Planting Your Water Garden

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It is exciting to see the lush foliage and beautiful flowers produced by your aquatic plants. The diversity of plants available can make every pond a unique delight. Plants provide protection and spawning areas for your fish, consume algae-promoting nutrients and offer shade from sunlight that would otherwise promote the growth of unsightly algae. Plants also produce oxygen during daylight hours through the process of photosynthesis. It is during the daytime, when pond temperatures are at their highest, that fish have the greatest need for oxygen. A properly planted pond will allow your water garden to come as close as possible to a balanced environment like those found in nature. Coverage of 50% of the pond surface with plants is highly recommended.
The type of plants selected should satisfy the needs of your pond and your desires as well. See your local plant dealer for the best plants for your area. Aquatic plants can be grouped into the following three categories.

The first category includes floating plants. These plants grow with part or all of their foliage on or near the surface of the water. There are two types of floating plants, distinguished by the location of their roots. One type grows with its roots in the soil and its leaves at the surface. Examples of this group include lilies, parrot's feather, and lotus. The second type grows so that the entire plant appears at the water's surface, with roots dangling in the water. Water hyacinths, clover, water lettuce, and Azolla are examples of plants in this group.

The second category includes submerged aquatic plants. Submerged plants grow entirely beneath the surface of the water. Submerged plants are very efficient at utilizing nutrients, which would otherwise promote algae blooms. Submerged plants improve water quality, provide an area for fish to spawn and serve as shelter for small fish. Examples of submerged plants include Elodea, Anacharis and Hornwort.

The third category is comprised of marginal or bog plants. These aquatic plants grow in shallow water and bog areas. Most prefer water two to six inches deep - conditions where roots can be wet, but stems and leaves can be above the water's surface. Cattails, sweet flag, rush and iris are examples of plants in this category. The more plants you have the better for you water clarity.

In a water garden environment, it is often advisable to place your plants in pots. This enables you to change planting heights, reposition plants, prune and separate when necessary, and allows for easy removal for winter storage and pond maintenance. As in regular landscape plants the pH of the environment is important to plant growth. In the pond the environment is the water, so you need to check the pH of the pond water. This is easily and quickly done with a Pond Care pH Level Test Kit. The ideal ph level is in the 6.8 to 7.8 range and the pH Level Test Kit includes instructions on what to do if you pH is too high or low.

Aphids are one of the most destructive pests of aquatic plants. Aphids can appear on aquatic plants anytime during the growing season. Winged adults can easily spread from nearby gardens and fields. Aphids feed on aquatic plants by piercing the leaves, stems, and buds and suck out plant fluids. Each time an aphid pierces the plant the surrounding tissue begins to die. Entire leaves and buds can be destroyed by aphid damage. Some insecticides can be poisonous to fish.

All plants need adequate nutrition to produce lush growth and stimulate flower formation. In the case of potted aquatic plants, Pond Care Aquatic Plant Food Tablets will provide the appropriate nutrients needed for beautiful foliage and colorful flowers. Floating plants and many submerged aquatic plants has needs that are different from potted varieties. These plants benefit from Pond Care Aquatic Plant Food Liquid, which adds only the necessary nutrients to stimulate continuous flowering and lush growth of all aquatic plants. It is a concentrated solution of six of the most important trace elements often lacking in a pond: magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, molybdenum, and boron. A deficiency or total lack of just one of these elements can result in decreased flowering and growth of pond plants. Many aquatic plants such as water hyacinths, water lettuce and elodea will flourish with Aquatic Plant Stimulant. Regular use of Aquatic Plant Food Tablets and Aquatic Plant Food Liquid together provides a complete fertilization program. This will nourish the continuous formation of buds, spectacular flowers, and lush foliage on all of your pond plants, and also increase winter hardiness of perennial plants.

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