Using Plants to Clean Water
I have written two posts thus far concerningĀ ponds.Ā One on creating a fish pond and the other on cleaning your fish pond. In this article,Ā however, we will be looking at how to purify your pond water naturally by adding plants. A fish pond adds a touch of class to our landscape and gardens as we discuss
inĀ previous articles, you can check them out here. Build your fish pond andĀ Cleaning your fish pond.
One of the main features of having a pond is seeing and enjoy your colorful friends as they swim gracefully by, there are plants that can help us to accomplish this. Can you imagine having a pond that is murky and blurry you won’t be able to enjoy it?
How does this all workĀ with plants?
How does this all work with plants? I am glad that you asked. Ponds can and do collect an abundance of nutrients, when there is a buildup of nutrients algae develops when this happens pond water tends to turn from clear to murky and blurry, algae also depletes ponds oxygen and this is not good for pond life. Also, the decomposition of plants and other organic material that gets in the water can add to pond water needing to be purified.
But the good news is there are plants that can help us. These plants have the ability to feed on or absorb nutrients from the water causing water to become much moreĀ clear and clean.
Aquatic plants that purify water
What is so amazing about plants is that plants serveĀ us in so many ways from food use, medicine, to purify the air that we breathe. Here are a few links that talks about the benefit of plants. Cleaning the air that you breathe. Health benefits of plants.
List of plants
1. Waterweed -makes a good aquatic plant, Waterweed purifies water by feeding on or absorbing nutrients.
2. Water lilies- also know as the floating plant adds a unique look to your pond while purifying it. To learn more about water lilies follow this link. creating a lily pond. Water lilies also provideĀ shade for pond life as well as blocking out sunlight in theĀ pond. This is an effective way to control algae.
3. Iris- is a very beautiful plant with long narrow leaves and yellow flowers. Iris also helps to clean the pond by absorbing nutrients.
4. Water lotus- is a beautiful flowering plant that helps to purify the water at the bottom of theĀ pond. Water lotus does the same and has the same effect as that of water lilies.
5. Bulrushes- make a good pond cleaning plant, bulrushes remove bacteria, as well as nutrients, build up from ponds. Bulrushes also put forth flowers.
6. Water Lettuce-can be compared to the water lilies in that they float on the water surface absorbing impurities.
7. Water mint-the potting procedures of water mint is the same as that of water lilies, water mint shoots a purple flower and has a minty scent. This plant also purifiesĀ your pond by removing bacteria and oil.
The final word
These are just a few aquatic purifying plants that can help keep your pond clean, you deserve it and your pond deserves it, so give it a try, you will be glad that you did.
Newsletter
Signup Today for Our Newsletter to Receive Up to Date Information on Herbs and Other Gardening News in the Industry.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
I don’t have a pond, nor do I have room darn it. But this was very interesting as we will be moving soon, and you never know. I would like to have more outdoor space. Right now, my backyard is literally a swimming pool with a little patch of grass. I can see me with the Iris and water lilies. They are very pretty to me anyway.
Hello my good friend and happy Sunday, it is so good to hear from you. Just keep those dreams alive and with some creative thinking you can have the garden or landscape of your dreams. All the best to you my dare friend and have a good day.
Thanks to your post, I now have a better understanding of why algae covers ponds and what water lilies do besides looking pretty.
There is a duck pond close to where I use to work and a colleague & I used to go down to it nearly everyday and see how the algae was steadily marching its way across the whole pond and within that you could see pockets of water lilies.
This is a council pond and it certainly looked like it could do with a lot more water lilies to counteract the algae that was spreading quickly across it.
I love seeing ponds in gardens and seeing lilies in them, it just makes them look so inviting, it’s also just quite relaxing looking across a pond and seeing some ducks in it as well.
Hello Adrian so good to see you again glad I could help, ponds are pretty amazing, all and its good to bring back old memories, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi there,
Great post. I remember the days we had a pond in our backyard. Lots of lilies and a little bit of algae but I walked past the other day and the algae has taken over sadly.
Thanks to your post I now understand what causes the algae and how having the plants really helps.
Thanks for the website. Its great, Kev
Hello Kevin is good to meet you, and thanks for those kind words. I am glad that I could help, all the best to you and have a good day.
Plants are extremely valuable when it comes to ponds, but there are a lot of other factors as well. A small pond in full sun can be a recipe for disaster! I have tried many times with no luck of keeping mine clean. I will keep an eye out for your future posts as I am hoping to find a cure for my pond.
