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Plants
for Koi Ponds
by Elmer
Epistola
Posted: September 3, 2004
Plants and koi don't really
co-exist well in the pond itself, thanks to the penchant of koi for
foraging the pond bottom and munching on foliage. This is the
reason why most koi ponds don't have plants in the water, save for a
few clusters of lilies or rushes here and there. Still, there
are plants a-plenty to choose from for livening up your koi pond
with some flora.
Plants used in koi ponds and
water gardens may be classified into 4 categories: 1)
oxygenators or submerged aquatics; 2) deep water aquatics; 3)
marginal plants; and 4) floating plants.
Oxygenators
Oxygenators, or 'submerged
aquatics', are plants that live just below the surface of the
water. Like most other plants, oxygenators generate oxygen in
the daytime as a byproduct of photosynthesis, consuming carbon
dioxide released by the koi in the process. They also provide
security to the koi and may serve as a spawning mat during the
breeding season.
Examples of oxygenators for koi
ponds that are popular in the West include the Elodea pondweeds, the
Water Starwort, the Hornwort, the Willow Moss, the Water Violet, the Spiked Water
Milfoil and the Common Water Crowfoot.
To plant oxygenators, the
following steps have been recommended by some hobbyists: 1)
take any aquatic planting basket or tub and fill it with peagravel;
2) create several bunches of your oxygenator, with each bunch
consisting of 4 to 6 strands of 4-inch plants tied together by a
lead wire; 3) push these bunches into the planting basket; and
4) place the basket in the pond, with the plants no more than 12
inches below the water surface for them to get sunlight. The
basket may be moved to deeper areas as the plants grow.
Figure 1.
Callitriche starworts are
good oxygenators for ponds
Deep Water Aquatics
Deep-water aquatics include the most popular group of plants for koi
ponds: the lilies. Most people want plants in their pond
simply because they find the exquisite beauty of these flowering
plants irresistible. Deep water aquatics, as the name
implies, have stalks that are long enough to support the large
circular leaves floating on the water surface even while the roots are
planted on the pond bottom. Deep water aquatics are good
consumers of extra nutrients in the water and therefore give algae a
strong competition for food, thus helping clear up the water.
Figure 2. Charlie's
Choice is just one of
the many lilies available for
your pond
Proceed to Page 2
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