What I grow best

[MajorDan]

I have decided my pond is great at growing algae and bad at growing hornwort. I had really hoped the hornwort would take off and make a dent in the algae but, no, that easy to grow hornwort hated my pond and turned brown and disgusting. So Mr. Hornwort made the algae grow even better. The water lilies and and pickerel rush are doing great but two other submersibles I added, not so much. I wonder if the algae is winning the food fight.
I will be off fly fishing for five days so the fight will have to go unwatched while I am away. Maybe the algae will miss me and surrender.
The water quality remains good so the algae is doing a good job of handling the nutrients.
Still running a 3000+gph pump on about a 1200 gallon pond with a Matala KH-25LP air pump that is rated for ponds 1000-7000 gallons so it should be delivering enough oxygen for the bacteria to thrive. Now if the bog plants would just get going since the submersibles are not thriving...yet.
Patience is what I am working on since things will become clear sooner or later.

 

[LarryM]

Water hyacinth is a great floating plant with long roots to eat nutrients in the water and large leaves to block sunlight.

 

[addy1]

My hornwort took a year or so to establish itself. I sort of gave up on it, it would turn to mush. Then next thing I know I have a forest of it.

It now sticks around all winter and grows well enough I remove some now and then. The fish love it.

 

[MajorDan]

My hornwort took a year or so to establish itself. I sort of gave up on it, it would turn to mush. Then next thing I know I have a forest of it.

It now sticks around all winter and grows well enough I remove some now and then. The fish love it.

I sure hope you are right. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[MajorDan]

Water hyacinth is a great floating plant with long roots to eat nutrients in the water and large leaves to block sunlight.

Thanks for idea but Water hyacinths are illegal in Alabama. Shoot.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I don't have any submersibles in my pond, but the marginals definitely took a couple of growing seasons to really take hold. The forget-me-not failed totally in the upper pond, and struggled terribly along the waterfall stream. Now I throw it away by the bucket full every couple of weeks!! (along with parrots feather) I have no doubt that your patience will be greatly rewarded.

 

[Lisak1]

I think every new pond owner struggles to get plants started and then BOOM! You have more than you know what to do with! Hang in there - you'll soon have a pond full of lovely plants and algae will be a distant memory. A few days away will help - things grow fast when we aren't looking!

Oh, and hornwort has been a constant fail for me, too. I'm going to try again this year, but we've never been able to get it to grow. I think it needs to find it's happy place and then you'll be good!

 

[bagsmom]

We were just at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens yesterday and the koi pond/aquatic garden was like pea soup. So you are in fancy company in Huntsville!

 

[MajorDan]

We were just at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens yesterday and the koi pond/aquatic garden was like pea soup. So you are in fancy company in Huntsville!

Nice to know! Wish they sold pond plants. We enjoy the butterfly house.

 

[Linus_Cello]

How are you growing your Hornwort? Do you have any that are floating?

 

[MajorDan]

Most is floating and one mass is tangled around the water lilies. The ones under the lilies I have not seen due to algae. The rest have pretty much disintegrated with small branches still floating around in the upper pond.

 

[addy1]

How are you growing your Hornwort? Do you have any that are floating?

If you are asking me, I just tossed it in. It has since done a soft anchor to the bottom. Very easy to move.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Most is floating and one mass is tangled around the water lilies. The ones under the lilies I have not seen due to algae. The rest have pretty much disintegrated with small branches still floating around in the upper pond.

Is there a part of your pond that is shadier? Do they grow better there?

 

[MajorDan]

At the moment it did not survive anywhere except it ma be surviving at the bottom where it was tangled with lily pad stems. Since algae took over I have not seen it. Maybe it will be a big surprise when algae clears and there is a clump that survived. I think it may have gotten to hot in shipment as it was brown when I got it and has not gotten any better since.