The importance of aquatic plants in your backyard pond

If you have a private pond in your backyard, chances are that your pond is home to some aquatic plants.  This blog entry will describe the various functions plants play in an ecosystem pond, and the many ways they contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem.   

Aquatic plants are a valuable part of freshwater ecosystems; their presence in a pond provides many benefits:

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Underwater shot from inside a plant pool. This pool has no active filtration, but the water stays clear because the plants consume the nutrients that would otherwise fuel algae growth.

Aquatic Plant Benefit #1:  Nutrient Uptake  
Aquatic plants consume much of the nutrients created by the breakdown of organic matter, stuff that would otherwise turn into sludge and muck up the water.  This basic function is perhaps the most overlooked benefit of aquatic plants, but it is of vital importance to a pond ecosystem’s health.  For example, we have several small kiddie-pools filled with aquatic plants and no other form of filtration, and the water remains clear throughout the season because the plants consume all of the excess nitrates that would otherwise fuel algae growth.  

Aquatic Plant Benefit #2:  Food
Aquatic plants serve as a food-source for many animals including birds, fish, insects, and tadpoles.  In particular, ducks like to eat the seeds, leaves and tubers of plants such as pondweed, duckweed and arrowhead.  Turtles like to eat water lettuce and lily pads & flowers.  Larger animals may also feed on aquatic plants, and indirectly on the invertebrates that plants attract to a pond.

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This photo shows lily pads in a natural pond; note the circular bites taken out of them, that is where turtles have been feeding on them.

Aquatic Plant Benefit #3: Cover
Aquatic plants create shade for fish and amphibians seeking to escape from the sun, and their stems and roots provide refuge from larger predators.  They also serve as a home for smaller animals such as insects, snails and crustaceans.  Each of these organisms plays a special role in the pond and contributes to a healthy, well-functioning ecosystem.  

These fish spend much of their time hiding beneath the lilies. It gives them the cover that offers shade and a feeling of safety.

Aquatic Plant Benefit #4:  Habitat
Larger aquatic plants like reeds and cattails provide excellent nesting material for many species of birds and mammals.  Songbirds, for instance, often use the fluff from cattails when building nests.  Rodents will use the brush along the ground to make burrows near the water, where food is abundant.  The presence of these smaller creatures also attracts larger animals, such as fox, raccoons, snakes, bullfrogs, and possums.  

Aquatic Plant Benefit #5:  Shoreline Integrity
One more benefit of aquatic plants in a pond is that they help to maintain the integrity of the shoreline.  Their roots form a sturdy network that holds the ground together and prevents water from eroding the shoreline.  They create a natural boundary between the land and water, and serve as a perfect transition both visually and structurally.

This is fine for a natural shoreline, but if the majority of your pond is this thick with plants, you will benefit from removing about two-thirds of them.

Notes:  
Since we’re mentioning the various ways aquatic plants impact an ecosystem, let’s take a moment to discuss a potential problem that plants may cause in a pond: choked water.  This occurs when a system is out of balance, when there are too many plants crowding the water.  
Sometimes plants will thrive and propagate until there is no more room to expand.  This can be remedied by thinning out the plants and removing the excess until they cover no more than 1/3 of the water.  It is best to do this in the spring and again in the fall, before the new season of growth begins.  
Aside from the poor aesthetics of a choked pond, too many plants can have other impacts on an ecosystem.  When most of the water surface is covered with plants, the water flow decreases and this stagnant water can become breeding ground for mosquitoes.  Too many plants can also degrade the water quality by raising pH, which means decreased oxygen and increased water temperature.  In extreme cases, the plants will take up all the available room and leave nothing left for the fish, although the frogs seem to love it.

Another concern with aquatic plants deals with invasive species becoming established in native waterways.  Your pond may be an isolated ecosystem, but you can’t prevent animals from spreading seeds of your exotic pond plants to native waters, where they may be considered an invasive species.  The easiest way to avoid spreading invasive plants is to research which species of plants are of local concern.  If you’re in NJ, you can click here to see an official list of invasive aquatic plant species.  

If you're in the South Jersey area and have questions about your pond, or if you would like help in selecting and sourcing plants for your pond, give us a call at 856-768-9404.  

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Landvista Aquascapes serves the South Jersey area, including the towns of Medford, Marlton, Cherry Hill, Moorestown, Mt. Laurel, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Tabernacle, Shamong, Vincentown, Hammonton, Sicklerville, Berlin, Atco, Washington, Blackwood, Pemberton, the counties of Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Cumberland, and parts of Ocean and Atlantic Counties.