Replanting water plants. Propagating and planting oxygenators

All oxygenating weed gets straggly and out of hand. Just cutting the weed back encourages the plants to shoot from bare stems near the point of anchorage or rooting. There comes a point, however, especially when you are having a major cleanout, when it is advisable, and often necessary, to establish new colonies of oxygenating weed. The raw material is the fresh growing tips of the plants.

These must be kept moist at all times.

Break off tips or lengths of weed 10-20cm (4 to 8 ins) and collect 5 or 6 together in a bunch. Commercial growers tie them together with lead wire.

Push the bunches deep into an inert type of gravel or grit.

Collect tips 4"-8" in length in bunches of 5 or 6 and push these into a planting basket full of pea gravel. It is not absolutely necessary to have soil in the basket although some say it helps them get established more quickly, but essentially they just need anchorage.

Place the basket in its position as soon as possible under water at a maximum depth to begin with of no more than 18ins (500mm).

Immerse the oxygenators in the basket down to a level of no more than 18ins (45cm) to begin with.

Buying Oxygenators

If you want the most efficient oxygenator buy Elodea crispa usually referred to in books as Largarosiphon major. This can be rampant but it does the job and can easily be kept in check. Dont get palmed off with Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis,sometimes referred to as Anacharis or Water Thyme). In a freshly established nutrient rich pond this really is rampant. But on the plus side, I do find it quit effective planted almost at water level in the same basket as some vigorous reeds. Here it can provide an effective green carpet that works as a useful marginal 'ground cover'.

Whatever you choose, it will be sold in bunches held together with lead wire. This wire may be heavy enough to sink the bunch if it is just dropped in. If you did this the weed would probably send out roots quite quickly and effectively, but ultimately you will find it best to establish a properly planted group that can be cut and trimmed to size in relation to the point at which it anchored. If you have to hack into a mass of weed with no beginning and no end you find yourself pulling most of it out in one long strand and any still in the pool is left floating on the top.

Next in importance are the DEEP WATER AQUATICS, which are mostly water lilies, Nymphaea. Available in virtually every colour of the rainbow except blue, the larger varieties act like great Hoovers of excess nutrients on the bottom of the pool. They also come in all sizes suitable for growing at specific depths from 6ins to 6ft (15cm to 180cm). Try to get a variety that is suitable to the size and depth of your pool. As an average rule of thumb allow one lily for every 2.3 sq m (25sq ft) of pool surface.