Pond Plants – Learn & Grow
Pond Plants balance the ecosystem of their habitat, be it land or water. The pond plants create a nourishing environment for aquatic life by providing them with food and shelter, as well as making the pond look great with their curvy leaves and trailing root systems. There is a variety of aquatic plants that one could select from, and we advise to pick according to the need of the pond and aesthetics. A common question asked is there really a necessity of pond plants and the answer is firm yes!
Pond plants prevent the accumulation of green algae on the surface of the pond. Some of these plants are submerged in water with their long stems reaching the above the water, while others float on water. They provide shade to the pond water which is necessary to control photosynthesis, eliminating the risk of algae growing on the top. Water in ponds tends to stay fresh for longer periods of time when plants are present. Plants improve the water quality since the sunlight hitting these plants increases the rate of the plants own photosynthesis, releasing oxygen. Depending on the size of your pond, select flowers which won’t cause overgrowth and completely hide the pond, but instead provide sufficient shading inviting wildlife. Hornwort and water violets are some of the excellent small pond plant water oxygenators for small ponds. You could decorate it with floating pond plants such as water moss and plant creeping jenny along the marginals as it does not overgrow making it a perfect choice. Marginal pond plants help in giving ponds their shape, adding depth to the edges of a pond, and deep water pond plants are helpful also.
Types of pond plants include:
- Oxygenating pond plants
- Marginal pond plants
- Pond edge plants
- Floating pond plants
- Floating pond water lilies
- Deep water pond plants.
However, large ponds require plants that provide more shading and prevent blankets of algae on the surface. Willow moss and starwort are some excellent choices for oxygenators in large ponds. Water lilies float on the surface of large ponds, they need more sunlight and don’t take too much space whilst creating a beautiful view with their pink hue.
Keeping plants in ponds will result in visibly fewer algae and weed growth, freshwater with healthy aquatic life, and firm soil. The roots of submerged pond plants keep the soil firm, preventing it from blowing away or from important nutrients eroding. Lastly, if you are aware of the benefits of specific pond plants it will result in the nourishment of the pond. Another benefit of keeping pond plants is that they don’t require a lot of maintenance as the pond water and sunlight are enough to look after for themselves!