GardenMaid| Why Do I Need Plants in my Pond?

Why Do I Need Plants in my Pond?

In the article types of pond plants we discussed the 3 main categories of water plants for ponds. In this article we will explain why certain types of plants are needed in a properly balanced pond.

The water lily provides both beauty and shade for the water and the fish. No pond is complete without one.

The marginal plants also provide beauty during their blooming season but perhaps a more important function they provide in the eco-system of the pond is shelter for the young fry (fish). The dense growth of the marginals like the Iris and Sweet Flag provide a hiding place for the fry once they are too large to hide in the submerged plant. If you have ever seen a fish in a natural pond rummaging along the bank in the grasses and weeds that grow there you should understand this process. The big fish does not come into the shallow water to sun bathe. In comes there in the pursuit of dinner.

The submerged plants are extremely important to the eco-system as they provide much needed oxygen to the water. Your fish extract oxygen and they must have it to live. These plants consume some measure of nitrates and in the process of living and growing release oxygen.

Anacharis (Egeria densa) also known as the Brazilian Waterweed, is the one I am most familiar with. In an aquarium it is a light to bright green fern-like plant that rises gracefully from the rock bed and undulates with the flow of the water. Its whorled leaves borne on branching stems help oxygenate and clarify the water and reduce algae growth. In the pond environment it takes on a much darker color. It continues to provide the same functions and one major additional benefit of trapping some of the fertilized eggs and ensuring them a safe place to develop. It is a natural spawning mat.

It is usually purchased and planted in clumps of 6-8 strands or cuttings. It is planted in weighted pots and set on the bottom of the pond. It can grow to a height of 24 inches. It may make it all the way to the surface it shallow ponds. It is considered hardy in USDA zones 4-11.

The Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) family is another plant of the same type that provides a similar function.

The floating plants provide shade for the pond, consume the nitrates and some even bloom. The three that I have personal experience with are Water-clover (Marsilea vestita), Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes Rosette), and the common Water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

I personally don't consider the water clover a true floater since it is planted in a marginal pot and only the leaves float out to cover the pond. The water lettuce looks just like a baby head of lettuce growing on the water. The water-hyacinth is my personal favorite floater. It is a very heavy feeder consuming many nitrates and is one of the best plants for clearing green water caused by algae growth.

The water-hyacinth is a rapid grower and can not be delivered to some of the southern and western states where it could survive the winter and pollute the waterways. It is legal here and I import 25 plants early each spring from the Peoples Republic of California. I am usually composting, giving, or throwing it away by the middle of June. It takes my early spring, lightly green tinted water and makes it crystal clear within a few weeks.

If you have a pond, you must have at least one lily. If you want to see the fish and enjoy the pond you should have some water-hyacinth. For the health of the fish you need some oxygenators.

More Articles in this Section

●Balancing a Pond
●Types of Pond Plants