Freshwater Plant Fertilizer

A well-balanced water garden is self-sustaining.

A water garden can provide a serene focal point for any landscape. Caring for freshwater plants is similar to other forms of gardening. Appropriate containers, planting technique and fertilizer requirements are all factors in a successful water garden. With a little know-how and the right tools, your freshwater plants will thrive and grow year-round.

Description

There is a wide variety of freshwater plants available for your garden, including lilies, duck weed, water lettuce and lotus. Which freshwater plants your choices depend on the garden's water depth, exposure to sunlight and what types of other species will share the space. Once you have decided on which plants you will use, you can begin to formulate which freshwater plant fertilizer is best for your garden.

Inorganic

Fertilizers provide minerals called macro- or micro-nutrients depending on the plants' requirements for a specific mineral. Commercially available freshwater plant fertilizer can be found in garden or home stores. Slow-release granular or tablet fertilizer typically works best for water gardens. Look for a macronutrient analysis of 20-10-5, 5-10-5, 10-6-4, or 12-8-8. The numbers indicate what percentage of each of the three major macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) make up the total volume or weight of the fertilizer.

Organic

Organic fertilizers can be added directly to the planting soil of your freshwater plants. These fertilizers release nutrients more slowly because they require bacterial digestion and breakdown of the material before the nutrients are made available to the plant. Manure from horses, cows, chickens and pigs all provide good freshwater plant fertilizer. Other sources of organic fertilizer include digested sludge from gas generators, molasses, composted material and water run-off from slaughter houses.

Considerations

It is important to remember that freshwater plant fertilizer will not correct inherent problems with the pond or garden culture. If your freshwater plants are struggling, look at the overall environment to identify the problem and take corrective action. Also, adding too much fertilizer can encourage algae growth. Rapid growth of algae will result in reduced oxygen levels and can eventually suffocate the plants and animals living in the water.

Indoor

Some people enjoy the rewards of freshwater plant gardening indoors as well. Plants are grown in appropriately sized containers and can be either fully or partially submerged depending on the plant species. In this case, a diluted freshwater plant fertilizer is added to the water and maintained at a rate recommended by the manufacturer. The nutrient solution should be changed every month or two. Change the water more frequently if green algae becomes problematic.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Water Gardening
• Aggie Horticulture: Water Garden Plants
• Auburn University Center for Aquaculture: Organic
• University of Vermont Extension: Indoor Water Gardens