Seeing as your newly completed pond fills with water, your next step is to prepare the plants for setup. A well-designed water garden includes an assortment of water-loving rhizomes, perennials, reeds, rushes, lotus and lilies to oxygenate the water. Most aquatic and bog plants thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, based on the variety. While many submerged plants do not require special or permeable maintenance, some aquatic plants, like the yellow pondlily (Nuphar polysepala), common rush (Juncus patens) and dwarf papyrus (Cyperus papyrus “Little Egypt”), grow best when their roots are submerged in water.
The Potting Mix
Unlike a standard lightweight potting mixture, aquatic plants require a heavy clay mixture that will stay solidly from the plastic flowerpot. If the soil in your lawn is clay, then simply dig a few shovelfuls and set them in a flowerpot or dish pan. A loam or sandy soil could need the addition of unscented clay kitty litter. Mix equal parts of dirt and kitty litter to create the heavy base needed for a pond plant. Additionally, if your soil is poor, two or three slow-release fertilizer tabs inserted into the soil will feed the plants’ roots.
The Plants
Whether you’re planting an aquatic or bog plant, then the planting process is similar to any potted plant. Dig a hole in the middle of the flowerpot, deep enough to cover the plant’s roots. Place the plant into the ground at precisely the exact same thickness as in the first grower’s pot. Gently tamp the soil over the roots. When planting rhizomes, insert the bulb at or barely under the surface of the dirt. Smooth the dirt over the rhizome and tamp gently.
Protect the Roots and Rhizomes
If you are also raising koi or other fish, then your plants need safety. Koi eat the leaf and roots of plants. To keep them from nudging the dirt out of the way and devouring your plants’ roots, place several big rocks over the ground. Do not cover the eyes or leaves on the rhizomes with the stones; the leaf must reach the surface of the water to the plant to live. Some sources recommend covering the dirt with pea gravel, however, it is not a barrier to a determined and hungry koi.
Acclimate that the Plants
Fill a large tub with water and then check its temperature. Hardy aquatic plants tolerate temperatures as low as 55 degrees Fahrenheit, while tropical aquatics need temperatures above 70 F to thrive and thrive. By sinking each plant into a tub of water for many days or weeks, the loose dirt in the flowerpot will settle, maintaining your pond mud-free. In addition, it gives the rhizomes a chance to sprout before exposing them to the pond environment.
Sink the Plant
Before transferring the flowerpots into the pond, then determine the appropriate thickness for each plant. Put upside-down buckets or massive stones under each flowerpot to put it at the appropriate thickness for that particular plant. Bog plants are usually put on the ground surface, involving 1 to 6 inches under the water, while aquatics such as lilies might be positioned 1 to 3 feet deep.