BTCV Handbooks Online

Book:	Practical Conservation
Chapter:	Ponds and Marshes
Section:	Stocking your pond
Metadata:	Details	Buy this book

You need to ensure that your pond obtains a balance of different plants and animals for it to remain healthy. Add submerged plants, floating plants, and emergent plants the following list may help.

Marginal plants

These are plants that will grow from the pond or marsh bottom and leaf above the water, suitable for more shallow margins.

Floating plants

There are two types of floating plant; those that are un-rooted and those that remain rooted on the pond bottom but have leaves floating on the surface of the water. To plant the rooted ones it is best to tie up the root system in a piece of hessian sacking weighed down with soil. Gently throw this into the middle of the pond. The roots will sink and shortly after, the leaves will rise to the surface.

Broadleaved Pondweed: Potamogeton natans
Yellow Water Lily: Nuphar lutea
Frogbit: Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

Submerged plants

Submerged plants grow under the water and provide the oxygen needed to help establish the pond:-

Water Crowfoot: Ranunculus aquatilis
Water Starwort: Callitriche stagnalis
Water Hornwort: Ceratophyllum demersum

Avoid water milfoil or Canadian pondweed they take over.

These plants use dissolved nutrients which may otherwise support an algal bloom.

Points to remember

You may find that in the early stages your pond looks cloudy with microscopic life. This is quite natural and is but a temporary stage; the water will clear naturally providing the pond has an adequate supply of oxygenating plants. Changing the water will simply restart the clouding. Remove stringy green algae with a light rake.
It may be necessary to construct a paved section along one edge of your pond to allow access for study.
If possible, top your pond up with collected rain water. If tap water only is available leave this to stand in open containers for twenty four hours to eliminate the chlorine.