Adding some plants?

[wuftytufty]

About to filter out the pond a few times, to get as much yuck out. See this link for pics:
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/topic/12418-from-green-sludge-to-beyond/#entry181517

I have two water lillies, which I think are both rooted in. Also, would like to add something else, that I can manage and cover about 25-30% of the pond with, as it has no shelter.

I am thinking water lettuce. Is it best to just let it float and then yank some out when it gets too much? Is it easy to manage in that way?

Also, do I need to overwinter it, in any way?

Cheers,
B

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Water hyacinths and lettuce are both suitable floating plants, and if you get too much, just give away the extra or use it for mulch. The hanging roots are great for sucking up excess nutrients and making it harder for the algae to grow. Neither plant is cold-hardy, and will die over the Winter (when the temps drop below 50F), so you will have to buy new plants each Spring, or create a place indoors to keep some of the plants for the following year.

Since your lilies have probably survived previous years, you likely have the hardy lilies. There is not really anything required to let the survive the Winter. You will want to cut off any remaining lily pads after the first freeze, so they don't rot away in the pond over the Winter. The plants will come back up from the bulbs when the water gets warm enough.

Depending on your climate, you may be able to keep your pumps running all Winter, but most people in colder areas will pull out the pumps and use an aerator if they have fish. Before the pond freezes over, you'll want to clean out any leaves and dead plant matter to make sure the water stays clean through the Winter. That's about it for Winter maintenance.

You mentioned in your other thread that you might make the pond deeper? How deep is it now? Now is probably the best time to make any major changes like that, because once you add more plants or fish, it makes everything much harder. And your pond doesn't look all that bad now... Yes there's some algae growth, but once you get the pump/filter running, it will clear up. You have a nice looking setup now, it probably won't need much work to make it great.

 

[adavisus]

You might add a few more lilies, by mid Summer they will be up to speed.

Starting lettuce and hyacinth might provide some coverage while waiting for the hardy waterlilies to get going, they are easy enough to control when they mass up.

It may be easier in the long run to rely on waterlilies for shade through the heat of Summer, than replacing floating plants each year and having to drag them all out in the first hard freeze

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[wuftytufty]

Hi, we are sort of mid summer here, I think the temperature starts dropping from September...

I have an outhouse I can try to store them in, over winter. It is just an experiement, I guess, as I learn how to do all this ponding!!

It is pretty, and it is looking better every day. I am pulling so much algae out, but it looks like I am winning. Filtered the pond out for a few hours with batting, after whipping up the water quite a bit, and pulled out some of the tired looking lily pads. Do fish eat the lilly pads? Something is nibbling away round the edges, but can't see anything obvious, just the fish picking at the pads...so presuming it is them. Accidentally fished out a cutie baby newt, I think it was just very young but had no gills, so pretty early adult. Soooooo cute!! Accidentally fried a fry, too. Tried to pull it out, but it flipped, and landed on a hot rock, seriously, really hot. Tried to pick it off, but it was all too late. By the time I pried it off the rock, it was kaputt, so it flopped into the pond, to be gobbled up...poor thing... RIP Fry! But at least it wasn't wasted!! Next time, will take a spoon, so I can flip life back in, without squishing or frying it!! It's a learning process.

Tight now, at the very deepest point, the pond is about 45cm. Which isn't a lot...just under 18 inches, and the problem is that that really is the very deepest point, a lot of the rest of the pond is prob only a foot deep. Great for frogs and newts, but less so for the fish. So want to keep the shallows, but in the middle take it lower, perhaps turn the sloping down bits in the shallows into more of a step or shelf in more places. The fish clearly favour the deeper part. Also if I want to plant more plants like the hardy lillies, I am going to need some depth to plant them, and this takes the tiny bit of depth away from the fish....

Based on the logic, that probably, we will remodel the pond, next year, I am going to leave the fish as they are, no additions. So next autumn (2014) after the newts have left, we can pull it all out, and then we can remodel it, will prob buy new liner so se have the capacity to go deeper, and use the stones around the edge, also a good chance for a massive clean out, bucket by bucket using the wadding and the teaspoon to flick back any life, well, flick it into a holding container...with a little sludge retained. Might then have a chance to hoick out the water lillies and basket them up properly, just for easier maintenance. Then I can look at planting new plants in the following spring, (2015)

So, it looks like I have a bit of a plan coming. I am guessing that Autumn is best as it won't interfere with any breeding and so on. In the meantime, I will by a couple of water lettuces and experiment with keeping them in the outhouse, over winter. Just because I don't really have the space in the pond in the depth that will be healthy to plan the lillies. Also, I suspect that if I pull the lillies out, thes will have a big enough root that I can split them, and then replant them back in as 4.

I am hoping also, by the time we remodel, I will have a better understanding of the life in the pond and keeping the correct balances etc......

 

[wuftytufty]

Stupid question, but...

Do I have to put the lettuce or other vegetation in a floaty ring thing? What is the purpose of the floaty basket ring thing? Is it to stop fish eating it, or to stop the plants from spreading like wildfire? Just wondering!! Sorry. A very blonde moment!!

