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Pond plants.............

  • 20-08-2013 9:30am
    #1
    Max Headroom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,101 ✭✭✭


    This has me flumoxxed....A few years ago we had a pond..after years of wasting money on all things designed to keep the water clear i gave up....but i kept the lily and iris plants that were perfectly healty...I put them in two seperate containers....as they had out grown them i decided to switch to bigger ones,..now theyve been in the containers since last october and i cant help but be amazed that the water in both stays almost perfectly clear....no uv filters pumps etc.....can someone explain this to me...are we being conned....:confused:


Comments

  • #2
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    Max Headroom wrote: »
    This has me flumoxxed....A few years ago we had a pond..after years of wasting money on all things designed to keep the water clear i gave up....but i kept the lily and iris plants that were perfectly healty...I put them in two seperate containers....as they had out grown them i decided to switch to bigger ones,..now theyve been in the containers since last october and i cant help but be amazed that the water in both stays almost perfectly clear....no uv filters pumps etc.....can someone explain this to me...are we being conned....:confused:


    A small roll of barley straw does wonders for pond water too.:)


  • #3
    Max Headroom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,101 ✭✭✭Max Headroom


    paddy147 wrote: »
    A small roll of barley straw does wonders for pond water too.:)


    I'll try anything to keep the plants....notice they havent flowered since being in their new pots...are they "upset" do ya think..???


  • #4
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    I'm not sure what the question is...

    Is the pond clear, or not?

    Plants are a great method of keeping a pond clear. That's what happens in the wild afterall. :)


  • #5
    kylith
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,737 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    The roots and stems help filter the particles in the water, if that's what you're asking. The plants also out-compete algae for nutrients, so that's probably why the water is so clear.


  • #6
    Rancid
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,434 ✭✭✭Rancid


    I agree with Kylith's explanation.
    Also, by keeping your plants in containers rather than in the pond, you've reduced the water surface area and the amount of light it gets, which reduces the algal growth.

    Best things for keeping the water clear naturally are Daphnia (known as water fleas), you probably have some already in your pond, but you can buy a pack of a few thousand in a good aquarium store.
    Throw in some water cress, too, the kind you get in bags of salad in the supermarket. It grows roots immediately and uses up lots of the nutrients in the pond water.

    I've a small pond just into its 4th year, no filters and no fish, just plants, water snails and huge amounts of water creatures and it stays perfectly clear. The water surface is about three-quarters covered by plants and that seems to help a lot. And of course, the Daphnia!


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  • #7
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    Rancid wrote: »
    I agree with Kylith's explanation.
    Also, by keeping your plants in containers rather than in the pond, you've reduced the water surface area and the amount of light it gets, which reduces the algal growth.

    Best things for keeping the water clear naturally are Daphnia (known as water fleas), you probably have some already in your pond, but you can buy a pack of a few thousand in a good aquarium store.
    Throw in some water cress, too, the kind you get in bags of salad in the supermarket. It grows roots immediately and uses up lots of the nutrients in the pond water.

    I've a small pond just into its 4th year, no filters and no fish, just plants, water snails and huge amounts of water creatures and it stays perfectly clear. The water surface is about three-quarters covered by plants and that seems to help a lot. And of course, the Daphnia!


    Newts absolutely love the Daphnia....:D


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