Facts on Aquatic Plants
- Learn the basics before installing aquatic plants like this water lily.water lily image by ruud binnekamp from Fotolia.com
Whether going for a natural look or an elegant, man-made one, adding some aquatic plants can put the finishing touches on your water feature. It's best to learn some basics before attempting to select the proper aquatic plants, so that you can create the eye-catching environment you invisioned. - Aquatic plants provide food and shelter for numerous animals.duck image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
Aquatic plants do more than just look attractive. The right plants in the right water feature can provide food and shelter for fish, turtles, frogs, birds, and other aquatic animals. Those near the shore can help combat erosion; those with roots keep the shoreline stable. Oxygen is an important part of a water ecosystem. Aquatic plants can act as recyclers, maintaining the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide. They also act as filters that can trap and absorb particles that make the water cloudy. - Free-floating plants get their nutrients directly from the water, making water quality important.Water lily image by Talya from Fotolia.com
Like land-based plants, those in the water need the basics to survive. Sunlight they get in the same way as the trees and shrubs in the backyard, and because they live in an aquatic environment, they always have a consistant supply as long as the water feature is sustained. Nutrients can be absorbed in one of two ways: plants that are free-floating on the surface can absorb nutrients directly from the water itself; other aquatic plants, such as seagrasses, have roots that are imbedded in the shoreline and get their nutrients from the soil.
Because some aquatic plants do not need to maintain the root structure, stems or trunks to keep them secure, they use less of each resource for the same end result. - Common reeds can take over a pond and spread to others.landscape with reed image by bedecs from Fotolia.com
Including invasive plants into any environment can cause problems in the future, and it's easy to include these commonly seen plants without even realizing the damage they can do to a water ecosystem. The common reed is considered an invasive plant, and can be found in all of the continental United States. The reeds can grow up to 15 feet in height, and have a distinctive, feathery plumed head. While at first glance it might seem this is an excellent plant to help create a wild, natural-looking atmosphere, the common reed spreads very quickly and can soon crowd out other plants. Because it grows so thickly, it can trap sediment in its roots and block sunlight, altering the ecology of the water system in which it grows. Some plants are considered invasive in some areas and not others, so it's important to look into the possibilities in each particular state or county.
