What aquatic plants to put in our pond or bio lake, riverside plants, floating plants, deep water plants, oxygenating plants... everything helps to create a sustainable ecosystem. Become a member of La Huertina De Toni : / @huertinadetoni If the videos help you, you can donate here: http://bit.ly/DonarHuertinaToni WATER HYACINTH LILY WATERCRESS Gambusia affinis To know what plants we can put in our pond we are going to divide them into three types or classes of plants, each one with some functions and a specific place in the pond or biolake, we will talk about floating plants, riparian plants or deep plants FLOATING PLANTS These types of plants are going to grow on the surface and are going to develop throughout the pond. Among their main functions, they serve to create shade in the pond and the solar incidence on the water is less in such a way that less algae will form, they are also plants that can help us oxygenate the water and provide food or shelter for fry or insects. In this case I have only put two, although many more could be looked at, these are very resistant to any climate. Duckweed (Lemna Minor): They provide shelter and food for the fry, they also remove nitrogen compounds, thus having cleaner water and reducing algae growth. Foxtail (Ceratophyllum Demersum): A very interesting floating plant, an all-terrain plant that can withstand low temperatures very well, so we won't have any problems with it in winter. They are great competitors against algae. They consume a large part of the nutrients, metabolites and nitrates, removing them from the water. In this way, we ensure that they are not used for algae to develop. They also provide shelter and food for fry and auxiliary fauna. It provides shade and although it can become excessively developed, some of it can always be removed without any problem. RIPARIAN OR SHORE PLANTS These plants will grow on banks that are semi-covered with water, or at least for most of their development they will be quite humid, however, it is not ideal for a large part of their size to be covered by water, so we will put them on the bank and they will serve as a refuge for amphibians, especially when they lay eggs, and for auxiliary fauna. They also provide shade for the pond to prevent the formation of algae. We have put three types of these plants, although many more could be put. Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile): This riverside plant withstands temperature changes and low temperatures down to 0º well, and it is a plant that reproduces quickly and will cover the bank very nicely. It grows up to 1m at most. Water Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus): A very attractive and undemanding plant in the pond, it can withstand temperatures below 10º, although frost can damage it a little. It develops quite quickly, like all the previous ones, and has a rhizome system that holds it perfectly in our pond, an ideal place for our amphibians. It reproduces easily by dividing the clump. Rushes (Juncus ): Although this plant also withstands low temperatures well, frost does not do it any good. Like the rest of the riverside plants, it develops quite quickly and will provide shade in our pond. DEEP WATER PLANTS We will place these plants in the deepest areas of our pond, ideally at depths of at least 40cm to 1m, as I showed you in the video, the ideal is to place them in their pots or an old strainer and weigh it down so that it does not float until it takes root. The leaves of these plants in many cases help us to provide shade and prevent the proliferation of algae in our pond, you know, the less they affect the water the better. I leave you the ones that I have placed myself, there are some more but these are the most well-known and showy Water lily (Nymphaea spp.): Its first leaves develop underwater, and when the plant begins to develop it begins to put out the leaves that float in the water, thus giving shade to the pond and the fish if we have them. They do not withstand low temperatures well and although in these cases they often die in winter they are reborn in spring. Lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera): Like the water lily, they are plants that do not handle low temperatures well, however in spring and summer they leave the pond covered with leaves and it blooms in summer. You can collect the seeds and germinate them and then introduce them into the pond.