​Plants bring a new level of beauty to any Oklahoma pond, but they are much more than just good looks! Plants in an Oklahoma pond are the natural workers of a healthy ecosystem. They use nutrients that fish are adding to the water (fish poop!) and therefore become living filters! Too many nutrients in the water can cause algae blooms and sludge. Too much sun on the water can contribute to algae growth as well. While plants are sitting there looking beautiful, they’re actively providing filtration. When plants cover 30 to 40% of the surface area of the pond, it will reduce the temperature of the pond, helping reduce algae blooms. 

​Some Oklahoma pond owners wonder if it’s possible to bring water lettuce inside during the winter months, placing them in an aquarium until the spring. This is one of those questions that don’t really have an answer that is clear cut. While technically you can, there are a number of things that should be taken into consideration.

​Water lettuce, also known as Pistia, is an aquatic plant. No one is certain of its exact origin, but it is believed to be pan tropical, which means it isn’t naturally found in places that have a cold climate. Its leaves are soft and thick and will typically have the shape of the rosette. When added to a pond or water garden it has a tendency to float along the surface and the roots are submersed below the leaves. The leaves can reach a length of 14 cm and will not have stems.

Water lettuce has a lighter green color with margins that are wavy and veins that are parallel. This plant will usually be covered in small hairs which produce structures which are basket like and used to capture air bubbles, which are responsible for boosting the buoyancy of the plant. Its flowers are dioecious, which means that they are hidden in the plant’s center. When the plant is fertilized correctly, miniature green berries should appear. Water lettuce is quite popular in aquariums which are tropical as they can be used to provide coverage to fish, and it also competes with algae for water nutrients, which prevents the occurrence of algae blooms.

​Although water lettuce can be kept indoors when the weather turns cold, it is high maintenance to do so. For one, you will need lots of good lighting. The plant will also need a bit of clearance should it float to the top of the tank, and will not perform well if you attempt to press it beneath the lid so it is best for the aquarium to have top which is open. With these two things set in place the plant is likely to survive until spring.

Additional steps that should be taken include storing the lettuce in a greenhouse enclosure which features shallow pools. The temperature in this environment should be warm, around 70 Fahrenheit or higher, as water lettuce prefers extensive sunlight. It is extremely important for pond owners to compost their water lettuce after first frost and purchase fresh water lettuce for the coming season. The reason for this is because water lettuce is one of the more affordable plants, and you may find that the cost of maintaining it indoors is much higher than simply replacing it. Many experts recommend using this plant as the annual within the pond, and then bringing them inside for to serve as a temporary plant feature once temperatures drop, or to compost them completely.

Water hyacinths put out soft purple blooms that can be from 4 inches to 12 inches tall! I have observed that the hyacinth in my pond d not bloom but the ones in my waterfalls do.  My theory is that because they are very sensitive to water temperature, that the pond water is a little too cool.  The stream water is more shallow and therefore has warmer water. If you have blooming hyacinth in your pond, take a picture and shoot it over to us!  Also if you want your hyacinth to bloom try putting some in the stream or waterfall and see what happens. ​

Reproduction - Having one is like having 100! 
Water hyacinth reproduce extremely quickly by putting out multiple shoots with new plants on them (plantlets).  They will stay attached for a while but when picked up or moved these easily break apart.  These new plants will follow suit and before you know it there are more hyacinth that you can imagine.
Luckily, they are annuals here in Oklahoma (Zone 7) which means they will not over winter.  When there are too many, just throw them out! (also great for the compost) Originally from South America, they are very sensitive to cold water. In southern states where the weather is much warmer they are even outlawed as even 1 plant let go in a natural waterway can over grow to the point of needing to be removed! 

​Here in our lovely zone 7 these plants provide excellent filtration.  Their roots hang down into the water, often growing down 12 inches long.  They consume the nutrients found in the water, removing it so that algae has less food. 

If you have given up on water hyacinth because they were floating into the skimmer, or you don't want the fish eating them try one of the following:

• tie them with fishing line to a rock so they can't be swept into the skimmer
• Buy a hula-hoop and tie down with fishing string
• purchase a floating plant net that protects them from the fish eating the roots, allowing them to continue to provide filtration and keeps them form getting in  the skimmer.  You can easily use fishing line to tie them to a rock and it will hardly be visible.  
• put them in the waterfall
• put them in the biofalls

The papyrus plant functions well as a focal point within Oklahoma's aquatic plant arrangements, especially when it is surrounded by shorter plants. Although papyrus flowers aren’t breathtaking, it is considered the ideal architectural plant among pond owners due to its height at maturity, as well as its stalk sleekness and impressive umbels. Below are some tips for growing and maintaining it the right way.

