How To Clean Up A Brown Pond

Growing Pond Plants Soil-Less and having a cleaner pond (re-written xi/2010)

If yous have ever had a dirt-planted pot of plants tip over in your swimming, you lot know first manus what a mess it is to clean upwards. Once the dirt from the pot gets into the swimming, the pump farther spreads the clay throughout the entire system.

Fifty-fifty when a pot does not tip over, the h2o even so has a chocolate-brown tinge to information technology that people often refer to as tea colored water.

Over the years nosotros had experimented with different planting methods using unlike types of planting media and all the same the water would have on a brown tinge once we placed the plants in the pond. Additionally, in that location was that dreaded, stinky smell at re-potting fourth dimension.

Every year, I dreaded un-potting the stinky, evil-smelling pot full of dirt. Clay will go anaerobic in but a year in the pond and send off hydrogen gas (rotten egg smell). The hydrogen gas can actually build upwardly in the dirt to the point information technology will kill pond fish.

Over time, generally a year, the dirt will mix with organic waste like fish feces, uneaten nutrient, and pieces of plants. As the organic material builds upwardly and decomposes, the much needed oxygen cannot reach the roots, and disuse takes place. The decaying organic matter produces ammonia and carbon dioxide, which employ upwardly the oxygen the pond fish need to live!

The accumulation of this rotting thing also encourages the buildup of anaerobic bacteria, which are bacteria that practice not need oxygen to survive. These bacteria are responsible for the nasty smells and are often the crusade of wellness problems in pond fish.

We take been growing pond plants that we sell hydroponically for many years in the greenhouse and I was fairly sure that there had to exist a way to abound them in the pond without dirt.

My first experiment was growing plants in my streambed without dirt. Streambeds are always a source of algae. By reducing the corporeality of sunlight that hit the rocks, I thought I could cut down on the algae growing on the rocks if I could provide shade on the rocks.

Watercress growing in our streambed in just a few inches of h2o. The bare root plants were wedged between the rocks.

We placed bare-root plants in the streambed by moving a couple of rocks aside. Using the rocks, we propped up the plants until the roots could take hold. Information technology worked very well! Nosotros accept tried this method with other plants including Egyptian Papyrus, Cannas, taros, bluebells, bog lily, Male monarch Tut papyrus, and many dissimilar h2o-diversity hibiscus.

We tried low growing plants like pennywort, lemon bacopa, water mint, parrots feather, and watercress; they worked but as well. These are just a few, there are others that will piece of work simply also.

At kickoff, we tried growing bog plants in black nursery pots with pea gravel. So the following year we noticed they were just as smelly equally those we had grown in clay in previous years.
The following year, most 6 years ago, we decided to effort using but the black nursery pots and large rocks.

Egyptian Papyrus in our streambed growing bare root in a few inches of water. At the base on the correct side there is watercress. I should note the 2 above photos were two unlike years. I dearest the watercress because if it gets to big and outgrows its space, I shear information technology off and feed it to my koi. They love it!

It was amazing! In just a few weeks, the roots were growing all around the rocks. The plants were bigger and fuller than ever before. Tall plants like the Egyptian papyrus, large growing umbrella, cannas, and hibiscus did non tip over in the pond anymore; this is because the rocks were large enough to weigh down the plants so the wind would not blow them over.

Using the our soil-less method one does not need to worry virtually fertilizing because the roots will grow out of the drainage holes in the pot and use the nutrients from the fish waste in the water!

Ane other bonus, if you lot live where the winter is cold, is that yous can easily movement the plants into your home for the wintertime. Purchase a large tote-storage type container. You tin can place several plants in the same container nearly a sunny window in your domicile for the winter. Y'all no longer demand to drib the plants to the lesser of the pond for the winter unless you choose to do so.

Higher up is Iris growing in the rocks in our streambed. Right picture a few weeks subsequently when the iris started to bloom.

Lower pond plants on plant shelf in plant stands, all growing soil-less in three gallon pots filled with rocks. These are all bog plants and the top of the pot is even with the water.

Above: Roots growing out of the pot of Hibiscus.

Lilies
We tried the soil-less method above on both hardy and tropical lilies, but growth was not successful. In many cases, they but died. We then experimented with growing them in sand.
Sand will go anaerobic in fourth dimension, merely not as fast every bit dirt. Nosotros utilize three-gallon buckets with metal handles that we bought at dollar blazon stores. The handles make calculation the buckets to and removing the buckets from the pond much easier.

By planting in a 3-gallon bucket, nosotros only need to remove the lilies every 3 years to divide them. The bonus is the sand is very easy to wash off the tuber and roots. We supplant with clean sand at that time.

Lotus
Nosotros besides plant big round tubs at a dollar shop and the tubs are perfect for lotus tubers. We have been growing our lotus in sand for about 5 years now.

Fertilizing in Sand
Sand does non comprise, nor does it concord many nutrients. You lot need to fertilize the lilies and lotus regularly, near e'er iii weeks with pond-institute fertilizer tablets. Merely push the tablets down in the sand effectually the outside edge of the container, using 3 for every gallon of sand.

Here yous can read more nearly Growing soil-less or hydroponically.

If you lot have to use soil as in the example of Lilies

One trick I discovered years ago is to first line the pot with burlap, weed barrier mat or a few layers of clammy newspaper. After the lesser of the pot is lined and so add together your sand and plant. This little flim-flam keeps the sand from washing out the drainage holes in to the pond.

Ane concluding point that is important is when you lot are putting the plant in the pond brand certain that you slowly lower the pot into the water rather than just plunge the pot into the h2o. By lowering the pot slowly this will go on the force of the water from washing the sand out of the pot and into the water.