Water Garden Blog Water Lilies and Pond Plants » Oxygenating pond plants (submerged pond plants)

Anacharis Availability

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:57:54 +0000

The past 6 years or so America’s favorite pond submerged oxygenating plant has been less able to obtain. From droughts and low rivers to a number of other excuses last year I found out the reason for the availability decrease.

Talking with Brandon of Florida Aquatics last year at the IWGS symposium he filled me in on the big problem. Florida Aquatics supplies much of North America with Aquarium plants, just check the tag in about any aquarium store and you will see their tag in each net pot. Anacharis is harvested in Florida in shallow rivers by boats that are quite amazing. They skim the waters surface and cut the tops of the plants with new growth and some even band the plants making it quite simple and cheap to harvest.

Anacharis has been added to these rivers across the state in order to harvest, for a couple years the anacharis explodes with growth however like a farm crop it must pull certain nutrients from the water ways as production declines each year. These boat harvesters solution is to add some anacharis to another river and walla another bumper crop. This has been going on for decades and Florida is just about out of new rivers and waterways where anacharis has not been introduced so harvesting may be coming to a halt.

Aquarium hobbyists and pond stores buy anacharis in the hundreds or thousands of bunches per purchase. In the past it has been inexpensive but sometimes the only way to get enough in stock is to import anacharis from other countries now including some cousin varieties of what we normally see here in America. The additional shipping costs increase the market price of the imports leading to a decline in sales.

The great hope is to ween Americans off of Anacharis. It is unlikely to continue to be readily available at the previous low cost however is in no danger of disappearing everywhere. It will be a supply and demand product. Other submerged plants are much more easy to maintain availability. Semi-submerged plants like Red Star Ludwigia, Bacopa, Rotala, and hundreds of aquarium plants can be grown and harvested outside of rivers in southern nurseries and numbers can be available in mass at any time. Not all are as hardy as anacharis but they come in many colors, foliage types, and can be used quite easily in the trade.

We will sell anacharis from both in country and out to fill clients orders for pond megastore both wholesale and retail to home buyers no matter the cost as long as the plants are in good condition. Start looking toward other plants though I would stay away from cabomba as it is always a fish favorite and has a tendency to fall apart if unhappy with its surroundings.

-Zac

Aquatic Lingo “true aquatic”

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:40:04 +0000

A question yesterday from Cathy of Houston Texas as to what a true aquatic was. As stated by the IWGS, “True aquatics grow either underwater – submersed, or partly underwater – emersed.” This would make of course waterlilies true aquatics, and you may think of submerged oxygenators as true aquatics, but not all (even some sold as aquarium plants are not true aquatics). Many submerged plants are grown above the water and cut or cultivated before adding below the surface. The 2008 trip to Florida Aquatic Nurseries showed several species growing totally out of the water. Some of these grow normally right at the surface and easily below (probably because plants growing just at or below the waters surface deal with high and low levels of water. Anacharis, Hornwort, Cabomba are all submersed plants. Red star ludwigia, Lemon Bacopa, Moneywort, Rotala, and many varieties found submerged in fish tanks are easily grown at or above the waters surface. It is also much easier to propagate these plants in this condition.

NEW Nesaea pedicellata “Golden”

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:32:49 +0000

This year we added a few new submerged plants to our availability and 2009 looks like we will have at least one additional submerged mid-ground plant. Now adding a deep golden to orange beautiful variety. A few months ago Brandon McLane sent us some sample plants after our great success growing Red Star Ludwigia (Burgundy/Red) as a submerged plant and bog plant. We were quite happy with the results.

From Florida Aquatics: Nesaea pedicellata ‘Golden’ is a new release from Florida Aquatic Nurseries that will be available in January for the first time… This plant is a selection from Nesaea pedicellata and grows in similar conditions. The main difference between the two plants is the brightly colored golden leaves. These golden leaves are enhanced by a pink central stem that will give any planted aquarium new or old a bright new look. The leaves of this plant will get quite long under ideal conditions, up to three or four inches, and flow gently in the current creating a great visual appeal. You can choose to plant it in mass for a bright golden area or use it as single stems to highlight areas in the aquarium. Whether new to the hobby or one who has seen it all this plant is interesting to all.

