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Pond Life:
Plants
It
is very important that pond enthusiasts understand the significance
of plant material in an aquatic community. Accumulating organic
material is unavoidable in an aquatic ecosystem. Leaves, grass clippings,
excess food, fish excrement, and pollen are just a few of the many
contributors to your pond’s bio-load. Decomposition, which
applies to anything that was once living, not only causes ammonia
levels to rise but also decreases the amount of oxygen in the water.
True, the biological filter will convert the ammonia into a form
of plant food (even with low levels of oxygen), but if there are
no plants utilizing this food, the result is usually some form of
algae bloom (green water). This can all be avoided, if you balance
the amount of fish etc. with plant material. Then, not only will
you control the level of nitrate (plant food), but you will also
introduce much-needed oxygen back into the pond.
There
are several types of plants you might find in and around the pond.
Marginal plant material you would expect to find around the pond’s
perimeter, or perhaps in a bog area. Many of these plants are merely
perennial flowers that are wet-site tolerant. However, their value
to the ecosystem is no lesser than that of a fully submerged aquatic
plant. In fact, the wide-spreading roots of marginal plants such
as cattails and iris can help provide some of the best natural filtration.
Many marginal aquatic plants are considered invasive due to the
rate at which they multiply. This is not exactly a negative trait
however, allowing you to take cuttings from the original plant and
re-pot them to make new ones. Some aquatic plants, such as water
lilies and anacharis, can sit much deeper in the pond and are virtually
submerged. And yet other aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth
and Fairy Moss, float on the surface. These are usually very rapid
spreaders, and colonize very easily. The most important function
of aquatic plants is their ability to naturally filter your water,
and regarding that, all aquatic plants are beneficial!
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