Table of contents
- Location
- Crowd
- pond zones
- Plant
- plant pond
- problem of riparian zone
- plant and care for
Every garden pond is a small biotope that works according to its own rules. Plants play a central role in this. So it's no wonder that a lot of attention should be paid to the planting of a pond. It must be different depending on the pond zone, and not every plant is suitable for every zone. With a little background knowledge you can easily get a handle on it.
Location
The location of a garden pond is not given by God. Rather, it is determined by the garden owner who is planning to create a pond. The later planting should already be considered in the planning phase. For a good reason: practically all aquatic plants need a lot of light in order to grow and thrive. A location that is as sunny as possible is therefore an absolute must for every garden pond. In addition, there should be no deciduous trees in its immediate vicinity. On the one hand, these can impair the solar radiation on the pond. On the other hand, the leaves falling into the pond in autumn can upset the biological balance.
Tip:
Leaves decompose in water to form sludge, endangering certain organisms. It therefore makes more than just sense to think about the plants when choosing the location of a pond.
Crowd
How many plants you can put on or in a garden pond depends, of course, on its area. It should be remembered that aquatic plants often require a lot of space. The best example of this is the classic that should not be missing in any garden pond, namely the water lily. Depending on the species, they can grow between one and four square meters - per plant, mind you. From the outset, no savings should be made on the size of the pond. However, this is often limited by certain factors in the garden. The planting should therefore always be coordinated with the pond surface. There are three proven rules for planting a garden pond:
- Never plant the entire garden pond!
- Equip a maximum of two thirds of the area with flowering plants!
- If possible, do not plant more than half of the pond!
If you keep these rules in mind when planting, you can't really go wrong with the amount of plants. They serve as a kind of orientation. You could summarize these little rules like this: Less is more! It's not just about the optics, although this naturally plays a major role. A garden pond that is so heavily planted that you can hardly see the surface of the water is unlikely to fulfill its purpose. However, it is much more important that too many plants in the pond can promote the growth of algae. Too many algae endanger the biological balance in the generally very fragile ecosystem of a garden pond.
pond zones
A garden pond is not just a hole in the ground into which water has been filled. Rather, it consists of different zones, each of which has its own task and the layout of which is based on the conditions of natural bodies of water. According to this, a pond usually consists of a bank that initially merges flat into the water and finally leads to a deep area. With regard to the planting of a pond, four zones can be distinguished:
- riparian zone
- Shallow water with a water depth of up to 20 centimetres
- Deep water with a water depth between 30 and 60 centimeters
- Depth zone, which is about 1.5 meters below the water surface
The pond zones play a major role in the planting. Basically, not every aquatic plant is suitable for every pond zone. In principle, the pond zones are for aquatic plants what the location is for conventional plants in general. A plant that absolutely needs a sunny spot will hardly thrive in the shade. And an aquatic plant that needs a location in deep water usually dies very quickly on the bank. When selecting the plants for the garden pond, it is essential to pay attention to which pond zone they are suitable for if you don't want to experience any nasty surprises.
A notice:
Aquatic plants that are bought in specialist shops are always provided with information as to which pond zone they are suitable for. In most cases, there is even precise information about the ideal water depth, which you should then stick to.
Plant
The selection of the plants with which you want to plant your garden pond depends on the respective pond zone. in the following small list, the plants are therefore also arranged according to zones. This is just a small selection of possible plants. The decisive factor here was on the one hand to list typical aquatic plants, but on the other hand to only mention those that can be obtained relatively easily.
riparian zone
Undemanding and very easy-care grasses are particularly suitable for the riparian zone. The task of the bank planting is to frame the pond and thereby set visual accents. In addition, the plants fulfill something like a filter function for the water. Bamboo (Bambusoideae), Chinese reed (Miscanthus sinensis), which is also planted under known by the (wrong) name of elephant grass, and American pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana). The plants mentioned are basically hardy and can therefore remain in their place if the pond itself should be frozen. In the case of pampas grass, however, it is advisable to tie it up before the start of winter in order to protect it optimally from frost. Other plants for the bank area are the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), the pink dwarf banana (Musa velutina) and the Antarctic tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), which is a remnant from primeval times is applicable.
shallow water zone
The typical representatives that can be found in this zone are above all the Indian calamus (Acorus calamus), a typical marsh plant, and all types of frog spoon (Alisma). However, they only thrive there if they are not planted too close together. As a rule of thumb, there should be no more than three plants per square meter. Ideally there are only two. If you want to stand out in terms of planting, you can also look at the floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans), the frog bite (Limnobium laevigatum), the floating fern (Salvinia natans) and Hornblatt (Ceratophyllum demersum), to name just a few examples to call.
deep water zone
All perennial aquatic plants are suitable for this zone. As a rule, however, one will limit oneself to just one - namely the water lily (Nymphaea), which is not considered the queen of pond plants for nothing. Since water lilies, as already mentioned, need a lot of space, other plants usually don't stand a chance in the deep water zone.
depth zone
Inevitably, only pure underwater plants are used in this area. For example, waterweed (Elodea), water star (Callitriche palustris) or water bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris) could be thought of here. Fountain moss (Fontinalis spec.), spring moss (Fontinalis antipyretica), tomentosum (Ceratophyllum submersum) and the so-called fir frond (Hippurus vulgaris) are also recommended. What all these underwater plants have in common is that they have a positive effect on the oxygen content that is so important of the water, limit the formation of algae and also certain undesirable substances tear down. The minimum depth for the plants is 1.5 meters. They must also be planted in a special pond soil that is available from specialist retailers.
plant pond
When it comes to actually planting a garden pond, there is one golden rule that you should definitely follow: Always plant from deep to shallow. So you start at the deepest point of the small body of water and work your way from there to the shore. In other words: a pond is planted from the inside out. The ideal time for this is the months of March to June. The following should be observed:
- For the deep zone and the deep water zone, it is best to use plant baskets made of durable plastic or fabric.
- Be sure to use a special pond soil for the plants in the deep zone.
- Set up a root barrier there before planting the shore zone, otherwise the pond liner could be damaged by the roots.
- A so-called planting mat made of a self-dissolving material such as coconut is also recommended for the shore zone.
- When planting water lilies in spring, the pond level must be raised in small steps, otherwise the plant will not have a chance to grow.
- Floating plants are often used for plants in the shallow water zone, which simply have to be placed on the water surface.
By the way, using plant baskets makes your work a lot easier. For example, they make it possible to do the actual planting outside of the pond and then to position the plant anywhere in the pond.
problem of riparian zone
The greatest difficulties when planting a pond usually occur in the riparian zone. The problem here is usually the pond liner, which inevitably covers a certain part of the bank. Under no circumstances should it be damaged by the roots of the plants. Bamboo plants in particular form very deep underground rhizomes that can be dangerous for the film. A root or rhizome barrier is therefore mandatory. To do this, a ditch at least 60 centimeters deep must be dug between the end of the pond liner and the beginning of the bamboo planting. The inside of the ditch is then lined with a special rhizome foil and filled with soil again.
plant and care for
If you follow the instructions and rules presented here, planting a garden pond is usually not a problem. The urgently recommended use of plant baskets is also relatively quick. The time invested is definitely worth it either way - after all, a garden pond is always a highlight in your own garden. However, you should also be aware that the plants also require a certain amount of care. In addition, dead plant parts must be removed regularly and many riparian plants must be cut. One to two hours a week should therefore be planned for pond care during the summer period.
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