The plants up north seemed to do best at 18 inches or less with more sunlight and thrived deeper during the warmest months of the summer. Note we had the coolest summer in over 100 years in Ohio. The plants grow to the waters surface and slightly above. This plant should be another great choice to plant on shelves and at the base of other bog plants or in bogs themselves. Sunlight is a plus and mild PH 7.0-8.0.

Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden'

Summer Perfection (Part 1) My perfect Bogs

admin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:54:06 +0000

The following photos are of my dear friends Greg and Marcia’s pond. Rebuilt in the summer of 2004, Greg and Marcia had a preexisting pond and amazing outdoor train hobby collection Greg had maintained since I believe the early 1990s. Longtime pond owners Greg and Marcia had a fairly good idea of what they wanted.

This Bog is just next to the right hand waterfall down from an amazing Deck. Here you see silk stalking arrowheads, iris, creeping jenny, red star ludwigia, and neighboring water lettuce. Note how a good number of plants keep the water clear. Greg and Marcia have not added chemicals to the pond in years just beneficial bacteria and salt about once every spring.

I consider one of my better pieces of input for clients and myself when I formerly installed water gardens was shallow bog areas I created at certain points along the edge of many ponds I built. Simply pockets along the edge of the line that remained 1-3 inches from the surface. Before filling the pond we would fill each of these pockets with dirt and plant the shelf level plants. The reason? Pots. Who wants to look a pots and containers right at the waters edge. My former ponds normally had one large bog that would go often along the backside of the pond and be a wonderful environment for lotus and taller plants. This pond however was in the middle of the back yard and extended to one small hillside. A long bog taking up the entirety of the pond would have created a block to the rest of the yard, so we incorporated 4 smaller pockets around the edges of the pond. Two at the base and two on either side of what is now a double waterfall. Each pocket held about one wheel barrow full of dirt, topsoil and clay. After digging a 22 x 13 foot pond there is normally an excess of soil you can use. Since you fill the pod up after adding the dirt and planting the plants the pockets generally release no dirt or very little into the pond itself. Each year since I have planted different plants in Greg and Marcia’s four bog areas. Some plants are perennials and always come back like silk stalkings, obedient flowers, pickerel rush, and creeping jenny and some plants I chose different each year.

zoomed out bog with Dwarf Giant Papyurs, Society Fowers and Taro Plumbae,

Each bog acts as a sort of container garden with a variety of selections. This year has been my favorite. In two bogs I planted Red star ludwigia, normally thought of as an underwater submerged plant similar to things like anacharis in the bottom of a pond or fish tank. On my visit to Florida Aquatic Nurseries last summer I thought it highly interesting that many plants you find in pond shops and pet stores as underwater plants are grown in facilities above the water. They can grow in both and are more easily propagated as a kind of bog plant, trimmed, rubber-banded, and then submersed. In the following photo you can see the Red Star Ludwigia (Ludwigia glandulosa) is a striking contrast to the green creeping jenny and looks amazing as a bog plant. Red Star Ludwigia, to the left of the word Ohio. Unseen are dwarf giant papyrus and variegated society flower.

More photos of Greg & Marcia’s pond in full view on an upcoming post and the two waterfalls.

Skimmer Filtration?

admin — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:57:22 +0000

Pond Clarity, 1. Dont sub natural fish diet with fishfood 2. Proper Plant Coverage (40-60% ssurface) 3. Proper Filtration

By far the easiest way to keep a pond clean is by having a skimmer as part if not all of your filtration.

There are many inferior skimmers out there. Atlantic made some very flimsey skimmers a few years ago and though I know they have improved there are better ones on the market. Two brands I like are EasyPro and my favorit Savio. Savio could still be improved, I would like to see a model with more than one filter mat inside! Instead a few years ago I bought 2 skimmers for a couple’s pond in town and added a pump to each as I gave them two waterfalls.

