Hobby gardeners often ask themselves whether they should plant their aquatic plants in baskets and place them in the pond that way. The answer is: yes, that makes sense. This guide will tell you why and wherefore!
Why should you plant aquatic plants in baskets?
Planting aquatic plants in baskets makes sense to prevent them from spreading, to make pond cleaning easier and to protect sensitive roots from fish access. Use sturdy plastic baskets, pond soil or lime-free gravel as a substrate and, for koi ponds, cover the baskets with coarse gravel.
Good reasons for planting aquatic plants in baskets
It is good and helpful to plant aquatic plants in baskets for several reasons:
- Stop aquatic plants with a strong tendency to spread
- make pond cleaning easier and more comfortable for yourself
- protect sensitive roots of aquatic plants from access by fish
Prevent strong spread
Planting in a basket is particularly advisable for aquatic plants that have a strong urge to spread (e.g. reeds, broad-leaved cattails, reed grass).
If you plant such varieties directly in the pond, they may overgrow the water oasis after just a few years. This can be avoided with baskets.
Making pond cleaning easier
Of course, your garden pond needs to be cleaned (or patched) every now and then. It is a great advantage if you only have to take out the baskets. On the one hand, it's much quicker to just reach for the baskets; On the other hand, this procedure is much gentler on the aquatic plants, as they are protected in their “housing” and cannot be damaged.
Protect roots from fish
Speaking of protected: Aquatic plants also benefit greatly from living in baskets in ponds. Their roots are much safer there from the fish in the water oasis - even though the animals also tend to dig in the baskets.
Tips for planting aquatic plants in baskets
The most important tips for planting aquatic plants in baskets at a glance:
- Use sturdy plastic baskets (€35.00 on Amazon) that are slightly larger than the root balls of the aquatic plants.
- Fill the baskets all around with pond soil. This is lower in nutrients than normal plant soil. How to prevent algae growth.
- As an alternative or in addition to pond soil, you can also use lime-free gravel or broken clay granules (also to avoid algae). When putting together the substrate, always focus on what the respective plants need.
- If you have a koi pond, you should place coarse gravel on the base layer (soil, gravel, clay granules). The cover prevents the fish from digging out the roots from the baskets.
