Adding Water, Plants And Fish To A Pond

[qclabrat]

All of the plants I have survive our winter, all would do fine in a narrow bog. The bog needs to stay full of water so the plants don't dry out.
Mine is around 4.5 ft wide. Obedience plant, marsh betony, water willow (pretty small plant ) creeping jenny, spider wort, rush, yellow flag iris, lizard tail, blue forget me not, pickerel rush. lirope, dwarf sea oats (out in the ground migration to bog).

I'd like to experiment for the first year. Suggestions on 3-4 hardy varieties to start with. Thanks

 

[addy1]

Well do you want tall, short, purple, blue or yellow flowers?

 

[qclabrat]

Well do you want tall, short, purple, blue or yellow flowers?

they all sound great, any for sale?

 

[Lisak1]

Suggestions on 3-4 hardy varieties to start with. Thanks

I would start with some irises or some kind of reed or rush to give you height and those nice deep roots. Then choose a mid-level plant - maybe lizard's tail or pickerel rush. And then some small creepers like creeping Jenny, bog bean, blue forget-me-nots. My advice - start with way less than you hope to end up with!

 

[qclabrat]

I would start with some irises or some kind of reed or rush to give you height and those nice deep roots. Then choose a mid-level plant - maybe lizard's tail or pickerel rush. And then some small creepers like creeping Jenny, bog bean, blue forget-me-nots. My advice - start with way less than you hope to end up with!

thanks, I'll window shop at a few ponds shops local to me this weekend

 

[qclabrat]

is it okay to start up a bog filter without plants, then introduce plants a few weeks later?

 

[Lisak1]

Sure. Just be aware that it's not really "working" until you get plants in it - and in fact it won't start working until your plants really start to grow. And your plants won't start growing until your fish start producing enough waste to feed them. Our first year we had to baby our bog and pond plants along. They were surviving, but they weren't thriving. Mainly they were a sickly yellow. We had to fertilize them all, which was kind of a pain. By the second year they took off and have been doing great ever since.

So I guess my message is the faster you get them in, the faster they can start doing their part in your pond!

 

[sissy]

I use strawberry grass and lemon grass in my filters .You can use banana plants but roots will need trimmed and elephant ears .Some come in mini versions

 

[qclabrat]

Sure. Just be aware that it's not really "working" until you get plants in it - and in fact it won't start working until your plants really start to grow. And your plants won't start growing until your fish start producing enough waste to feed them. Our first year we had to baby our bog and pond plants along. They were surviving, but they weren't thriving. Mainly they were a sickly yellow. We had to fertilize them all, which was kind of a pain. By the second year they took off and have been doing great ever since.

So I guess my message is the faster you get them in, the faster they can start doing their part in your pond!

what's a safe fertilizer for the bog?

 

[Lisak1]

what's a safe fertilizer for the bog?

We used a pelleted aquatic fertilizer only because we had it on hand. Any granular or stick type general plant fertilizer (think Jobe's tomato spikes or house plant spikes) will work. The spikes are easy - just poke them in near the roots. When we used the granular fertilizer, I wrapped the appropriate dose in a square of paper towels and shoved the little packet into the gravel near the roots. That was a bit of a pain in the bootie, to be honest, but I had the fertilizer and wanted to use it up so I dealt with it.

 

[sissy]

not tomato spikes they are for acid loving plants .I get my spikes at the dollar store 1 dollar for 24 end of season buy 50 cents for 24

 

[Meyer Jordan]

what's a safe fertilizer for the bog?

Any balanced slow-release fertilizer can be used. Just use prudently.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

now that the main pond is cycling and fish will go in shortly,

A new pond will not begin the Nitrogen cycle until fish are added. They supply the initial Ammonia to start-up the nitrification process.