This woman is sitting on the savio skimmer, feet on savio compact skimmer.

The savio and easy pro are both sturdy. I am a big guy and can easily stand on the savios lid without it moving or bending one bit. I always use the 16″ skimmer faceplate (sold seaparatly for $18-25). They have a 6″, 8.5″ and 16″ faceplate all available for the same skimmer ao you dont need to decide what model to buy.

Skimmer in ground next to dug pond before liner is added.

The skimmers go into the ground in a small hole next to the pond. The face attached to the liner and you simply bolt the plate on and use a boxcutter to remove the liner inside the faceplate. There are no glues or adhesives with the savio so the unit can be used with more than one liner if need be to increase the size of the pond later!

The pump sits in the back of the skimmer this extends the life of the pump as the water is always clean when it enters the pump, the filtration occurs before the water gets to the pump. You also dont have to look into the pond and see a pump and hose. This too frees space in the pond for fish or more plants.

When you turn on the pump water is pumped out the back where the pump is located and pond water begins filling the skimmer with new water from the pond. Water flows first through a basket which catches any leaves, fish waste, or garbage in the pond like seeds from trees. Every so often just like in a pull you can take the lid off the skimmer and bull out the large basket and dump it into a garbage bag or compost pile. After water leaves the basket it flows through filter material (a woven fabric) which beneficial bacteria grow and remove the small particles and nutrients from the water. As the good bacteria multiply the mat gets heavy, simply remove the fabric inside its compartment and hose off as needed. If you feed your fish a lot this may be every few days. If you dont feed your fish or feed them less often then it may be many weeks or a month before you need to hose out the filter.

The skimmer here is located to the right of the green shrub behind the fountain.

If installing a new pond bottom drains can be connected to the skimmers to remove debris from the pond bottom. Remember skimmer remove 85% of debris before they can sink to the bottom anyway. With a bottom drain you should approch 99%. Place a skimmer on the opposite side of the pond than the water fall to get full filtration of the pond.

2010 Aquatic Plants!

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:10:45 +0000

What I mean to say is I want to know over the next 6 weeks or so what additional species you would like to see from our nurseries. We offer more aquatic species than any other retail supplier in the world thanks to our superior Florida growers who are constantly creating new impressive species but they also can grow common or native species. In 2008 we brought out the striped dazzler bog lily and hope to get more in production. This year Brad and Brandon gave us the Giant Star Grass, Orange Sedge, and Taro Plumbae which I am enjoying growing for the first time.

They also introduced the orange snowflake which is much larger than I had imagined. In fact when they shipped some to a friend of mine my first thought was surley I did not request this many lilies. Then I saw the orange buds and realized, oh my this is the orange snowflake! Much larger than the small white and yellow varieties.

This season with their help we added Lemon Bacopa, Rotala, Moneywort, dwarf sagitaria, jungle vallisineria, and my favorite Red Star Ludwigia. Why my favorite? I planted this in Greg and Marcia’s pond in mid May and as a bog plant not a submerged plant. Some creeping jenny is in the bog with it that came back from last year and the two look amazing next to one another. They have variegated society garlic (society flowers) standing above them and the contrast is amazing.

Along with and abundance of new lilies, tropicals are my favorite. Jack Wood, Purple Zanzibar, and others like Southern Charm were instant hits. The tropical night blooming lilies Jennifer Rebecca and Texas Shell Pink have sold to untold numbers of people.

I want to hear from you. I need to know by mid July what plants you want to see. Send your questions to pondmegastore@yahoo.com. Thank you – Zac

2 Important Resources a water gardener should have. . .

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:01:11 +0000

There are several excellent books we use for resource information, two of the books we highly recommend are Encyclopedia of Water Gardensby Greg Speichert and Sue Speichert and the other book is Waterlilies and Lotuses by Perry D. Slocum. We hope you can curl up in a chair or hammock beside your pond or water garden and enjoy these excellent resource books.

