Discover the best oxygenating pond plants to keep your pond clean and vibrant. Learn how these plants work their magic to combat algae and enrich your aquatic haven. From Glistening Pondweed to Waterweed , find your perfect aquatic companions.
Want to know more about the importance of oxygen plants and how they work? Read this article about aquatic and marsh plants.
Choosing the Right Oxygenating Pond Plants: What to Consider
When shopping for oxygenating pond plants, ensure they’re not exposed to direct sunlight or heated water. Look for healthy plants, free from duckweed or parasites. If getting plants from others, check for unwanted hitchhikers. Transport them promptly to prevent drying out, then plant them in your pond.
Calculating Oxygenating Plants per Cubic Meter
For every cubic meter (1000 liters) of water, plant 4 to 5 bunches of oxygenating plants. One bunch is what you can hold between your thumb and forefinger. A pond basket can accommodate 4 to 5 bunches of these vital plants.
Varieties of Oxygenating Pond Plants
To ensure a lively pond all year round, diversify your oxygenating plants. Glistening pondweed shines from spring to autumn. Waterweed, hornwort, and more thrive in different seasons. Learn how to curate a balanced and colorful underwater ecosystem.
Guichelheil (Anagalis Tenella)
Delicate and rare, Teer guichelheil is a decorative gem. This fragile perennial secures itself with creeping stems. Sporting a soft pink hue, it’s winter-hardy and thrives in sunny or lightly shaded spots.
Glistening Pondweed (Potamogeton Lucens)
One of the most renowned oxygenators, the Glistening pondweed takes its time to settle in but rewards with vigorous growth and sizable leaves. It prefers full sun, fading in autumn only to rejuvenate come spring.
Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton Crispus)
Similar to its glossy counterpart, Curly pondweed flourishes in sunlight. While sharing qualities with the Glistening pondweed, it’s distinguishable by its leaf structure. Unlike its glossy counterpart, it sprouts from growth buds in spring.
Thorned Hornwort (Ceratophyllum Demersum)
Resembling a mini underwater conifer, Thorned Hornwort thrives best from June to September, making it a perfect fit for partially shaded ponds. Embrace its unique charm in your aquatic paradise.
Waterweed (Elodea Densa)
Waterweed is a plant commonly found in various UK natural settings. It exists in narrow and broad variants. The name speaks volumes, as this species can aggressively spread. When it reaches the water’s surface, it adorns itself with small white-pink blossoms.
Needle-leaf Crassula (Crassula Recurva)
Needle-leaf Crassula is a robust oxygenator, resilient even in winter, continually enriching the water with oxygen. Vigorous growth might lead to overgrowth, making it prudent to plant it in a container, occasionally pruning to maintain control.
Feathered Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum Spicatum)
A superb oxygenating choice, Feathered Water Milfoil flourishes in almost all ponds. The name is derived from its feathery leaf appearance. It thrives throughout the season, offering two varieties: one with reddish-brown stems and another with green stems.
Water Moss (Fontinalis Antipyretica)
True to its name, Water Moss thrives underwater. This plant features minute leaves and thrives in flowing water. Its tiny foliage ensures year-round growth, maintaining its green hue even in winter. This oxygenating pond plant suits partly shaded areas.
Water Buttercup (Ranunculus Aquatilis)
Water Buttercup, a protected native water plant, thrives in vast ponds and water features. Due to its protected status, it’s advised not to collect specimens from nature. It blooms with petite white flowers bearing yellow centers.
Greater Bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris)
A striking green floating oxygenator with thread-like leaves, Greater Bladderwort can exhibit reddish-brown hues in direct sunlight. Its unique feature involves trapping and digesting prey with its bladder-like leaves. It adorns itself with yellow blooms from June to September.
Water Chestnut (Stratiotes aloides)
Emerging from the depths in early spring, Water Chestnut ascends to the water’s surface throughout the growing season. Its spiky leaves deter fish from disturbing it, ensuring a serene presence in your pond.
Floating Oxygenators: Easy-Breezy Pond Companions
Among oxygenating plants, some need no planting at all. They gently drift across your pond’s surface. These include Horned Pondweed, Water Chestnut, and Bladderwort. These plants thrive on minerals and salts in the water. To anchor them down, use a string or elastic tied to a small pebble if you prefer to keep them from floating freely.
Planting Oxygenating Plants
If your pond has a liner, it’s a good idea to add some extra protection on the liner to place the plants. You can use a hessian cloth or additional pond liner. Create edges with bricks to hold the plants. Fill these with substrate or pond soil to a depth of about 10 to 15 centimeters. Then, you can plant the plants directly into these DIY pond borders.
You might also want to cover the soil with gravel after planting to prevent displacement. Oxygenating plants can also be planted in special plant baskets, which come in various sizes.
How to Plant Oxygenating Plants?
If your pond has a natural bottom, you can plant oxygenating plants directly into the bottom or place them in pond baskets on the bottom. Oxygenating plants are not very demanding when it comes to soil.
Tip: When you buy bunches of oxygenating plants, they are often packaged and weighted with lead bands. This lead is toxic to the aquatic life in your pond. So, always remove these lead bands.
How Deep Should Oxygenating Plants Be?
Oxygenating plants thrive best at a depth of 50 to 60 centimeters. This depth allows the plant to receive enough sunlight and provides space for growth.
Maintenance of Oxygenating pond Plants
Oxygenating plants require little to no maintenance. In spring, you can divide and replant them. Remove any damaged parts or plants that didn’t survive the winter. If you remove a lot of plants, remember that new plants need to be added, depending on how many you still have and the size of your pond.
