some plant maintenance tips...
Aquatic plantings can be the focal point of any backyard. But the care and maintenance is often over looked. Many aquatic plants can invade or choke out other plants in your water feature. Regular maintenance of your backyard pond plants will lead to a successful gardening experience. We are going to try to help your in your effort to be a successful water gardner. This is a growing web site that will be added to from time to time. It will comprise of both text and picture images to help you. There are things that need to be completed year round. As the year goes on, those items will be added to this web site. This web site is a growing process, we seem to learn something every year. So additions to this site will occur from time to time. Please visit often.
Always remember that the types of plants you choose will help in the amount of maintenance it will take to keep your water garden beautiful. In this guide we are only going to cover plants that we grow and sell. There will be many plants that you may have questions about that will not be in here. There is also a wealth of information about these plants on other web sites and books at your local stores.
If you have any questions at all, please Contact Us.
Here are some of the plant care instructions:
All containerized plants need to be repotted from time to time. The soil eventually is used up. Even though you are adding fertilizer, the plant is not getting all that it needs to flourish. Always place plants in the largest container possible. For aquatic plants, a wide pot is more important than a deep pot.
Lilies
Hardy Water Lilies
Water lilies need 6-8 hours of sun a day. Fertilize once a month and trim dead leaves and flowers. Repot as necessary, at least every other year.
Tropical Water Lilies
Water lilies need 6-8 hours of sun a day. Fertilize once a month and trim dead leaves and flowers. When temperatures start to drop you can move the lilies into a greenhouse pond. Or after the first frost you can remove the tuber from the pot. Rinse and let air dry for 2 days. Remove any soil and roots while separating the tubers. You can store in jars of distilled water in a dark area at 50-55 degrees. Repot into smaller pots about 4 weeks before you move outdoors. Keep in a sunny location after you repot. You can also store cleaned tubers in airtight bags of damp (not wet) sand in a dark place at 50-55 degrees.
We highly recommend that Tropical Water Lilies be kept in a greenhouse over the winter.
Lotus
Water Lotus
Lotus like warm water and some sun. Lotus need very little care. Fertilize twice a month and remove dead leaves. When leaves start to die back in the fall discontinue feeding. You can cut the dead leaves off but be sure to cut well above the waterline. If you live in Zone 4 or lower you can place the lotus in the deepest part of your pond or bring inside and store in plastic bags at 50-55 degrees.
Plants that float freely
Water Lettuce (Pista stratioes)
Great plant for helping keep the water clean. A prolific grower in the summer months.
Water Lettuce, Rosette (Pista sp.)
A compact water lettuce with a wavy texture to the foliage. A prolific grower in the summer months.
Water Hyacinth (Eichornia Crassipes)
One of the most popular plants in a water garden. Easy to grow. Very prolific grower.
Besides helping keep you water clean, they offer a rapid growth that help shade your pond area. They can and will cover the surface of your pond. Although a prolific grower maintenance on these plant is fairly easy. When they become a nuscience simply pull unnecessary plants from the water and throw onto your compost pile. They should be treated as an annual. Just remove the plants from your water garden before winter sets in. All three of these plants are banned in many southern states. Do not dispose of any aquatic plant in any public waterways.
Plants that are rooted and float
Sensitive Plant (Aeschynomene fluitans)
Easy to grow floater that travels along the surface. Grows rapidly but is very easy to maintain. Sensitive plant can root into other plants. Very attractive plant.
Parrot’s Feather (Myiophyllum aquatica)
Everyone who has a water garden seems to have Parrot’s Feather in it. It is a beautiful plant that coasts along the top of the water. This plant is capable of coving the surface of your pond. It will root into other plants and create problems for other plants if it is left unchecked. Regular maintenance should be preformed on parrots feather to keep it in balance with your other plants.
Hardy Bog Plants
Cattail, Dwarf (Typha minima)
Cattail is a fast grower. It can take over the shallow areas of a water garden. It needs to be maintained in a pot unless you want it to spread. It is much easier to maintain this plant in a pot then to pull it out of your other plants. Nice plant but count on a lot of maintenance.
Horsetail Rush (Equisetum hyemale)
Horsetail stays in its container well. You can grow Horsetail Rush in a large round container and it will remain there for many years before you must replant it. It is a good looking marginal. Easy to grow. Easy to maintain.
Horsetail, Dwarf (Equisetum scirpodes)
Again, Horsetail stays in its container well. You can grow Horsetail Rush in a large round container and it will remain there for many years before you must replant it. It is a good looking marginal. Easy to grow. Easy to maintain.
Pickerel Rush (Pontederia cordata)
Pickerel Rush has a beautiful purple flower that blooms all summer long. It grows at a medium rate. It is easy to maintain to a pot. It should be repotted during dormancy once a year. This will maintain its size for the year. It can overgrow its pot and root to other pots if it gets to large.
Thalia Dealbata (Thalia dealbata)
Thalia dealbata is a huge plant, and needs to be in a huge container. It can easily be contained. We have a plant here that has been in the same pot for 4 years. This plant is for a large pond.
Tropical Bog Plants
Tropical Bog plants are great plants. They are rarely invasive plants. If a tropical bog plant manages to over grow its pot, winter is always just around the corner. Tropical bog plants should be considered annuals unless you have a place to store them in the winter. Most tropical bog plants can go into dormancy, but cannot freeze. Or be exposed to long periods of below 45 degrees. Tropical bog plants should not be placed into your water when the temperature is under 50 degrees. Plants are not going to grow rapidly until water temperature is over 70 degrees.
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