There are so many subjects you can learn about regarding water lilies, lotuses, species and cultivars, habitats and zones and hardiness. You can learn about the hybridizing of some of your favorite lilies and lotus. Learn about the Tropicals, day and night bloomers and other genera in the water lily family.

Learn about hundreds of water garden plants, from submerged, floating to marginals along with information about planting, potting, pots, soils, fertilizers, propagation, pests and plant diseases. Bloom times, hardiness, growth and habitat are all discussed. These books will become great resources for years to come.

You can order these books at Amazon.com or Call Pond Megastore and add them to any plant, fish, or product you might already be ordering. 330-488-2115

SAVE US TO YOUR FAVORITE PLACES!

What’s in a name?

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:57:50 +0000

Bog Plant Ponds and floating plant ponds

How are the water garden plants you get in the mail or FedEx to your home grown? Where are they grown? Well it depends on where you purchase them. There are many growers in the United States. The safest place to look for water plants would be anyone listed in the international water garden society “Truly Named” participants. Some growers over the last few years have begun importing water lilies and other plants from countries like Thailand and other parts of the South-Asia Pacific. This can be problematic for a number of reasons. First off the water in these countries is not likely drinkable out of a faucet rather than the fields the water lilies and aquatic plants are grown.

MIAMI ROSE WATER LILY POND

The risk of infectious diseases and parasites is very high and once a grower imports these plants the rest of the ponds could become contaminated with disease or parasites quickly as planters have their hands in ponds all day all over the facility. Another poor condition is that plants in other countries may not be taken care of in quite the same condition. In a conversation I had last year with award winning Water Lily grower Brad McLane of Florida Aquatics, he noted that every third day for decades now his team has cut the flowering heads off of the water lilies at the Florida Aquatic growing facilities. Why? To prevent cross pollination and growing unnamed species. This kind of dedication is not seen in other facilities. Brad took the time to gather actual proper plant specimens from botanical gardens and other resources of truly named varieties. As he collected these he cultivated them by tuber separation and now tissue culture as well. This is the proper way to carbon copy the species. If the plants are cross pollinated and go to seed new unnamed varieties will grow. Perhaps the same color (or close) but not an identical plant. This dedication has lead to probably the largest collection of truly named plants anywhere. All the lilies grown for Pond Megastore are grown from Brad and Brandon McLane as of 2009 and future years and we are truly proud to provide homeowners with the absolute best quality plants even seen in backyard ornamental water gardens.

Bog Plants, Pink Aquatic Canna Blooming, Rushes & Reeds Nicely Grown

There is a link to the Truly Named organization here. We provide more species to the homeowner than anyone else but we do not provide every species available so I want you to take a look around and order from anyone on this list. You will note your plants are safe from foreign pests and truly named.

The SPRING Algae Bloom

pondplants — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:20:41 +0000

What causes algae blooms? Sometimes natural causes, runoff of nutrients from around the pond after a storm or rain. Most common culprit of Algae blooms is the pond owner him or her self.

Algae is the result of nutrients, sunlight, and water. As a pond owner, I never recommend algae products as it is a vicious cycle. A balanced ecosystem of plants and fish can lead to a simple pond to enjoy rather than fool with. The number 1 problem with water gardening is feeding the fish. Read on my friend…

Feeding fish before the water temperature is above 55 degrees is always a bad idea, in the winter fish go into a hibernation -like stage. Their stomachs are inactive. Pellet or processed foods are dry and if fish eat them too early in the spring you can actually rupture a fishs’ stomach ,as the food expands quickly inside the stomach and shortly after feeding ,your fish can go belly up.

Also ,before you plant your pond plants in the spring, you will foul the water by feeding the fish. Pond fish “NEVER” need to be fed. Yes ,every fish-food container will tell you to feed fish 2-3 times per day, but take a second to figure out how they make their income. . . . Fish can eat 10 times a day –they do this at fish farms. However, this is normally too much waste for a pond and the extra waste produces a quick bloom of algae.

