Desirable plants to outcompete aquatic weeds - 03/18/13 11:33 PM
hello all-
Been awhile since I updated about my pond, so here goes-
I have 3/4 acre pond, sloping 3:1 down to about 15 feet max depth, stocked with rainbow trout pond in colorado. Thanks to all the great info here all is going well. Fish are jumping, water is oxygenated, and the pond is holding water.
The pond is coming into its second season and I wanted to be proactive about establishing a healthy aquatic plant community. From my native stream source, I have had a bit of cattail and eurasian watermilfoil try to establish. I have hand weeded this stuff out, but I realize over time this stuff is gonna get more aggressive than my weeding.
I am thinking that planting specific desirables now, will help to keep these weeds in check. Here are the plants I am planning on planting this spring when the water warms up-
hardy hybrid water lilies (lots of these)
lizards tail
pickerel rush
aquatic mint
sweet flag and blue flag iris
These were selected based on reccomendations on the forum here, and availability from a local aquatic plant nursery.
Are these good ideas? Are there better plants, particularly that you could reccomend a source for? I want to maintain a good habitat for the RBT, create beautiful scenery, and minimize my battle with noxious weeds.
Thanks to all for sharing your hard earned wisdom on all things pond.
Adam
Been awhile since I updated about my pond, so here goes-
I have 3/4 acre pond, sloping 3:1 down to about 15 feet max depth, stocked with rainbow trout pond in colorado. Thanks to all the great info here all is going well. Fish are jumping, water is oxygenated, and the pond is holding water.
The pond is coming into its second season and I wanted to be proactive about establishing a healthy aquatic plant community. From my native stream source, I have had a bit of cattail and eurasian watermilfoil try to establish. I have hand weeded this stuff out, but I realize over time this stuff is gonna get more aggressive than my weeding.
I am thinking that planting specific desirables now, will help to keep these weeds in check. Here are the plants I am planning on planting this spring when the water warms up-
hardy hybrid water lilies (lots of these)
lizards tail
pickerel rush
aquatic mint
sweet flag and blue flag iris
These were selected based on reccomendations on the forum here, and availability from a local aquatic plant nursery.
Are these good ideas? Are there better plants, particularly that you could reccomend a source for? I want to maintain a good habitat for the RBT, create beautiful scenery, and minimize my battle with noxious weeds.
Thanks to all for sharing your hard earned wisdom on all things pond.
Adam