Thank you!
Hello Nicole it is so nice to meet you, sorry to hear about your unsuccessful attempts at trying to maintain a fish pond. I will try to address and find a way that can work for you, we will keep in touch and have a good day.
Hey Norman, you have a very interesting site. It appears you have covered almost every aspect of natural and organic gardening.
I wish I had room in my yard for a fish pond. A friend has one which is quite refreshing. A cup of coffee and a good book beside a fragrant pond. That will start any day right.
Thanks for your information,
Dennis
Hello it is so good to meet you and thanks a million for those kind words. Having a fish pond can do wonders and add that touch of class to any landscape or garden area. I a m glad that I could help, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi. Really good info.IĆ¢ā¬ā¢ve been trying to find more plants where I live but so far have had no luck. IĆ¢ā¬ā¢m waiting for spring when the greenhouses open. IĆ¢ā¬ā¢ve got hornworth I think and oak leaf something or other I believe so far but IĆ¢ā¬ā¢d like to get java moss and other plants. IĆ¢ā¬ā¢m new at this and doing a bit of research
Hello Davon it is so nice to meet you, plants are just amazing and as you do your research I hope you find what you are looking for. Best of wishes to you and your garden project, have a good night.
I always knew that plans where helpful to the environment, but I didn’t know that they contribute to water life as well. This is good to know when caring for your pond’s lifespan. Thank you so much for all your information on all of the plants you can use and what they provide for your pond.
Hello Nathan it is so good to meet you, plants is of so much benefit to us and that is what makes them so awesome. Glad that I could help, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hello Norman!
Very interesting post
And good breakdown of all the plants that we could use to purify the water for the life in our ponds.
My uncle is a great fan of making ponds and this information is very usefull.
I will surely share with him !
Thank you For this
Wish you the best
Santiago
Hello Santiago it is so good to meet you, plants can do wonders and they are surely of great benefit to us, I am glad that I could help and thanks for sharing this post with your uncle. All the best to you and have a good day.
I don’t own a pond but I have been considering adding one to my garden and been wondering how I could have kept it clean. This is some very informative information. thank you for that!
However, I am not quite familiar with all the plants you mentioned and you could just add some pics to assist in finding them. Thanks.
Hello it is so good go meet you, I am glad that I could help. All the best to you and have a good day.
Hi there,
A very interesting article. Work with nature to purify our water for our ponds. What is the costs associated with purifying water this way? I’m guessing just the basic costs of the plants themselves and this, I might be wrong here, it’s pretty low maintenance right?
Excellent and highly informative site. keep up the great work
Hello Derek it is good to hear from you, yes as far as I know it is just the cost of the plants. And they are not that hard to care off, hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
A fish pond sounds like such an amazing idea Norman! How hard would you say it is to actually maintain it? Also, what’s the average cost of creating a fish pond?
I haven’t heard of creating one until now and I think it’s a very creative idea. It must be so cool to see your own environmental creation come to life. I couldn’t agree more that plants are so important for the environment we live in. Excellent post and information š
Hello Peter it is so good to meet you, having a fish pond do add a touch of class to your landscapes and garden. Here is a link to how this is donehttps://staging-gardenofedengardencenter.siterubix.com/build-a-back-yard-fish-pond Cost all depends on how large or how small you want it to be. Or what you can do is check with home depot or your garden center because you can just buy the kit with all the parts and it comes with the instruction, and your good to go. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi Norman,
I really like the idea of incorporating a fish pond and aquatic plants. I’m guessing that if you get the balance just right, the maintenance requirements will go down. It becomes a complete and self-sustaining ecosystem.
This is giving me some inspiration should I ever have the space for a water garden area. I am contemplating ideas for “mini water gardens” that can be done in containers and even on balconies.
Lots of great informative material. Keep up the great work!
– Oren
Hello again my friend It is so good to hear from your again, and ponds are great to have, it really enhances your garden area, hope you get the water garden of your dreams, all the best to you and have a good night.
I have a small fish pond made out of a wide based flower pot. Planted some water lilies which were beautiful when it bloomed. However, the water is still a bit murky. Would you be able to advise?
It will be great if your have the picture of the plants you mentioned.
Hello Sharon it is so good to meet you and I am sorry for taking so long to respond, Having a pond is so great because it adds such a touch of class to our landscape and gardens. Your can try this natural pond cleaner, barley straw pond treatment. You can check home depot or your plant nursery. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day. Please let me know how it goes. Thanks again