String Algae

Fish, including koi and goldfish, naturally eat string algae and bug larvae and insect eggs ,keeping mosquitoes and gnats to a minimum. Supplementing their natural diet not only stops that part of the natural ecosystem, but adds to the nutrients for algae. Adding Submerged plants can highly reduce algae. Hornwort, red star ludwigia, lemon bacopa, and anacharis, all help starve algae and can even work in cooler water before floating plants like hyacinths and lettuce can takeover on the surface.

Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) New 2009

pondplants — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:14:54 +0000

Though new for the company I work for, I have been familiar with moneywort for some time. It is easy to grow and can be planted as an oxygenator under the water or a flowering bog plant. This plant can actually be grown as an herb apparently benefiting the brain. I am not growing it for that purpose so that’s as deep as I will go into that use. As a submerged pond plant it is very easy to grow and enjoys light. This plant will probably rot and die in shady ponds.

Bacopa monnieri, white flowers surround the base of other bog plants at the surface like umbrella palms or thalia delbata Moneywort submerged growing toward the surface.

It has small white flowers above the surface and grows nicely along the base of other bog plants covering containers! Neat trick.

Red Star Ludwigia (Ludwigia glandulosa) NEW 2009!

pondplants — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:46:29 +0000

Of the four new submerged oxygenating pond plants ,we are introducing to the homeowners of water gardens in 2009, this I think will be my favorite. A fan of Ludwigia glandulosa for years , this new market variety is bright red and grows from below the waters surface to above. The foliage is absolutely fantastic, a deep wine red in color brings something new and amazing to the surface of the pond.

Red Star Ludwigia near waters surface

This plant enjoys sunlight so it may not be suitable for ponds in full shade. it also likes warm water, it can be overwintered indoors with mild temps and a source of sunlight. Growth is slower than other submerged plants. It can be planted as a bog plant as well. Great hiding source for small fish and for all fish from predators.

NEW! Lemon Bacopa (Bacopa Caroliniana)

pondplants — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:29:40 +0000

New for 2009, Lemon Bacopa, named for its lemon scent, is a very interesting pond plant. This plant comes bunched like anacharis but grows up to the surface of the water and then slightly above. Not only that but once above the surface it begins to bloom with tiny 1/2 inch wondrous blue flowers. This plant can also be planted as a bog plant and will love the soil and bloom more often. A great oxygenator I hope we can keep this in stock for 2009.

Lemon Bacopa, wonderful oxygenator that blooms once it gets to the waters surface.

Provides great hiding spot for fish when predators come around. Highly reccomended. Native to zone 8-10. Other than submerged, great ground cover that is easy to grow in a diverse range of locations including bogs, streams, waterfalls, pond edges and container gardens; foliage lemon-scented.

submerged in an aquarium, this is how each bunch will look at the bottom of the pond.

Seasonal Care:
Cut tips down to 3 in. and float in a cup of water in a warm, sunny location indoors

Vallisneria, Jungle Vallisneria (Vallisneria Americana).. not sea weed

pondplants — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:09:02 +0000

This plant will remind you of sea weed. It is a freshwater submerged pond plant. One of the few submerged oxygenating pond plants that does not come banded and bunched as each is an individual plant. It begins with a root and small bulb underneath the stem, the leaves grow tall toward the surface. You can still use lead weights on the vallisneria to anchor each plant. Fish like the plant to hide around and most of them will leave the plant alone. It may not be as easy for baby fish to hide in as hornwort or anacharis but its a great plant and looks great under the water. It will overwinter in the bottom of ponds.

Two vallisneria plants. About 12" tall can grow to 36"+ depending on depth.

I am writing about the underwater plants so that all the less exciting plants are out of the way for the spring and summer. Next we will have some newer varieties of submerged plants to the water garden industry. Rotala, Bacopa Lemon, and Red Star Ludwigia.

