No question: aquatic plants beautify the garden pond - provided they are used in moderation and cared for adequately. You can find out how to integrate the plants into your pond in this article!
How do you use aquatic plants in the pond?
To use aquatic plants in the pond, use plant baskets and pond soil, gravel or clay granules. Fill the basket with substrate, insert the plant and place the basket in the appropriate water depth according to the plant's growth requirements.
With or without soil – that is the question
In fact, aquatic plants don't necessarily need soil. You can also supply them with the necessary nutrients through special pond fertilizers. However, in this case the plants first have to get used to the different conditions. At first it may seem like they want to care. But the plants usually recover after a while and thrive.
If you want to create a “classic ambience” and use soil, you should always use specific pond soil and/or lime-free gravel or broken clay granules. Always consider the needs of the respective aquatic plants.
Use plant baskets
It makes sense to put the aquatic plants in plant baskets. In this way, you have an easy time cleaning work on/in the pond and at the same time protect the roots of the plants.
It depends on the depth of the water
Aquatic plants not only have different ideas when it comes to substrate; There are also differences regarding the desired water depth. A pond is commonly divided into the following four zones:
- Wet zone: alternately moist soil
- Swamp zone: water depth of 0-10 cm
- Shallow water zone: water depth of 10-40 cm
- Deep water zone: water depth of more than 40 cm
Each aquatic plant is particularly suitable for one of these zones. There are swamp plants, shallow water and deep water plants as well as various plants that feel comfortable at the edge of the pond.
Short instructions for planting aquatic plants
The following instructions show you exactly how you should proceed when planting your aquatic plants (in this case with pond soil!):
- Plant the aquatic plant from the sales pot into a sturdy plant basket (€24.00 on Amazon), perhaps made of plastic. This basket needs to be a little larger than the plant's root ball.
- Fill the plant basket all around with pond soil (or gravel/clay granules). All of these variants are lower in nutrients than normal potting soil. This is how you specifically prevent algae growth.
- Place the plant basket with the aquatic plant in a location in the pond that meets the plant's needs. In other words, make sure you hit the right zone.
That’s it. Another general recommendation: do not overdo it with the number of plants. In the garden pond, less is more – in every respect.