Can I just stick it in the pong or should I keep it separate first. It will be coming from the local garden centre that has a pond section...

Thanks!
b

 

[addy1]

The floaty ring thing does two things, contains the plants (some don't like them floating everywhere, being sucked into a skimmer), #2 with netting it protects the roots of the plants from being a salad bar, mainly from koi. Gold fish tend to leave plants alone except for a nibble or two.

You do not need to use it unless you want to.

 

[wuftytufty]

Thanks Addy, will prob not worry then. I don't think the fish fingers will consume that much!! And we don't have a skimmer, so we are safe.

 

[addy1]

I let any floating plants float around. You should be fine, just toss the stuff in.

 

[Fishylove]

Looks like you got a plan! Gonna look great!
I use the floating rings to keep my stinker of a butterfly koi from eating things that float. Lol. I've tried to keep fairy moss and duck weed, but he just swims around real fast and jumps up out of the water and sumo slams himself on the ring to knock the duck weed out :huh: Crazy koi lol So now, if I want to give them a treat, I just go down to the marsh and scoop some out of there.
Oh if you DO try something like this ( obtaining things from the wild) be sure to rinse, or dunk the plants in a mild salt solution and then rinse with water from the pond. I've gotten lots of plants out of the wild
Also, next year when you put More plants in your marginal areas, I think maybe some hardy cannas or some tall rushes will look very nice! The dragon and mayflies like the perch on them

 

[wuftytufty]

Thanks Wendy, that's helpful! Wow, so are koi intelligent for fish?? That's quite impressive that he's learned how to get at the veggies!

 

[Fishylove]

Idk but he's got that down pat Lol! Koi can be pretty destructive to plants and have been known to dig tho
but most plants, if you can keep the roots protected till they catch hold they'll be ok. There are several members on here that will trade plants for shipping, unfortunately you living where you do, idk what restrictions Germany puts on live plants and such.

 

[wuftytufty]

Awesome image of a Koi with a spade now....hehehe!

I think we will just buy from the local pond centres, as the Germans can be pretty controlling about the import of vegetation and so on, which makes sense. The cool thing is they really value their ecosystems and bio stuff out here, which I really like!

I doubt the fish-fingers are really up to much in my pond.

Great news though, I am lazily hiring a garden maintenance company to come in to get us on top of the garden, and one of the things I am going to ask them to do, is to remove the stones from inside the pond, and arrange them around it. Then I can get some lovely bark and moss etc from the local forest and make a newt/mud puppy heaven. Hoping to set up a wild flower section, by removing a hedge and also make some bug hotels, so that next year it will be amazing!

And have had to make a couple of cardboard paddles for dragonfly management and eviction - we keep getting invaded by them. They are beautiful, but a bit dumb at times!!! I am turning into an air traffic controller or the guy out on the runway with the big orange headphones and the ping-pong paddles in this house!! (but loving it!!)

Not loving the Mozzies though. Any suggestions on repellant, pref something natural, not involving DEET. Going to buy a net for the bedroom door/window thing. But have found a lot of success just being really twitchy and paranoid and by shutting the windows throughout dusk! I am something of a breakfast buffet for biters!!
b

 

[addy1]

Someone posted this for mosquitoes in a thread on gpf, give it a try, assuming mozzies are mosquitoes............... Sounds like you don't have window screens, they can save you from the bugs, I could not survive without them here.

HOME MADE MOSQUITO REPELLENT (ALSO FOR ANTS & FLEAS)
(And free from chemicals that poison the body)

Ingredients:

... 1/2 litre of alcohol
100 gram of whole cloves
100 ml of baby oil or similar (almond, sesame, chamomile, lavender, fennel etc)

Preparation:
Leave cloves to marinate in alcohol four days
Stir every morning and evening
After 4 days add the oil
It's now ready to use.

How to use:

Gently rub a few drops into the skin of the arms and legs.
Observe the mosquitoes fleeing the room.
Repels fleas on pets too


When you do your wildflower garden, make sure you take the soil down to dirt. I put my seed out in the fall, bare dirt, just sprinkle the seed over the dirt and smash it in like walk on it. Don't cover the seed with any dirt. If you put it out in the fall, it really takes off in the spring with the spring winds. I planted seeds for the bees, butterflies and birds, we get tons now.

 

[wuftytufty]

Thank you so much!

I guess I can drink the clove oil too, if I have tooth ache!!

Hehe!

This is gold dust. Will look for some good wildflower seeds. So excited by having our own garden, that we own, not rent. Happy to work on that, although might have to hide the invoices from hubby!!

 

[addy1]

I bought a bunch from a website american meadows, you might be able to find a company that sales them there for germany, they were not that expensive. Makes it easy to plant a wildflower garden.

It will add up in bucks, but so nice when done! Make sure you kill off any grass/ weeds where you put your wildflower garden, give the seeds a good chance to get going in the spring and take over the area.
I love having my own garden own land, do what you want with it!