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Types
Of Aquatic Plants
Aquatic
plants are normally divided into four or five types;
Deep water plants, Submerged plants, Floating plants,
and Marginal / Bog plants which are sometimes divided
into two different groups. Information on each of
these groups can be found by clicking on the proper
navigation link to the left.
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Deep
Water Plants
These
are plants that can be planted in water from 18 inches
to 5 feet or more deep. Water lilies, Water Lotus,
Water Hawthorne, and Water Fringe or Hearts are examples
of this group.
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Submerged
Plants
As
the name implies, submerged plants are plants that
grow completely under water. They are important for
pools with fish, because not only do they help establish
a natural balance in the pool, they also serve as
a food source, spawning mats, and a hiding place for
baby fish.
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Floating
Plants
As
their name implies floating plants have their leaves
and stems floating on the water with their roots floating
free in the water below. They provide shade cover
with their foliage, which helps stabilize water temperature
and denies light to the algae below, retarding it's
growth.
The
extensive root system removes nutrients from the water
that could eventually poison your fish. By removing
these nutrients they are not available to feed the
algae. The root systems also serve as spawning site
and provides a place for young fish to hide.
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Marginal
/ Bog Plants
Marginal
/ Bog plants offer a wide variety of foliage textures,
heights and flowers to create a garden of loveliness
and a breath of springtime in your water garden. The
diving line between marginal and bog plants is a grey
area that changes depending on the source. For that
reason I have lumped these plants together into one
group. Marginal plants vary across a range of plants
that can be planted in water as deep as 10" to
others that should be planted in moist soil. Bog plants
on the other hand range from about 2 to 3 inches to
well drained moist soil, depending on the plant.
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These
bloomers can be planted directly in the shallow water of
your pond or in a pot lowered to the correct depth. Most
of the tropical plants can be over wintered as house plants,
if the soil is kept moist and they are in a sunny location.
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