What soil can i use for planting pond plants?

Question

i have ordered some lilly's for my pond which will be delivered bare rooted and need to be potted.. i saw aquarium soil at the garden centre and nearly fainted when i saw the price. would it be ok to mix some garden soil and multi purpose compost?? surely there is a cheaper alternative.?

Answer 1

the reason the proper aquarium stuff is so expensive is because it should be free from any fertalisers that may be harmful to your pond. these fertalisers will make algae in the pond bloom out of control! it can also cause a very harmful strain of algae called blue green algae.

you can use aquarium gravel instead (get stuff that is middle grade, not too big or too fine). use it in a basket style pot or a plastic pot with holes in the side, so that the water can run through it and over the roots. if you have fish in the pond their poo will provide most of the neccesary fertaliser for the lillies, and if you are worried you can also get proper pond/aquarium fertaliser in liquid or tablet form.

good luck with your new plants.

Answer 2

Just do it, I don't think wild water lillies grow in aquarium soil

Answer 3

you need some baskets and hessian sacking to line the basket then put in aquatic soil then the plant or Lillie top up with aquatic soil put some stones on top this will stop the fish digging them out. Don't use lime stone or garden soil or compost. I use Bradshaws direct UK for all my supplies delivered to your door free.