Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Introducing Vegetation to Small Pond

1. Why did you choose eel-grass (tape-grass) to put in your pond?
2. Do you have any other plants in the pond?
3. How old is the pond?
4. What is the max depth?
5. What does your gereral water clarity? Is there a range of visibility thru the year?
6. Do you fertilize or feed the fish?
7. Can you tell us a little about how the eelgrass is growing where you are getting it?
How deep of water do you see it and how tall are the plants?
Lots of questions for you; hope this turns into a good discussion.
B.cody - The Pond Doctor


So to answer questions from another thread and cover all bases: I have a 1/3 acre pond going to be expanded to a 1/2-2/3 acre pond. Currently it is at a depth of 7ft deep and will be expanded to 15-20 ft deep this upcoming Sept.

It currently has NO vegetation or nothing substantial and contains large mouth bass, and black crappie along with random perch and feeder fish.

I do not feed or fertilize the pond and its about 7 years old. The bass are well established but the crappie are few and far between. At this time and current depth of 7 ft (visibility a foot or two) what would be a good underwater plant or grass to add and maybe a top floating plant to encourage feeding and hiding places for smaller fish.

I'd like it not to be too pervasive and easily controlled. I will not be adding grass carp under any circumstance. Thanks for the assistance.

Welcome. Since this is your first post, should I assume the initial questions were not addressed to you? You did not answer my 1st question, why choose eel grass? Do you have access to natural growing plants? Thus my questions #1 & #7? Since you are south of the Mason-dixon line I suggest that you start with corkscrew eel grass aka spiral eel grass. You will probably have to buy this one from an pet store or water garden supply outlet. Plants might be $1 ea. It is more pricey than standard eel grass but will be much better in the long run for you in a small pond. Sometimes a local pet store may give you a discount for buying a small quantity 50-100. Search for it online. Wash or rinse plants well when you get them to minimize introduction of 'piggy back' weed-algae exotics common in the aquarium pet market. For 'starters' his plant will IMO be better than standard eelgrass in your pond because is grows slower and it stays shorter normally 6"-12" tall. Standard eel grass can grow to lengths of 3-6ft tall. IMO short 'tapegrass' eelgrass is better in the smaller pond. If you're not satisfied with its growth rate and features then you can always plant standard eel grass later(3-4yrs). Plant eelgrass similar to onion sets 6"-12" apart 12"-3ft deep. Make a hole with finger in the pond bottom slip in plant to just above roots and push mud around base of plant. Plant either all in one area or in several separate patches where ever you want it to become established.

Plant will probably grow to depths where ever it can get enough light. In clear water (vis 3-4ft) this will be 6-7ft deep. Fertilizing will reduce depth of spread depending on water clarity.

For a top floating plant you should consider using hybrid hardy water lilies - order the back issues of Pond Boss Mar-Apr 2010 Water Lilies Pt1 and especially Jul-Aug 2010 issue for my article Hybrid Water Lilies Pt2. Pt2 provides all the info you need to get started. Searching the old forum posts will also provide some good free information. One or two grass carp can be beneficial when and IF these plants ever become too abundant which I very much doubt if you do things properly.

Thanks for the quick response. No those questions were from a post I found on the site here.

I have access to another pond at someone elses property which has what looks like golf grash growing throughout their pond. It literally is covering every inch of visible dirt in the water and only grows about 2-3 inches tall. Not sure what that stuff is but didn't want to risk adding it until I knew more.

I dont care whether its eelgrass or something else I use, I only know that eelgrass is what tends to grow naturally around my area. Other then that, I'm clueless.

A friend of mine, who works in city water reclamation, suggested najas grass. They use different types of plants and organisms to break down waste water.

Is there anything you'd suggest above and beyond another?

Firstly, let's find out exactly what golf grash is??? Is it growing now and can you get a close, clear picture of it?. I would not suggest none of najas grass types (naiad - bushy pondweed) - too tall, too fast spreading, too much of a nuisance in a small fish pond. However, grass carp will eat it.

I agree with Bill's suggestion to avoid Najas/Southern Naiad/"Bushy Pondweed". That single plant accounts for 90% of the small-pond weed-issues that I encounter.
Bill - based on the poster's limited description, I suspect the referenced "golf grash" is slender spikerush (Eleocharis baldwinni), which frequents acidic ponds/lakes with silty-sandy bottoms (esp E-TX golf course ponds); rooted, but easily dislodges from the bottom to become mobile in clumps ~~~ That's just my guess.

Alright snapped a picture of some I dug up with a small shovel:



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Whats the word on this stuff? Go or no go in my 1/2 acre pond?

Also, I may have misjudged the voracity of this grass. On second glance it appears to only have gone as far as the light can clearly penetrate. The 2nd pond on my neighbors land is a black water pond. And visibility is about a foot and no more.

Also, here is the big momma of my pond. Caught her again for the 2nd time tonight. Last time was about 2 months ago. She hides around the one big log in my pond sunk in the deepest part (7ft).



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That's a healthy looking bass!

Oh and 'grash' is how you properly misspell 'grass' on a forum lol.


This is golf grass:

That plant superficially looks like one of the submerged forms of Sagittaria, maybe S.subulata (dwarf sagittaria). It is hard to get a positive ID without actually seeing the plant and then seeing the flower/fruit is sometimes important for a correct ID. If that plant seems to stay relatively short and does form fairly dense groupings then it is good canditate for planting into your pond. I would not just 'plop' that shovel full of material into your pond. YOu may introduce by seeds or roots other plants (dormant) that you may not want. Preferred planting method would be to individually separate and rinse the plants. Transplant each one separately into the pond bottom. It should not take long for them to create small clumps. If they behave to your liking then transplant more.

I agree with Bill that the plant shown within the red circle could be Sagittaria subulata. But, it also somewhat resembles young Vallisneria americana (aka "eel grass"). Interestingly, I recently ran across an urban lake (in Katy, TX) that is host to a thriving colony of Vallisneria nana (an "dwarf" exotic specie of Vallisneria).
I'm not sure about the plant that is shown circled in yellow. Not enough detail.

BTW: To better enable plant photo-IDs, it is preferable to separate and photograph a single representative specimen against a contrasting background - and include a "reference-object" of known size (coin, hand, etc) in the image. Large masses of plants are sometimes confusing since it is hard to tell which structures belong to which plants.

Kelly, you have fantastic pictures of plants. Could you post one as a representative example of how a pic should be taken?

Sure!
The main thing to always remember is the reverse of an old adage, "Can't see the trees because of the forest". Translated: Pictures of huge wads of plants make it almost impossible to discern the necessary detail for identificiation purposes. The details exhibited by a single plant are far more useful than a tangled mass of multiple plants.
Also, plant-features should preferable fill as much of the image as possible; not 50% plant and 50% useless background clutter. This isn't always possible with point-n-shoot cameras due to their fixed or limited focus-range (sometimes no less than 24"). Simply image the plant as close to the lens as the len's focus-limits will allow.
I like to hold the plant in one hand and snap the photo with the other hand. By doing so, I'm easily able to adjust for optimal distance between plant and lens - and the hand that appears in the image provides an excellent dimensional-reference.