Plant Shelf Depth?

[sburtchin]

I keep finding conflicting information about how deep to make the plant shelf, and how many. My hardshell liners have the shelf at 8" or 9", which puts the plants just below the surface, adding the height of the pots. Some sources say to make it as much as 14" and to sit the pots on bricks if needed. A dog got into my pond one summer and panicked. It was like all the pots, plants and bricks were thrown into a washing machine.

My pond will be 32" deep. It will be 10' x 13', but half of the pond will only be about 8' wide. This is the viewing area. I have koi and goldfish that are up to 6" now. I also plan to add a red-eared slider or painted turtle. Hopefully, one will come on its own. Frogs are plentiful.

How deep should the plant shelf be? Should there be shelves at multiple depths? How many?

Some say to sit the pots on the shelf or on bricks, others say to bury the pot in the shelf with gravel so it is not visible, and others say to remove the pot and plant directly into the pond soil as you would any other garden plant. What are the pros and cons of these three methods?

 

[addy1]

Con to a plant shelf.............herons and other birds of prey use them to help get to your fish.

Where do you live?

I have one sort of plant shelf around 20 inches down, it is part of my bog wall. That depth has worked out fine for lilies, and all other plants.
Also you might have issues trying to have koi and plants. I don't have koi, but have read that those that do they tend to snack on the plants, dig them up and play with them.

A lot of people put no plant shelves in and just put the plants on milk crates, blocks or other things to raise them up. That is one way you can move them around in the pond and you have a lot more water room for the fish.

 

[sburtchin]

Con to a plant shelf.............herons and other birds of prey use them to help get to your fish.

Where do you live?

NW Ohio. Birds of prey have not been a problem yet (about 10 years). I have racoons, cats and opossums. Steep sidewalls seem to be a sufficient deterrent for them.

So far the koi have not been too much a problem eating the plants, but I have to cover the pots with cloth and stones to keep them from displacing all the soil.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Disregarding the predator issue, It really depends on what you are planting. Some aquatic plants will only tolerate a couple of inches in depth, others 12' - 18' and still others like Water Lilies and Spatter Dock up to 3 feet and even more with some lily varieties.

 

[tbendl]

I think it truly comes down to what you want as far as a shelf and what you plan on putting on that shelf. Some people use them for plants, some people put the shelf closer to the surface so they can use it to put rocks to cover the liner. The 1 thing I've learned so far with ponding is that there is no 1 way to do anything. lol

 

[dieselplower]

I made my plant shelf about 1' deep. That way I can have the ones that like to be submerged on the bottom and the ones that like their crown to be at water level I can set on a cinder block. The block also adds a nice hiding place / shade.

 

[sburtchin]

Con to a plant shelf.............herons and other birds of prey use them to help get to your fish.

I watch this Pond Stars show where they build these beautiful shallow ponds stocked with hundreds of dollars of fish and wonder - How long before they loose every fish in there? If I built a pond like that my racoons would be gorging themselves!

 

[Lisaebetten]

I have 3 different levels around my pond. From my research of different plant depths I prepared for them all. From left of my skimmer 1/2 my pond has a shelf that starts at 6" and drops to 12" at the other end. I have a 2' deep landing area in front of the skimmer and then 1/4 of my pond has a ledge that starts at 12" and goes to 18". My last 1/4 of pond is next to my deck and don't plan to set an plants in there. In this picture I actually took out the shelves by the little green pot.

 

[sburtchin]

Anybody in favor of rooting the plants directly into the shelf like they do on Pond Stars? Some of the pond literature recommends this too. Looks more natural, but I'm thinking recipe for disaster.

 

[Lisak1]

All my marginals are growing directly in gravel on the shelves. What problems would you expect from that approach?

 

[Lisaebetten]

I wish I would have dug plant holes to keep the fish from picking at the roots and such. If this is what you are talking about and don't have a problem digging them I'd say try it out. It can't hurt anything?

I anchor the roots with rocks now.

 

[addy1]

I have had a bunch of plants, self plant themselves on the shallow rock shelf. The roots dangle in the water, a haven for the fry, tads, water bugs etc.

 

[sburtchin]

All my marginals are growing directly in gravel on the shelves. What problems would you expect from that approach?

I had some water mint. It grows with no soil at all. It got into every pot in my pond ecept the lilies. It grows on dry land and chocked out plants growing around the pond. It produces seeds. After 3 years of pulling it, I think it's gone, but not sure. I have a couple other marginals that are somewhat invasive.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah, right! I treat invasive plants the same regardless of where they are planted, in the pond or in the garden - and plants in pots can just as easily spread out of their containers and invade your pond or yard. Know your plants and don't allow the bullies to take over! Mint is invasive in all it's forms! Talk about a bully!

 

[addy1]

Mint is invasive in all it's forms

aww but the bees love it! Best fall nectar flower we have.