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Fertilize the potted aquatic plants with a special aquatic, pelletized,
slow-release form pushed into the potting soil at the base of the plants.
Any fertilizer leaching out into the water will cause an algae bloom.
AQUATIC PLANTS
Use floating leafed plants such as water lilies to cover 50 percent to 75 percent
of the pond’s surface. These plants limit the amount of light reaching
the bottom of the pond and thus the amount of algae growth. Water lilies
are of two types: tropical and hardy. Tropical water lilies, in turn, are divided
into day and night bloomers. Hardy water lilies are all-day bloomers.
Tropical water lilies form crowns and should be planted in deeper pots.
Plant the crown in the soil near the top and cover with only as much
soil as needed and then cover with 1 inch of gravel, leaving the growing
point above the soil and gravel. Hardy water lilies grow from rhizomes and
should be planted in wide shallow tubs or baskets. Leave the growing tip
above the soil and gravel. Cover both tropical and hardy water lilies with 6
inches to 18 inches of water.
Use submerged plants as oxygenators in your pond. Check with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the United States Department
of Agriculture to make sure you don’t order any of the restricted aquatic
plants considered as noxious weeds. Plant submerged plants into pots filled
with gravel and place these pots on the bottom of the pond. Stock at the
rate of one bunch per 2 square feet of surface area. You might want to put
cages around these submerged plants to keep fish from foraging on them.
WILDLIFE
Add fish to your pond to eat mosquitoes and other insects, to keep submerged
plants pruned, to recycle nutrients in the system and to increase
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the beauty of the water feature. Koi are best suited to ponds larger than 6
feet minimum diameter and at least 18 inches deep. Goldfish are smaller
and more popular as pond fish.
Frogs are good for the pond because they supply tadpoles, which are
scavengers for the pond and food for fish and dragonfly larvae. Adult
frogs, along with fish, will eat mosquitoes and other insect pests.
MAINTENANCE
A pond, like anything else, needs to be maintained. When fertilizing the
lawn, be careful not to sling fertilizer into the pond because it will stimulate
algae growth. Algaecides will kill the algae all at once rather than at a
rate the pond ecosystem can handle. Rely on the floating leafed plants to
cover the surface of the water, thus reducing algae growth.
Clean pumps regularly. Filters might need weekly cleaning. Remove
leaves and flowers of aquatic plants as they die. Remove any fish that die.
If the pond should freeze over, create a hole in the ice for the survival of
the fish. Don’t hit the ice to break a hole in it; the force from the blow will
kill the fish. Instead, use an electric ice-melting device to melt and maintain
a hole in the ice.
After you’ve given thought to all these pointers, you will be ready to
install your pond. Once the project is completed, you can sit back and
enjoy the sight and sound of moving water, the beauty of aquatic plants
and the wildlife in and around your pond.
Steve Huddleston is the senior horticulturist at the
Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
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