Cabomba, perhaps my least favorite submerged pond plant!

pondplants — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:25:04 +0000

Though when growing in aquariums some of the Cabomba species may be the prettiest and softest and most gentle plants they are also by far the worst to add to any water garden with fish.

cabomba caroliniana

Cabomba furcata and Cabomba caroliniana are the two most common types I have found sold in the water garden industry. The plant for all intents and purposes belongs strickly in the aquarium plant industry. Why? Well it is very soft and both the stems and the foliage break easily. I do not find that these plants overwinter at all or they never seem to be around in the spring. Normally harvested and bunched in Florida shipped once is OK, if we ship it to another supplier and then they ship it to you, the plants arrive unhealthy and falling apart. Anacharis and hornwort can be damaged slightly in shipping and come back in a matter of days with new growth. Cabomba simply disintegrates. On top of that problem, they are so soft they make excellent meals for fish. One final problem, sold as a bunched plant, the rubber bands often destroy the bottom stems and the plant then float about the pond.

cabomba furcata

If you ever grow baby fish inside, this is a wonderful plant to add to an aquarium to serve as hiding space and food for fish fry.

Anacharis (Egeria densa) Submerged Oxygenating Pond Plants

pondplants — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:33:59 +0000

The most popular and easiest growing under water or submerged oxygenating pond plant is anacharis (Egeria densa) though followed closely by a wonderful hornwort which shall be discussed soon. More info below the big picture.

Anacharis picture taken indoors.

Contrary to popular belief you probably do not need these plants in your water garden. A single pump of almost any size running even a spitter or tiny waterfall will add probably a million times more oxygen to the pond than the plants in an hour. HOWEVER there are numerous other benefits from this plant and I do suggest you having plenty of these plants at the bottom of your water garden. This plant is one of only about five that should be in your pond and not be planted in soil. A basket with pea gravel should be fine if you have no large koi (14″+) that will shred them.

Anacharis come in small bunches about 6-8 stems rubber banded together. Many on-line companies offer these with optional weights so they sink straight to the bottom and no planting or baskets are required. The weights are a malleable (bendable) heavy metal that you simply wrap around the area where the rubber band is already located at the bottom of the stems. These plants rob the water of excess nutrients rapidly and that is a great thing, they are a super filter and suck up fish waste like it was nothing. The second benefit, a superior hiding place for adult fish and baby fish fry. Baby fry grow up around anacharis and hornwort and stay hidden from larger fish that would eat them. The larger fish hide between anacharis clusters when Hawks, Raccoons, Possums, neighborhood kids with nets, or the big daddy pond nemesis the Heron come around. Having enough submerged grasses and also surface plants (water lettuce, water hyacinths, and water lilies) keep your pond from becoming the daily buffet. Anacharis should be added 1 bunch per 10 gallons of water in ponds under 5000 gallons, or 1 bunch per 20 gallons for ponds over 5000 gallons. Thats many bunches but this product is sold in quantity and is generally a one time investment. If you have enough surface plants in your pond and submerged plants you will never add a drop of chemicals to ward off algae saving you 1000′s of dollars over the years, 100′s per season so just do it right the first time.

Anacharis is winter hardy, sometimes fish nibble on it late or early in the year making it look like theres less in the spring butit quickly rebounds in generally days once thespring water temps are in the 60s. Hornwort can be used as an alternative also winter hardy.

Picture of weights to sinch submerged plants, 4" long they bend easy

Though they soak up fish waste remember the #1 cause of algae is feeding your pond fish. One or two meals per week is plenty. Theydont even need us to feed them as they live off algae and any bugs or larve inthe water. When we substitute their diet we upsetthe balance and cause an excess of waste. Waste + Water + Sunlight =Algae. If you dont feed your fish and have the proper balance of fish, you dont get algae and have clean water. The one or two meals a week are enough totrick the fish into never knowing whenit is you will feed them and they will meet you at the surface everytime you walk by the pond.