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Jan 10th, 2023
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Hi all - another question from a first time pond owner.
It's a pond that has been holding water now for 2+ years - good little ecosystem growing in it. Fish have been stocked, happy and growing.
Simple question is - should I simply let 'nature take its course' and allow whatever plants come to grow. or - should I consider getting some plants & lillies started.
Would love to hear the pluses and minuses.
Just looking for some direction/suggestions on what to do - and if 'helping' to get it started is the answer - suggestions on what to do would be most appreciated.
The pond is in WNY - COLD in winter...it freezes over. App 1/3 of an acre - water is 15'+ at the deepest point & tapers up to the shallows <4' on one end. The pond gets water from runoff and a small pump that delivers 500 gal/day in summer - no outlet or flow other than that.
Thanks!
JL
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Taking pot luck with native plants is likely to lead to a free for all for the worst seeding and spreading aquatic plants of all. Cat tails and smartweed come to mind Its a fairly common wheeze for supposed pond contractors to offer whatever they can get cheap, plants with some rather iffy pond busting habits, odorata waterlily hybrids, yellow flag iris, aggressive lotus as very cheap, or free to help you out (with the prospect of charging a hefty price to control them later, or to build a new pond as the old pond choked down the road) Be picky about introducing plants which you know have a desirable mix of ornamental, habitat improving, well behaved and easy to control characteristics Regards, andy http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/adavisus/
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I agree with Andy... There are plants that grow in different areas of the pond.
Some are submerged totally. Good submerged aquatic vegetation(SAV) for ponds IMO are eel grass and American pond weed.
There are several nice hybrid water lily cultivars that won't take a pond over and are manageable. You can look at any of these to plant. Check with Andrew, Bill The Pond Frog and others who have experience with water lilies for good cultivars to plant.
Marginal species, or those that grow right at the water's edge in just a few inches to just muddy areas are the last type. The most commonly seen type in the common cattail. But as Andy said, common cattail will take over a pond, particularly smaller ponds. There are a good number of marginal plants that will not take over your pond under most conditions and many are beneficial to wildlife as well. Species like arrow arum, pickeral weed, arrowhead, golden club, cardinal flower, dwarf cattail and a number of species of sedges are all species that look nice, shouldn't take over the edge of your pond and are fairly hardy to very hardy...
I would try to get these species established first, so they have a head start on and will out compete other more invasive species that will eventually attempt to invade your pond.
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Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/19/10 07:11 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
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I agree with Andy... There are plants that grow in different areas of the pond.
Some are submerged totally. Good submerged aquatic vegetation(SAV) for ponds IMO are eel grass and American pond weed.
There are several nice hybrid water lily cultivars that won't take a pond over and are manageable. You can look at any of these to plant. Check with Andrew, Bill The Pond Frog and others who have experience with water lilies for good cultivars to plant.
Marginal species, or those that grow right at the water's edge in just a few inches to just muddy areas are the last type. The most commonly seen type in the common cattail. But as Andy said, common cattail will take over a pond, particularly smaller ponds. There are a good number of marginal plants that will not take over your pond under most conditions and many are beneficial to wildlife as well. Species like arrow arum, pickeral weed, arrowhead, golden club, cardinal flower, dwarf cattail and a number of species of sedges are all species that look nice, shouldn't take over the edge of your pond and are fairly hardy to very hardy...
I would try to get these species established first, so they have a head start on and will out compete other more invasive species that will eventually attempt to invade your pond. I am doing this right now for a customer. We drew down his full time supplied pond to get lilies in at a desired depth. His previous attempts were inadequate at best. And if you do not do it yourself there are people that will sell you the cheapest junk and walkaway leaving you with a future mess. Many considerations are personal. What are your desires? Your intent? A long term plan or goal? Those are the first 3 questions I ask a pond owner. Do your homework, put a plan in writing and do things right, with quality plants that will work in your area. And plan for growth, and spread. Hey the bright side is you came to a good place to ask and get some sound advice before diving in and smashing your head on a rock. Landscaping a pond is vastly more difficult then throwing some grass seed down for a lawn. If you do it right to start you will save yourself a boatload of money, time and aggravation down the road. Or keep from hiring someone like me to clean up the previous mess. If you let nature take it course think of a bare plot of land where that happens. You get the worst weeds and ugliness nature has to offer, and it is lot of work to take those weeds out and start over.
Last edited by The Pond Frog; 04/19/10 09:36 AM.
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