Hi,I'm new to this forum and to water-gardening, so please forgive what is probably a very basic question! My son has just started digging a smallish pond in our garden,(his self-appointed summer task). We don't want to put a pump in, and have read that this can be avoided by adding plenty of oxygenating weed to the water. Unfortunately, the instructions we have don't give any names of specific plants. What would you experts recommend for our zone? (Our summers are quite mild BTW).
Thanks, Maggi
Oxygenating Plants
Anacharis is a rather busy plant when it comes to being an oxygenator. You can pull it up every couple of days and see it covered with bubbles.
I wanted to ask you, though ... what do you mean by "smallish" and do you intend to keep fish in it?
Just remember that once the sun goes down that those oxygenators start consuming oxygen rather than producing it. Generally not a problem unless you have the following set of conditions: very warm water (greater than 90°F or so) such that oxygen solubility is low, a large mass of plants in the pond, and your pond has "some" dissolved organic matter - say from decaying leaves or dead plants or a thick layer of debris on the bottom. This doesn't come about that often but it can occur - even in nature.
Bogweed buck, smallish means 6'x4' (egg-shaped),+ 2'6" deep in the deepest part. Judging by the ponds on here I guess that's small! We'd like to put a few goldfish in it if possible.
Thankyou and DRH2 for your info.
I would suggest...no pump...no fish but I know nothing about your conditions there. Plants that give off oxygen during the day consume it at night so ...yes you can have too many in there.
'Oxygenating plants' are perhaps more accurately called submerged aquatic plants... Hornwort, Anacharis, Cabomba, Vallisneria, Eleocharis acicularis, Parrots Feather, Bladderwort are some of the more popular varieties, combining reasonably good looks with well behaved growing habits (easy to sort out)
Don't be afraid to try a few sprigs of tropical aquarium varieties once in a while, just for the curiosity factor...
While the virtue of 'oxygenating' the water sounds useful, they do take up oxygen after dark, a trickle from a hose pipe after dark can help fish crowded ponds through tricky low pressure periods, though, ideally, keep fish densities low if you can
Oxygenating plants do have a couple of big virtues... Fish can hide from predators... spawn thrives better in a well planted pond, then, the submerged aquatic plants do a big job contributing to improving water quality, removing surplus dissolved 'pollution' and converting it into attractive plant growth
A pond heavily planted with oxygenators is going to have rather attractive water clarity most of the year...
Regards, andy
You have a HU'YUGE array of water plants available in zone 8a! Not meanring to seem particularly lazy, but you may want to take some time browsing some of the various online stores that offer pond plants and keep an eye out for any "hardy" plants that catch your eye. Quite often the plant descriptions will include a reference to hardiness zones for each plant listed. As you encounter ones that are appealing to you, make a note of which ones are hardy in zone 8a or lower. Anything that you may like that is not hardy in zone 8 should be removed before winter sets in so as to not foul the water. There are a number of affordable tropical water plants that are not hardy in my zone that I replace each spring. (after removing them from the pond the previous fall, of course)
As you find plants that catch your eye, come on back to Dave's Garden and look them up! This place is proving (to me) to be an outstanding repository of knowledge! For example: an online store may not mention that a particular plant, such as cattail, can be a very aggressive spreader. Meanwhile, back here at Dave's Garden, you will find that people are not shy about pointing things like that out. My wife REALLY wanted some cat tails in our first pond ... all it took was a quick visit to this website over a glass of wine that convinced her that this was a plant that could ultimately take over the entire pond.
What is important is that you do not try to plant "marginal" and most "bog" plants somewhere in the pond where their roots are more than a couple inches below the surface. That's only a rule of thumb. Some marginal plants really don't enjoy having much, if any, of the stem below water. Others, such as Sweet Flag don't really seem to care all that much. Again, this is information that is easily found on this website.
Just go for what is visually appealing to you, Maggi. I use a lot of water hyacinth and "water lettuce" to cover parts of my pond's surface. One reason is because I think they look nice. Another reason is that it cuts down the amount of sunlight going INTO the pond; too much sunlight can lead to some nasty algae problems. (it also gives my fish a place to take a break from the sun AND hide from prospective predators)
There is a large variety of winter hardy water lillies that would probably do quite well in your soon-to-be pond. They tend to prefer calm water and they definitely need to be submerged rather than planted at the edge of the pond. They need light, so if you choose to plant a lilly or two, make sure you do not have the surface above them covered with floating plants (such water hyacinth and water lettuce, for example) At 2' or more deep, your lillies would probably fare quite well.
Of course, this is all gardening ... and as such, it is almost all a matter of personal preference. The fun is found in the piddling, exploring and experiementing. I imagine I am NOT in the minority when it comes to employing a lot of trial & error until I find something that I am pleased with. Always remember, the folks that are most important to impress with your pond live under your roof; especially the one that looks back at you in the mirror every day! :o)
Thankyou so much for all this invaluable info. and advice. Looks like we'll be spoilt for choice. Time to get back to digging!