Plant question

[Amber23]

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum and new to ponds.

I recently put in a 155 gallon preformed pond. I am looking at getting some plants. Do you have a favorite place to get plants? So far I have looked at local hardware stores, but haven't really seen to many healthy looking plants. I haven't made it to the nursery yet, hopefully they will have a better selection. I was just curious if there was an online store that people have had good luck with.


I am planning on putting my two goldfish in the pond. I will probably take them out for the winter, unless I build a deeper pond that won't freeze all the way through.

Can you put snails in an outdoor pond? I was thinking those large Apple(?) snails that you get can for aquariums.

[Reddog80p]

I've ordered some plants from www.lilyblooms.com. Or you can call them @ 1-800-921-0005 . They have a Catalog you can get for free online. They are in North Canton, Ohio and have a good selection and decent prices. The sell japanese Trapdoor Snails (viviparis malleatus), they are good cleaners, and are livebearing snails.

[Amber23]

Thanks

Are you supposed to put some sort of substrate in the bottom of your pond for the plants? Do the plants just stay in the pots?

[Yankee Dog]

keep them in pots. using a substrate in a pond can cause a real mess.

Yankee Dog

[Amber23]

That's what I thought, but someone on a different forum had mentioned it.

Thanks!

[Amber23]

Another question. If I want to change the pots that they came in, what substrate do I use? The pots they came in are the same ones you get land plants in. Arn't you supposed to have these type (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=5519&N=62728+113795) of baskets?

[Desertponder]

No, don't use those baskets!! Not unless you want to plant in pea gravel. These baskets don't hold up and become brittle real quick. They also will not hold your soil.
You can use just the regular plastic nursery pots. Water lilies like something that is wide and shallow such as an oil drain pan or dishpan. Soil can be a variety of things. You can buy the aquatic soil but its expensive and really not worth it. You can use plain, unscented kitty litter. You can use pea gravel. You can use your dirt from your garden. I use a combination of soil and sand topped with pea gravel.

Ebay is good place to get aquatic plants. Just be careful and try to buy from sellers who have a good rating.

[Amber23]

Oooh, thanks!

*heading off to ebay*

[Yankee Dog]

I used plain soil. It worked OK. I used this in my aquairum and it worked great. I will use it next time in my pond.

top level: gravel to hold the soil down

mid level: garden soil

bottom level: plain untreated kitty liter (clay)

plug up the holes on the very bottom with a little more gravel


yankee Dog

[Desertponder]

Another online place for plants is

http://www.texaswaterlilies.com/

The plants you get are sometimes small but the prices are pretty good.

[Yankee Dog]

personally, I dig them up out of the local creeks and swamps.

Yankee Dog

[FishDish1]

there are a few companies that have nice plants. I order really pretty ones from www.pondmegastore.com (http://www.pondmegastore.com) in ohio, they have a nice catalog with better pictures and decriptions on all the water lilies. You can get wholesale water lilies if you order so many of one variety.

also floridas location treasure island aquatics in St. Petersburg.

www.treasureislandaquatics.com (http://www.treasureislandaquatics.com) - they have pretty koi. I ordered 5 for my pond and they are doing well. I like the imports rater than domestics.