​Papyrus is considered sedge, which makes it a relative of grass. It is a plant which is grass like in appearance, with stems that are triangular and flowers which are largely inconspicuous. It thrives in areas which are wet, and is believed to originate in Egypt near the Nile, where it was harvested by the Egyptians. Their size at maturity depends on a number of factors, most important of which is the location in which they are grown. In a North American backyard pond, papyrus can reach a maximum height of eight feet. In Ancient Egypt it is believed they attained heights of fifteen feet. The stem will emerge from the clump, and under it is a rhizome mass which is thick, which helps the plant to spread. The umbel can be seen on top, and the flowers which are brownish green will blossom during summer.

​Papyrus is native to Africa and as such is tropical. Therefore, to thrive in North American ponds special conditions must be maintained. First, it must be planted in a zone which is rated eight or warmer. These plants love sunlight, as well as soil which is rich and wet. Second, they must be protected from strong winds.  Overall, Papyrus doesn’t require a great deal of work when they’re treated like annuals. Those who live in warmer climates, such as the American south or southeast, should consider dividing them during spring to maintain their vigor. When dividing them, be sure to trim the aging rhizomes which are less healthy. Any vegetation which becomes brownish should be cleaned.

If you lack compost which can be used for amending your soil and have to use a store brought product, be sure to add a fertilizer which is balanced and ensure the plant is watered sufficiently. Papyrus is a tough plant which has been prized for its durability. Even in cases where it appears to be dead it might not be. When the foliage turns brown, the stem should be trimmed to about two inches above ground and then provided water. After a few weeks fresh shoots which are green in color may emerge.
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Papyrus is one of the most historically important plants you can add to your pond. It was referenced in the Old Testament and was used as writing material by the Ancient Egyptians up until the 8th century, after which it was phased out in favor of parchment. It was also used for food, medicine and construction.

Pickerel is a plant which can be found naturally throughout North America and is attractive due to its flowers which are spiked and blue. It blooms from the early part of summer until fall but must be properly cared for otherwise, it can be invasive, the result of its rooting system which is rhizomous.  The good news is that the plant is simple to care for, and as such is an excellent option for beginners.

The spires of this flower may display a soft or deep blue color and will rise a few inches over the body. This makes them outstanding for decoration around your pond. The plant is semi-aquatic and when submerged partially the leaves will float and provide the pond with shade which will shield it from unwanted algae blooms. They also introduce a foliage network which allows fish to conceal themselves.
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Despite its appearance, pickerel is a part of the grass family. The plants were first identified and named during the 18th century, and are known by botanists as Pontederia cordata. When growing they will appear in the form of clumps which have stems that are either flat or thick. They have a glossy foliage which will usually be dark green in color with a leaf that is shaped like a heart and which can grow from twenty four to thirty inches in height. The stems on specimens which are mature will display an elegant arch.

​This tenacious plant performs best when it is placed in a pot that is submerged, as this will stop excessive spreading. When planting you will want to ensure the rhizomes are divided between winter and early spring. Dig the plant up or take it out of its pot, then use pruner or a soil knife to slice the roots apart, resulting in each part having a few rhizomes and leaves which are healthy. Simply replant those new clumps and they will grow rapidly, boosting the presence of the pickerel weed.

It is also possible to dry and store the plant seeds. It will generally take a few seasons for seeded plants to showcase their flowers, and caring for pickerel after their seeds are germinated will require a combination of frequent sunlight and moisture. This is why you will want to plant them outside during spring. However, even if you make a mistake, these plants are so hardy that they can withstand virtually anything aside from drought or complete shade.
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Pickerels perform best when they are maintained in pots which are deep since their roots will stay moist. It is also possible to submerge the whole pot and allow the prominent leaves to float outward. Either way, the soil of your pond should be rich as well as heavy. When the soil is loamy with a pH that is moderately acidic, this creates the most optimal growing conditions. When pickerel is grown inside a pot its soil should be a mixture of peat and topsoil.

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Continental Ponds is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Oklahoma City, Norman, Moore, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Yukon, Shawnee, Newcastle, Mustang, Bethany, Piedmont, Guthrie, Jones, Chandler, Midwest City, Del City, Shawnee, Tuttle, Blanchard, Bridge Creek , Warr Acres, Woodlawn Park, Lawton. Fish and Koi Pond Maintenance and Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration.

Also referred to as the north pitcher plant, this species can make a great addition to your Oklahoma Water Garden or pond. This perennial plant has a vibrant color like water lilies, is simple to grow and is easy to find in North America, especially near the coasts of the Atlantic.

