Rookie pond owner plant questions

[ROW FISH]

Hi All
Once again looking for advice. I want to put plants in my pond. I have Koi. I mentioned this to a Aquascape pond guy and he said it was not a good idea. I know the Koi guys don't like anything in the pond but I thought a Aquascape guy would be in favor of plants. This guy said he made more money last year treating ponds for leeches and flukes from pond plants. I have read some people suggest treating plants with Potassium promegate before putting in pond to kill potential parasites and bacteria. I'm getting different stories every time I try to do something. Very frustrating and confusing. I just want to put some lilies and some marginal to help keep algae at bay and for the natural look. Thanks for any help or suggestions.
Does anyone here treat their plants or has anyone had issues from plants?

I have personally never treated any plants. The only major issue I've had is a snail boom from eggs on plants but my dojo loach keeps the population in check. I also get leaches every year around my waterfall. They come and go with the weather and favorable conditions. No treatment has ever been done to get rid of them though.

 

[SEKCOBRA]

Ok Sorry have not been home to reply. I have a local shop that has pond plants. I want to put lilies in what I call the bog area. That is the area nearest in the picture. Its about 10-16 inches there. I refer to it as a bog because their is a vault underneath that my pump is in. I don't have a skimmer. I also have shelves around almost the entire perimeter of the pond. Also about a foot deep. In the back near where the driftwood across meets the other piece I would like to have some kind of growth that would come back every year. I have a gravel bottom everywhere so I would prefer to put something in the gravel instead of pots with soil. I read you can plant lilly tubers in gravel and they will do ok. At least that's what I read. Cattails would be ok in rear if that will work. Waterfall is starting to get a deep green algae growing on the rocks and some string algae on the gravel. Water has finally warmed up here. My thoughts are some plants may help keep algae in check by competing for nutrients. What do the veterans think?

 

[Lisak1]

Just remember anything you plant directly in the pond will be able to spread. Lilies are notorious for taking over a pond. I personally would keep those in check. Cattails are good, but I would choose a dwarf variety. Also irises, rushes, sedges, pickerel... there are so many to choose from. Lobelia, thalia, arrowhead - so fun to see what you can grow.

And yes - any plants you add will help with your algae growth. BUT a wise old pond guy once told us that your pond water takes two to three seasons to mature. Expect algae the first few years. It's a symptom - not a problem. String algae is easy to pull out by hand or some people use a stick or a clean toilet brush to swirl it up. Toss it in your garden - your plants will love it! The first year we pulled out bushels of string algae. The second year it was less and by year three we had just a bit on the waterfall. Balance will come!

 

[SEKCOBRA]

Thanks Lisa. I'm not worried about the algae in the waterfall area. It was in the pond in the winter but one day it was all gone. fish got hungry I guess. I'm not feeding my fish very much so I keep them hungry and believe this is why so far I have no string algae in the pond. Going to go for lilies in the two ends of the pond and maybe cattails or something else in back area. Little nervous about adding plants but I have to do it. I planted some other plants around the pond and some that were planted last year are coming up now. Post a updated pi tomorrow.
Thanks for help.

 

[Lisak1]

Awesome! Don't be nervous - just think of it as your water garden!

 

[Koi4JT]

Hi all
I'm new to pond ownership and looking for some advice on what kind of plants to use in my pond. I posted the other day in the new pond section and received some great advice on some questions and issues I was having so I thought I would let you veterans show me the way here also. Lisa in Chicago jump in if you don't mind. First my pond is somewhere between 3000-4000 gallons, I'm on Long Island NY and the pond has a 7200GPH pump with a large gravel bog area and a biofall at the other end. Rock walls and gravel bottom. I get a good amount of sun till late afternoon when the house shades the pond. I'm trying to get a idea of what type of plants to use. I know nothing about these water plants. I will have about 15 Koi in the pond. (they are already in the pond). I'm planning on leaving the plants in pots. I have read that some root so hard into gravel that they can be difficult to remove or trim? My bog area has a vault buried in it with my pump. I want to put plants there. Its a shallow area about 4x4. I will need to get to pump occasionally so I don't want roots to make it difficult to access the vault. I'm thinking some kind of lily's in that area? Pond has shelves around perimeter about a foot deep so I guess I can put plants around anywhere. What type of plants are better for the pond water? What are the pros and cons of plants you recommend? Is there a website I can go that shows pictures of the plants? How do you put plants in? Pots or not? Do the roots in potted plants still grow through the holes in the pots to root in gravel? I had this built to look as natural as possible. I would like to have some lily pads and add some color.
Thanks for any help.
I'm going to post a picture of the pond now. The left side is the bog area. Also would like to get a vine type plant to plant(not water plant unless there is one that would do that)View attachment 109234 at base of driftwood log that would creep across on the wood. Saw something with little flowers last year that went up a street sign that gave me the idea.

