Buying Aquatic Plants
Aside of choosing suitable varieties of plants for the pond, it is important to buy good quality. Purchasing from a specialist is the best way of obtaining good quality plants that are correctly named. Never be tempted to gather wild aquatics. Apart from mostly being illegal, there is a strong chance of introducing a pest or disease to the relatively sterile environment of the pond when plants are taken from the bush.
With submerged plants the majority are bunches of cuttings fastened together at the base with a narrow strip of lead or a piece of wire. Although seemingly clinging precariously to life, these unrooted cuttings quickly become established when planted. When selecting bunched plants always reject those that have a tired appearance and flaccid stems. Look for individuals with bright perky foliage.
Always inspect the lead strip or wire at the base of the bunch, for although useful to the plant in its formative life it can cause damage to the stems, particularly if the bunches remain unsold and lying in a tray of water for a week or so. Black marks on the stems in the vicinity of the foliage indicate that the lead strip or wire is probably causing the stems to rot at the point where they are held together. A further indication of an aged unplanted bunch is the preponderance of succulent white roots that sprout indiscriminately from leaf axils at irregular intervals along the stem.
With marginal plants and waterlilies it is best to buy pot grown plants from a garden centre. If sending away to a specialist nursery, then bare-rooted plants are likely to be perfectly fine. It is best to avoid loose waterlilies floating around in a tank of water at the garden centre. These have already started to deteriorate. Similarly it is unwise to choose pre-packed aquatics. These are mostly encountered in pet shops and smaller general nurseries. They start to suffer after the first couple of days and should definitely be avoided.
Ideally aquatic plants should be growing in shallow tanks in reasonably clear water. They must be established in pots and free from insect pests and snail eggs. They should not have any aquatic weed seedlings established in their pots and must be clear of clinging filamentous algae and dead or fading foliage. While the latter are not serious deficiencies, if plants are purchased from a nursery or garden centre where these imperfections are present, it demonstrates generally poor practice and sloth, neither being inspirational attributes nor giving the purchaser the confidence to believe that the vendor really understands water gardening.
ENDS
Word Count 432
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