|
• Easy Water Gardening
• Growing Water Lilies
• Japaneze Koi Pond Water Garden
• Latest Trends
• Patio Water Features
• Pond Design
• Ponds 2
• Pools
• To Dig or Not To Dig
• Water Fountains
• Waterfalls And Streams
Christmas Gift Ideas
For
Water Garden
Lovers..
Take a look at
Let's Get Wet... |
Japaneze Koi Pond Water Garden
There are a lot of people that w
There are a lot of people that will
tell you not to put Japanese Koi and plants together. Pet stores and
internet articles suggest that koi will destroy any plants you put in
your pond. I have been keeping Japanese Koi in my water gardens for six
years without any Koi destroying any of the plants. The plants provide
shade and shelter for the koi when spooked, and add to the water
clarity.
Japanese Koi are by far the most beautiful and desirable fish you can
keep in an outdoor water garden. In Japan, breeding koi has occupied a
position between hobby and art form for more than two centuries. To keep
Japanese Koi in a water garden you have to understand that they are
bottom feeders who are most at home rooting around, in and among the
rubble found on the bottom of their natural environment. As a matter of
fact, the purpose of the famous whiskers is to help them root around
more efficiently in the rocks/ rubble. Putting a layer a gravel in your
pond will give the koi something to root in and will also add to the
natural biological environment. Plants will also benefit from being
directly in the gravel. I always remove plants from their pots, and
rinse the roots before planting in a bed of gravel, which adds to the
natural beauty of the water garden.
It is true that koi eat plants. It is also true that in the warm summer
months they are none stop foragers. I describe them as eating machines.
That is why it is important to keep plants they can eat without
destroying. My two favorite are watercress and marsh betony planted in a
shallow high water flow area. Trust me, you will need the koi to help
you keep these invasive plants in check and may still have to thin late
in the season. These plants are excellent filters which will help keep
the water crystal clear and the koi happy.
Floating water hyacinth can result in the koi eating the roots. I
usually plant in the shallow stream just below the waterfall. Their
roots bury deep in the gravel to provide excellent filtration. They tend
to grow taller and bloom less. Mine have grown 3 foot tall and extend 12
feet down the stream and seem to benefit from the splashing of the
waterfall. This is another plant that will have to be pulled in the
fall. Pickerel Rush is another plant that enjoys the splashing from a
waterfall. I use them to hide the liner below the waterfall and they
have bloomed constantly all season.
More info at koipondfever.com
RC Moore, content writer for koipondfever.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=RC_Moore |
|
Family Links
Puppies
Horse
care
Bird
Watch
Poetry
Baby Names
Healthy Diet
Lasik Surgery |
