - so be on the lookout. You can also buy it on the net.

Along with any other marginal plants you like the look of at the garden centre (the ones that only have their roots in the water).

Carex pendula is great, its a British native, and I picked up some from my local canal. I just chucked it into my pond, took a couple of weeks to start growing again, and it's new growth is smaller than the old growth, but it did an excellent job at getting rid of the greenwater and is now thriving.

Remember, the more plants you start off with, the faster they will solve the problem .

Ok great, I dislike green water and algae (as mentioned in my initial post) so I'm pleased to know the plant I chose will go some way at tackling this next summer.

Thank you for your input.

 

[flyhawk]

im sorry but carex pendula, also called drooping sedge, needs moist soil, but it cant be saturated, as if it were in a pond
frogbit is an annoying plant that is a floater, and spreads really fast, and is sometimes unsightly
i have not heard of any types of evergreens that tolerate moist to saturated soils
water iris is a great marginal plant to have

 

[three-fingers]

im sorry but carex pendula, also called drooping sedge, needs moist soil, but it cant be saturated, as if it were in a pond
frogbit is an annoying plant that is a floater, and spreads really fast, and is sometimes unsightly
i have not heard of any types of evergreens that tolerate moist to saturated soils
water iris is a great marginal plant to have

My stuffs been doing great, and I pulled it out from saturated soil at the side of the canal in the first place. Maybe it all will die back in winter, but I doubt it, since I've read of others having it do great as a marginal too, and the stuff at the canal doesnt die back... It's even sold as a marginal at garden centres.

"Annoying" and "unsightly" are completely subjective, it doesnt spread fast compared to true floating plants, but if you don't like keeping fast growing plants, you must like algae .

 

[mixmaster jay]

i have some parrots feather and brooklime for sale i believe brooklime is evergreen but could be wrong i dont know how well they dispose of toxins though but my water in the pond is crysal clear

 

[mark4785]

i have some parrots feather and brooklime for sale i believe brooklime is evergreen but could be wrong i dont know how well they dispose of toxins though but my water in the pond is crysal clear

I've placed a Carex Pendula grassy plant in the pond for now to start with. I'll look into the plants you've mentioned and I may be interested in purchasing in the near future.

 

[mixmaster jay]

no probs mate ive got plenty lol no,one .is interested lol

 

[flyhawk]

im sorry but i have a crystal clear water with almost no algae
i didnt want to get in a fight with you so blease forgive me