Treatment Of Ponds And Water Using Aquatic Plants

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Wetland plants or aquatic plants are highly important in the treatment and cleaning of water. Our natural floras are very dynamic. Just as certain domestic plants help clean up surrounding air, so can certain aquatic plants clean up our ponds and water gardens.

Aquatic plants can boost water bodies for fish, by absorbing carbon-dioxide and giving out oxygen in the water. But not only that, they can also absorb nutrients from the water too. Absorption of the water nutrients by the plants helps clean the water and make the water have less algae and impurities.

To naturally treat our ponds without chemicals for instance, aquatic plants are the key. Aquatic plants can reduce the algae colony and also consume the fish’s waste product, thereby providing a natural filtration and treatment mechanism.

A variety of plants naturally carry out this treatment and filtering process. Such aquatic plants include;

1.) Flowering Shoreline Plants - E.g. the Golden cannas

The Golden cannas blossom from spring to fall, possess bright yellow flowers, paddle-shaped leaves and can grow to about 4 feet in height.

In the U.S Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones, they have a hardiness of 8 to 11.

The “Bengal Tiger” canna hybrid with pale yellow leaves and bright orange leaves grow to 5 feet in height and is hardy in USDA zones of 8 to 12.

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2.) Grass-Type Shoreline Plants – E.g Bulrushes and rushes

Bulrushes and rushes are efficient in water treatment and filtration.

The ‘bulrushes’ grow in 3 inches of water, have a USDA hardiness zone 3 to 9, and can remove excess nutrients, oil and bacteria from water.

The ‘rushes’ blossom in summer, rid water of heavy metals like zinc, copper and nickel, and are 1 to 5 feet in height.

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3.) Floating Plants – E.g. Tropical water lilies, hardy water lilies and water poppies

Tropical waterlilies, Hardy waterlilies and Water poppies are hardy in USDA zone 10 to 12, 4 to 10 and 9 to 11 respectively.

Tropical Waterlilies grow in water of 9 to 16 inches, hardy waterlilies grow in 1 to 4 feet of water, and water poppies grow in 6 to 10 inches of water.

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4.) Submerged Plants – E.g. Canadian pondweed and American wild celery

Waterweed (Canadian pondweed) grows from 6 inches to 5 feet deep of water and Tape or Eel grass (American wild celery) grows from 6 inches to 4 feet deep of water.

They are good water cleaners through their absorption of nutrients in the water also.

Canadian waterweed should be used only in smaller ponds or water gardens where they can be controlled easily, because they can become invasive.

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Benefits of water treatment using plants:

• The plants serve as low-cost extraction and suction mechanism to purify polluted water.

• Most times, plants have the ability to discompose particular wastes faster than microorganisms.

• The procedure can help decontaminate large polluted and restricted areas if applied properly for lengthy periods.

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Challenges of water purification using plants:

• The procedure is time-consuming

• The procedure is mainly applied to waters that are shallow to which roots can easily penetrate.

• The plants are biologically limited in pollutants, compounds and metals they can capture.

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Reference:

• http://homeguides.sfgate.com/aquatic-plants-purify-water-43531.html
• http://www.ozwatergardens.com.au/submerged-plants
• http://www.lmslp.com/plants4.htm
• https://www.velda.com/pond-maintenance/pond-plants/floating-plants/

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@rickie