Looking for pond plants that grow well from seeds

[Priscilla]

Hello,

I live in the Cayman Islands, I have a few plants in my pond, but am trying to expand. The plant nurseries import very few pond plants and we don't really have that many natural fresh water ponds. I can import seeds without a permit, but can not import a plant.

So far I have water hyacinths, water lettuce, and iris.

I was thinking of trying water mint. Has any tried to grow carnivore plants from seed (I've read they like bog conditions). Any suggestions? Its sunny and hot here most of the time.

Thanks,
Priscilla

 

[sissy]

You can grow some of the herbs in your pond also .

 

[Priscilla]

Really? Which ones? In the bog with just the roots wet or partially submerged in the pond?

 

[sissy]

water cress ,celantro ,lemon grass .I guess you can look where you by groceries as some of them you can grow from the shoots you buy .Just the roots wet .Not sure what you have there but elephant ears and cannas .Banana plants and most tropical plants that you can get seeds from the fruit should grow .

 

[Priscilla]

I have elephant ears and was planning to get that in the pond.

I just read about watercress.

I do have cannas as well. Once I get the bog going my options open up it seems.

Thanks!

 

[adavisus]

Some may not be realistic to try as tiny seeds are easy to lose, unless you are willing to go quite clinical.

Lotus, tropical waterlily, hardy waterlily, iris, arrowhead, arrow arum, golden club are some of the more straight forward, reliable

Regards, andy

http://swglist.wordpress.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[callingcolleen1]

I like your idea of trying to grow Pitcher plants (caravorous plants) in your pond. I just love Pitcher plants but they don't grow well in my climate (not humid and warm enough) as I have tried many hardy types and they all failed to thrive. Your climate should be good for growing them, Hopefully Addy will come and "show and tell" us again about her beautiful Piitcher plants!!!

 

[Mmathis]

This may or may not help, but for the past 2 years I've purchased [ornamental] [sweet?] potato plants. I needed something that grew fairly fast and made a lot of cover as I have box turtles and they aren't comfortable in OPEN areas. The vines grew like crazy, yet the vines were easy to control and easy to pull up, and they adapted very well to the "bog" setting.

I don't know if regular potato or sweet potato vines would do as well, but you never know. I remember growing these in grade school, but have no idea how this would translate to a pond.

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks all! Love all the feed I get from this site.

I added in an elephant ear plant, I basically just anchored it with some rocks around it, covering the roots, I found that tip from another post on here. I also added in some cannas I had using the same technique, not sure if it will work, but I didn't buy the plants. Hope it will work, because it looks so much better than having pots in the pond propped up with cement blocks. Which is how I have my iris and it bugs me looking at it every day. I think I need to hide the block with some other rocks.

Has anyone had any luck with just using rocks to anchor in plants?

I have two more iris' to add in, but I'm not sure where to put them, I don't want to look at the pots.

Also headed off to hunt for watercress - although I read you're not suppose to eat it from the pond.

 

[addy1]

I have iris just stuck inbetween rocks in the pond, it is doing fine. Carnivorous plants, from what I have read, are a tough start from seed, but do grow, about a year plus before they put out a pitcher.
Water mint will do fine, but it can be very invasive, grows grows grows, I just yank it out if I get too much of it. Great nectar for the honey bees! I have it in the bog and just floating in the big pond. Grows great from seed.

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks Addy. I paid $20 for my purple iris, so I'm hesitant to do anything with it, I don't even have it in the pond yet. I have my yellow iris (was free) in a pot in the pond filled with pea gravel.

Maybe I could try separating the purple iris and just try one in the pond.

Do you just wash the roots off and use rocks to secure it so it doesn't float away?

My elephant ear looked a little droopy tonight. I took it from the ground, washed the roots and secured it with some rocks, taking care not to damage them.

Priscilla
ps.
A heron got four of my goldfish today. Ugh!!!!

 

[Catfishnut]

Priscilla,

You can grow just about any plant you desire in an aquponics system. There is a science to it, but it can be done. If you understand the technology about it all, you can grow native plants, which would be legal to possess in the islands, and propogate them in your pond. Rather than focusing soley in on water plants, think about the normal "earth and soil" type of plants.
Not every plant can be propogated this way, but there are many which should thrive and if they do grow, they will help keep your pond water quality balanced.

Refer to Earthangroup on the web. Just do a Google search for Earthangroup.

 

[addy1]

As your purple iris grows it will send out more plants from the roots, take some of those and try them in the pond, in pots with pea gravel, or just in the water. They seem to do fine either place.

I have stuck a bunch of "land" plants in the pond and bog as experimental to see if they will grow or not. Some do some don't.

The carnivorous plants prefer a land bog, peatmoss and sand, acidic water. They like to have wet roots then dry then wet type cycle. I had one in the pond bog, stayed wet, it managed to make it for a few years then died.