Nice pond. I am not sure why you put the pump within the bog as I believe it works better at the bottom of the pond (invert the pump so if there is a leak, it will not totally drain the pond). As for plants, I use irises and grasses which survive all winter and can tolerate Koi and other fishes from being devastated. Grasses seem better in the bog where the irises can do well in the pond. The grasses just need to be set into the gravel in the bog whereas the irises need basket style pots where the roots can grow out from the pot. If you keep the pump in your bog, you may want to isolate it within a barrel of sorts to minimize the infiltration of roots and other debris. Also, Koi love lilies so best not to put them in your pond. Hope this helps. JT

 

[Lisak1]

His pump is pulling water down through the gravel bed in his pond - an alternative method that I think sounds very interesting. Essentially his pump is near the bottom of the pond - just under the gravel bed.

I have both koi and lilies in my pond - both co-exist peacefully. I think the myth that koi will always destroy plants is just that - a myth. Some koi definitely do, but not all koi. We have a gravel bottom in our pond - some pond people claim the gravel in the pond gives koi something to root around in so they leave plants alone. Just a theory... no hard evidence for that thought!

 

[barryian]

Hi - @Sekobra ... Where about on the Island are you? I'm originally from West Hempstead ions ago. Now we live one town over in Malverne area. Nice work on the pond. Just saw it today but haven't read completely through. Been ponding 25 years and glad to help with questions. What is the depth and is this completely a new build. You should calculate the 3000 - 4000 approximation to a more accurate amount of gallons. Quite important if treating the pond in the future. Main drain? Depth?
Mines a different setup as I have no plants. It's a dedicated koi pond. In all the years I've been doing this, I never got into the bog end. I can help with anything else. Water parameters are the number one thing of importance as all else is secondary. Testing that water as many do not .... All the best, B

 

[ROW FISH]

String algae is easy to pull out by hand or some people use a stick or a clean toilet brush to swirl it up. Toss it in your garden - your plants will love it!

String Algae makes some of the best compost on the planet. My vegetable garden LOVES the algae in the pond. Never ever ever throw algae in the trash.

 

[SEKCOBRA]

I have personally never treated any plants. The only major issue I've had is a snail boom from eggs on plants but my dojo loach keeps the population in check. I also get leaches every year around my waterfall. They come and go with the weather and favorable conditions. No treatment has ever been done to get rid of them though.

Do the leeches cause a problem for your fish?

 

[SEKCOBRA]

His pump is pulling water down through the gravel bed in his pond - an alternative method that I think sounds very interesting. Essentially his pump is near the bottom of the pond - just under the gravel bed.

I have both koi and lilies in my pond - both co-exist peacefully. I think the myth that koi will always destroy plants is just that - a myth. Some koi definitely do, but not all koi. We have a gravel bottom in our pond - some pond people claim the gravel in the pond gives koi something to root around in so they leave plants alone. Just a theory... no hard evidence for that thought!

Lisa is correct. The pump is in a large vault at the bottom of the pond under about a ton of gravel.

 

[SEKCOBRA]

Hi - @Sekobra ... Where about on the Island are you? I'm originally from West Hempstead ions ago. Now we live one town over in Malverne area. Nice work on the pond. Just saw it today but haven't read completely through. Been ponding 25 years and glad to help with questions. What is the depth and is this completely a new build. You should calculate the 3000 - 4000 approximation to a more accurate amount of gallons. Quite important if treating the pond in the future. Main drain? Depth?
Mines a different setup as I have no plants. It's a dedicated koi pond. In all the years I've been doing this, I never got into the bog end. I can help with anything else. Water parameters are the number one thing of importance as all else is secondary. Testing that water as many do not .... All the best, B

Hi
I'm in Farmingdale. Pond was completed in October. I know I have to find out exactly how many gallons I have. I'm estimating 3500-4000. One day when I have to drain it I'll know for sure when I fill it. I have the meter on my hose. Its 4ft deep at the left side and about 3.5 on the right side. No bottom drain if that's what your referring to. No skimmer either. It has a 7000gph pump in a vault under the gravel at the left side pumping to the biofalls. Koi guys hate this setup. I would have done things differently if I knew what I know now. May have a skimmer and a mechanical filter added if I run into the problems that the Koi community says I will. I have been testing my water every few days and so far it has remained very stable. PH is always very high 8.5-9. Ammonia and Nitrite are between 0-0.25 KH 125-170. Had the salinity up to 3.0 for a few weeks and bringing it down now. Today its 1.7.

 

[Lisak1]

The "koi guys" told me six years ago that my koi would all be dead by now. They told me it's impossible to keep big koi in a garden pond. They said my gravel bottom would make my pond toxic. Guess what? They were wrong on all counts. I gave up trying to convince the "koi guys" that MAYBE there's more than one way to keep koi. They will stare right in the face of success and deny it's happening. That's ok - I love my gravel bottomed pond!

 

[JamieB]

Only recommendation I have, is to have an aquarium or other water area to grow aquatic plants your fish do eat. I’ll be growing duck weed, thinking of trying anachris, or however that’s spelled, so they can munch what I toss in.

 

[addy1]

lol @Lisak1 I was told my pond would totally fail be filtered by only a bog. Guess they were wrong!