Plants not growing.

[WaterGardener]

As the lily leaves mature, the purple specks appear. Also putting them in full sun will bring out those purple specks. If they were shaded before, it might explain why they were green. They are fine. It's not a problem.

The water lettuce had enough iron in the water they were in when you bought them. There is not enough iron in the water they live in now. They need a constant supply of nutrients, like we do, not just a one time dose.

 

[Mayank]

I agree. The water lily leaves look fine and healthy.

 

[Mayank]

The yellowing leaves could be an iron deficiency. You can get a test kit for that to check the water. My pond has no iron and I use a product from Seachem to correct that problem.

Those water lily leaves look normal to me. The ones with pink or red flowers, maybe yellow, too, tend to have those speckled leaves. Ones with white flowers are usually solid green.

Hi there. I was wondering about iron deficiency in our pond. What's the best way to test for it? Is the Seachem pond flourish ferrous gluconate iron the safest for koi and comets? Thanks in advance!

 

[WaterGardener]

You need an iron test kit, the liquid type.

Seachem Flourish is what I use. You can spray the plants with it or dose the entire pond.

 

[Mayank]

You need an iron test kit, the liquid type.

Seachem Flourish is what I use. You can spray the plants with it or dose the entire pond.

Maybe I'm searching weird but I can't find any pondwater iron test kit. Do you have a brand name? Sorry...
Edit: I just found a Seachem Multitest Iron Test kit. Is that what you use?

 

[WaterGardener]

Here is one from Seachem:

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-MultiTest-Iron-Test-Kit/dp/B0006JLZ0O/ref=asc_df_B0006JLZ0O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13542044739015893097&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008248&hvtargid=pla-2281435178058&psc=1&mcid=06fbc53df4f1335483b052ebe2d4c439&hvocijid=13542044739015893097-B0006JLZ0O-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

Mine is part of a kit from Nutrafin. Price has really gone up though, but it's a very comprehensive kit. This one:

https://www.amazon.com/Nutrafin-Master-Test-Contains-Parameters/dp/B0002568FO/ref=mp_s_a_1_19_mod_primary_new?crid=1DL7XKH11DB8F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iZvM0Rh511bwJFsbxd-UHGyZQJuEyM8AbeKH06Aw8knGWa2f1szWh6lBYkQbfbyyoiH2Af9eKCtiF404Ob4OCICtF0LmdWPtx9OT4Al0uR3EbSiJmBohfCJyER0gLjPc8T5CAd-NQKCl6NbLvWRuPiq2E3qgjn66cMWenbaHvsz2VqgkzUdZlpHHKZgqa3yW6-ZIWg83kFG1T_x8tBSMvw.uto6N3nzGUJpXk-_Ewl_k-7jBqzdrSUZwDQ4wnw3VfM&dib_tag=se&keywords=fluval+water+test+kit&qid=1721315681&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=fluval+test+kit%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-19

 

[Lisak1]

Definitely get some fertilizer for your potted plants. For the floaters some have had success using a diluted miracle gro in a bucket. Let them soak for a day and then rinse the roots and put them back in the pond.

 

[j.w]

If you find that you're low in Iron then you can make a small ball out of steel wool and cram it down in the plant media and it will slowly disperse iron. I have done this w/Water lilies.

 

[WaterGardener]

I don't think that is a good idea. Here is a discussion about using steel wool.

Steel Wool!?!

www.plantedtank.net

 

[j.w]

All I know is the plants leaves stopped turning yellow and the fish lived. Saw no rust floating around. Used it in tomato plants also.

 

[WaterGardener]

Glad it worked for you.

 

[Mayank]

Glad it worked for you.

So I did the test for iron with the seachem kit that I ordered and there is zero iron in the pond which could explain why things have not been growing that great in the past year or two. I ordered the seachem pond flourish and it'll come tomorrow. How do you dose the plants? I'm just thinking of applying directly on to the leaves with a spray bottle instead of dozing the whole pond to start with and see what happens. What concentration do you use? The bottle had different amounts to use based on gallons but I'm assuming that's if you want to dose the whole pond.

 

[WaterGardener]

It doesn't matter if you are spraying or pouring it in the pond. But the amount is much less since the sprayer holds much less water.

I use a one gallon pump up sprayer (it's easier for me to spray several plants that way) and the dosage is 0.1 mL/ gallon. I use a diabetic syringe (1/2 mL) and measure out 10 units. It's very concentrated.

Info: Seachem Flourish Iron™ Dosing Instructions

Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 200 L (50 gallons) or as required to maintain about 0.10 mg/L iron. For smaller doses please note that each cap thread is about 1 mL. Use MultiTest®: Iron test kit to m...

seachem.zendesk.com