What are your plants (pond) planted in?

[Missa]

I read somewhere they could be planted in pea gravel so that's what I planted mine in. Now I'm starting to think that that may be the reason they're not doing so well.

[landey1230]

I use plastic oil pans, topsoil, and river rock.  My koi would dig up the pea gravel and eat the roots of my plants.

[Mikey]

Some plants do fine in pea gravel and some do not do well in pea gravel.  I can't recommend putting a water lily in pea gravel.

[miguynmkoi]

Most of my water plants and lilies are in/on clay topped with pea gravel just to keep the dirt from spreading because of the fish.

[water_sprite]

I get the best gray clay out of my 1 acre farm pond.    I've planted my lilies in top soil but they do best in clay.  I read somewhere that the fertilizer binds w/the clay.  Then I top it off w/pea gravel.

[MikeW]

I have read in so many places that a lily in pea gravel does not do as well as one more trqaditionally planted.

I started off with the needlessly expensive 'aquatic soil', but it turns it, it was not as good as clay either. Today I just use sand. Cheap, and a large bag is just $5.

Cheers,

Mike

[Missa]

What about the other plants?

celery, thalia, arrow, pickerel, taro, parrots feather, pennywort, clover etc.

[mcp]

My Lillies are planted in clay topped off with stone so koi can't dig up.  Every other plant I have Arrowhead , Purple Pickeral, Cattails , Thalia, Parrots Feather,Sweetflag , Etc. is planted in pea gravel. The impatients and watercress  are bareroot undeer rocks in waterfall. The Lotus is in composted cow manure.They all grow nicely.

[bunny56lbc]

We have red clay dirt here so that 's what I use topped off with rocks that are large enough that my fish cannot pull out.

bonnie

[miguynmkoi]

Missa just think where these plants grow naturally.  Pretty much all clay in streams and bodies of water. 

My parrot's feather I tie together in a bunch, anchor them in the pond and they grow very well like this.  Then I insert pennywort, anchor hornwort (until the koi tear them apart), and horsetail.  The roots have gotten really thick almost like their own netting to keep the plants together.

[Rick40]

This a great thread. I was going to ask the very same question. I will have to print this out ,and save it for when I buy my plants next year.

 i do have  questions though,when planting pickeral do I have to plant it in a pot or can I just anchor it? And does it matter how shallow I plant it?

   Thank you

  Rick

[Kat]

Clay soil, fertilizer on the bottom of the pot if no holes.  If holes in the pot, cover holes with newspaper, about an inch of soil & then fertilizer.  I'm not brave enough to plant marginals so they can roam free as some types like green taro, iris, pickerel, etc. can really spread fast & difficult to remove once overgrown.  I'm always amazed at the split plastic pots by season end when a marginal wants to escape their pot.

[LeeAnne151]

I have most of my marginals in pea gravel or tucked in the rocks free in the pond. The fish pond is partially shaded and with our short summer I don't have a major problem with them getting too invasive like others would in sunnier climates.

Pickeral has not done all that well for me in this situation but I don't know if it is the lack of sun or the lack of clay soil.

My iris and waterlilies are in clay soil my lotus in composted cow manure mixed with clay soil.

[Desertponder]

I never had any luck with any pond plants that I planted in pea gravel. I have everything, lilies and marginals planted in soil topped with gravel.

[Missa]

That's what I was wondering.

The first year I think they were in soil with gravel topping ... I think it was last year, they looked great. When I repotted due to growth I put them in gravel only (not the lilies) & this year they don't look as good. I don't know if it's the heat or gravel or a combo. The pond gets about 9-10 hours of sunlight, afternoon-late evening sun even .... lots of afternoon sun. That's probably why I can't get rid of the algae & I can't cover/shade it.

[clm]

My water lilies and lotus are planted in clay from the garden.   All the marginals are in a mix of clay with pea gravel on top.

Cindy

[Esther]

Lilies in clay.

[ponderer]

Most of the watergardening books say to use unfertilized garden soil. That is what we do here. When I re-pot the soil is very claylike.
Prob because the organics wash away leaving the stoney stuff. All seem happy in this.