​When mature these plants will develop one flower which is about three inches in length. Watching their growth is a delight. Prior to opening the flower will appear as a ball which is dark colored on top of a stalk which is leafless. When preparing to open the pitcher plant will nod its top downwards, at which point the most dominant colors will be red and purple. The petals and sepals each will curve inward near the center of the flower. At this point the sepals will be the easiest to see, and once the plant blooms it can reach a height of twenty inches.
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These plants are native to North America, an aside from the Atlantic region they also appear in the central and eastern parts of the continent. This means they are common, readily available and affordable for those who own ponds and water gardens in Canada and the United States. The plant actually occurs in two subspecies, one which is found mostly in Canada, and another which grows heavily near Maryland. This plant spreads through both rhizomes and seeds, producing colonies.

When grown around a pond this plant requires complete sunlight. However, it also prefers areas which are wet, and thrives most when it is placed by a water feature’s edge, inside the bog garden or a damp swale. Many pond owners put them in containers with shallow water, with a mat made out of peaty soil and sphagnum moss. The plant will bloom between May and early June, and thus should be handled as specimen plants which are late spring. Their location works best when it is used as a miniature colony and focal point for the pond or garden.
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Another key thing to remember about the pitcher plant is that it is predatory. The reason for this is because the plant evolved in a bog environment which was poor in nutrients. Therefore, the plant has developed the ability to supplement its diet using more than what its roots may pull up. It is also the reason why the leaves appear as pitchers. The pitchers will fill up partially with water from rain, and will emit an odor which will attract insects. Once the insect gets close to the pitcher and lands on or within it they will slide down due to the slick surface, and will unable to escape due to the waxiness of the walls, which make them slippery. Additionally, the walls of the pitcher are covered in hairs which are rigid and also force the insects downwards into the water where they drown, after which their decaying bodies provide nutrients which the plant absorbs. The plant also consumes mosquito larvae and thus the purple pitcher plant can control insects naturally.

​For daily pond tips Monday thru Friday like and share our facebook page. To receive our monthly newsletter click here. Remember we are always just a click away from solving your pond problems!
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Continental Ponds is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Oklahoma City, Norman, Moore, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Yukon, Shawnee, Newcastle, Mustang, Bethany, Piedmont, Guthrie, Jones, Chandler, Midwest City, Del City, Shawnee, Tuttle, Blanchard, Bridge Creek , Warr Acres, Woodlawn Park, Lawton. Fish and Koi Pond Maintenance and Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration.

Watercress is an aquatic plant that has played a key role in multiple civilizations throughout history. Also known as Nasturtium, it has a number of benefits which made it valuable to the ancients, and below are some reasons you should seriously consider adding it to your pond or water garden.

When planting watercress in Oklahoma ponds and water gardens it is best to do so within a waterfall or stream bed and keep it contained. This is because it thrives in areas with lots of moving water. It will often be necessary to encapsulate the roots with sizeable stones so that any fish you have in the pond won’t dig them up. Its growth will extend over the stones quite rapidly, at which point koi and other fish will be able to reach them. All you have to do is put the stem in water which is shallow beneath a rock or gravel and you will see growth within about three weeks. When watercress blooms it should do so with small white flowers.

​Another benefit of adding watercress to your pond is that like submerged plants it will enhance the beauty. You can grow it via seed, or you can obtain it whole through a garden store. When added to your pond it will boost its aesthetic appeal through softening its edges and producing lots of small flowers with green leaves. It must also be noted that watercress will enhance your pond’s water quality. It does this by eliminating particles and nutrients within the water, that otherwise would reduce clarity and quality. Given the fact that it can cleanse the blood, it is also more than capable of cleansing water. It will also keep string algae under control, displacing it by removing the nutrients that it needs for growth.

Over the years we have learned that watercress is very aggressive in Oklahoma waterways, thus we do not recommend unless you keep it closely monitored. Once watercress roots get out of their pot and enter the waterway, it's all over! You will never get rid of them, we've gone to the extent of replacing the pond liner only to have them come back in droves. Thus, be warned this plant must be taken care of or it will grow everywhere!

​For daily pond tips Monday thru Friday like and share our facebook page. To receive our monthly newsletter click here. Remember we are always just a click away from solving your pond problems!
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Continental Ponds is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Oklahoma City, Norman, Moore, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Yukon, Shawnee, Newcastle, Mustang, Bethany, Piedmont, Guthrie, Jones, Chandler, Midwest City, Del City, Shawnee, Tuttle, Blanchard, Bridge Creek , Warr Acres, Woodlawn Park, Lawton. Fish and Koi Pond Maintenance and Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration.

​For daily pond tips Monday thru Friday like and share our facebook page. To receive our monthly newsletter click here. Remember we are always just a click away from solving your pond problems!

