How to Plant Pond Plants
All ponds need a variety of aquatic plants to function well and look impressive. Stocking your garden pond with carefully chosen aquatic plants will help bring it to life. The key to successful pond planting is to ensure you place plants at the correct depth in the pond, and this varies with the type of aquatic plant. Place deep-water aquatic plants and those for the margins in a pond compost basket filled with specialty pond compost and topped with a thin layer of gravel to prevent the compost from washing away. Buy all these items from garden centers with aquatic plant departments. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Scoop pond compost into the compost basket with a trowel until you fill about half the container.
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Position the aquatic plant in the center of the basket on top of the compost, taking care not to damage roots. For submerged oxygenating plants, such as demersym or Preslia cervina, leave the metal staples that hold the stalks together in place. This adds weight to the plant and helps keep it at the bottom of the pond.
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Trowel on more compost around the plant and gently pat the surface. Pour on a thin layer of pond gravel to hold the compost in place.
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Place the compost basket and plant into the pond at the correct depth. For deep-water-rooted plants, such as waterlilies, position them at a depth of 12 to 36 inches at the bottom of the pond or on an appropriate ledge. Try to place them in an area that receives some sunlight. No more than 60 percent of the pond's surface area should be in shade at any time.
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Plant marginal pond plants to a depth of 3 to 6 inches, ideally on the narrow, submerged shelf around the edge of the pond. However, some marginal plants can be planted in deeper water, so read the instructions that came with them carefully.
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Place surface floating plants on the surface water of the pond. Again, try to ensure they receive some sunlight. Check the growth of surface planters regularly because they can grow quickly and dominate the pond. In this situation, remove some of the surface floaters to free up space in the pond. Unlike marginals or deep-water plants, do not place surface floaters in pond compost baskets.
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Tips & Warnings
Plant aquatic pond plants in late spring or early summer.
Include a variety of deep-water, marginal and surface floater plants for the best results. Pond plants help to prevent algae growth, oxygenate pond water and provide shade for fish.
Always read the specific instructions for each aquatic plant before placing it in the pond.
References
Resources
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