Continental Ponds is offering this pond information for Oklahoma City pond owners as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Oklahoma City, Norman, Moore, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Yukon, Shawnee, Newcastle, Mustang, Bethany, Piedmont, Guthrie, Jones, Chandler, Midwest City, Del City, Shawnee, Tuttle, Blanchard, Bridge Creek , Warr Acres, Woodlawn Park, Lawton. Fish and Koi Pond Maintenance and Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration.

When allowed to run crazy, a cattail population can rapidly take over your Oklahoma pond. Cattails are aquatic plants which are commonly found near lakes, streams and rivers and they can reach lengths of 10 feet while forming colonies. As the plant matures its cylindrical brown flower will grow, and then it will open and release its cottony seeds which will spread and lead to new plant growth around your Oklahoma pond. Before you know it your pond is surrounded by healthy cattails. While it has its place, below are some ways to keep it under control.

​Cattails, in moderate amounts, can be valuable to ponds. There are many types of birds, amphibians and fish that are attracted to them, and if you’re like most pond owners you’re excited about the idea of certain animals making a home in the pond you’ve spend time and money building. In addition, cattails do an excellent job of preventing erosion. However, like many species of plants cattails can grow excessively at which point they will become a nuisance. When too many are present they will make your pond look like a marshland.

There are three steps in keeping your cattail population under control. The first is to use an herbicide which can weaken them, which will typically come in the form of a spray. The second is to slash the spikes and leaves and then get rid of them. Finally you will have to continue repeating the process until the cattails have been brought under control.

After you’ve applied an herbicide to the plant, it will turn soft and brownish. This is when you will want to slash and eliminate the stalks. This is essential because it helps avoid the accumulation of muck, which makes it easier to manage other cattails that grow in the place of the stalks that have died. You can use a weed cutter on the plant’s base, which then makes it easier to remove with a rake.
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​Many new Oklahoma pond/water feature owners are concerned about the effects of sunlight for pond fish. This is an important issue, and the solution will depend on various factors. In Oklahoma ponds/water features, sunlight can be beneficial to your fish, but it can also harm them, and the outcome largely depends on the pond’s construction, location and how it is maintained.

​When a pond is directly exposed to sunlight without shade the temperature of the water will increase. This increase in temperature will lower the amount of oxygen which is accessible to the fish, while also promoting the growth of algae. Fish which are exposed to excessive sunlight may also receive sunburn. Each pond is unique in the manner in which it will respond to the sun, and while ponds which are big and deep may not have much of an issue, the smaller ponds which are typically found in backyards may be adversely impacted.

Algae enjoy sunlight and will thrive when exposed to it. If your pond contains koi they should be exposed to no more than a few hours of sunlight per day.  Anything more than this could be problematic for them. The typical pond will receive between four and six hours of sunlight per day.

​The best way to manage your Oklahoma pond’s exposure to sunlight is by adding shade. Terrestrial shade can be created by adding marginal plants or trees near the side of your pond. However, during fall leaves will fall from the tree and will cause serious problems if they are allowed to accumulate in the water, so you will need to perform netting or clean them out. Papyrus or other tall plants will provide excellent shade for the fish.

Aquatic plants can also be used to help manage Oklahoma sunlight, and some of the best include water hyacinth or water lilies, which create shade beneath the water that can be used by your fish. The lilies can be planted via plant bags and or baskets and situated in advantageous locations throughout the pond. An alternative to the planting of trees could be a canopy or man made structure which will cast shade over the pond. The right canopy can also add style to the area.
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Perhaps the easiest solution is fish shelters or caves. The shelters can be placed in the water and will allow the fish to swim beneath or within to get shade whenever they need it, while caves will also perform the same function, although constructing them may be more complex. In addition to protection from sunlight, these structures will also protect your fish from various predators.

​Just as too much Oklahoma sunlight is bad for fish, too much shade is equally so. The most ideal ponds are those which have some areas reserved for sunlight, while others which are reserved for shade. This will give the pond a balanced temperature which will make your fish healthy and happy.

Oklahoma ​ponds/water features need a good balance of sun and shade.  If your pond doesn't have partial shade from trees, make sure to add plenty of plants to provide shade, vitamin D and protection from predators.

​​For daily pond tips Monday thru Friday like and share our facebook page. To receive our monthly newsletter click here. Remember we are always just a click away from solving all your Oklahoma pond problems!
 
Continental Ponds is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Oklahoma City, Norman, Moore, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Yukon, Shawnee, Newcastle, Mustang, Bethany, Piedmont, Guthrie, Jones, Chandler, Midwest City, Del City, Shawnee, Tuttle, Blanchard, Bridge Creek , Warr Acres, Woodlawn Park, Lawton. Fish and Koi Pond Maintenance and Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration.