Pond plant pruning tips

By pruning aquatic plants you ensure that they remain beautiful, healthy and strong, this is what makes aquatic plants pruning so important.

What to look out for when pruning pond plants

When pruning pond plants, no matter what kind of aquatic plant you have, it is important to do it at the right time.The best time to prune pond plants is in spring or early summer, before they are fully grown. At this time they are still flexible and easier to prune. When your aquatic plants are in good condition and therefore able to perform their function in the pond, they will provide a natural pond that is self-maintaining and therefore requires no pump systems or pond filters are required.

How do you prune pond plants?

Pond plants are not only beautiful to look at, they are also important for keeping the pond water and aquatic life in the pond healthy. For this reason, it is important to properly care for and maintain the pond plants. Therefore, prune your pond plants about twice a year. Remove dead and damaged leaves: Inspect the plants and remove any dead or damaged leaves. This will encourage new growth and prevent the plants from becoming diseased. Use sharp scissors or pruning shears to trim the plants back to the desired size and shape. Cut the stems at an angle so that water cannot remain in them and the plants can grow better and continue to perform their function in the pond. aquatic plants are hugely important to keep your pond fish and other pond animals healthy.

How do you prune aquatic plants?

Water lily pruning

water lilies have an important function when it comes to keeping the pond water clean. With their beautiful large leaves they cover a large part of the water surface, thereby ensuring that it is somewhat protected from sunlight and thus heat allowing algae growth less chance. In order for water lilies to maintain this function, it is important to keep a close eye on the leaves of water lilies and to prune them when they turn brown, for example. water lilies is kept healthy by splitting the leaves after about four years in order to propagate them. This is done early in spring so that the plant can recover well. The best way to do this is to carefully remove the pond basket from the pond first so you can reach it and see it clearly. Tearing is done by breaking the lily in the places where new buds are forming; always make sure there is a part of root. You can place the parts you have cut off in their own pond basket. A good nutrient-rich planting is important; you can use our Aqua set for this, for example.

flag iris pruning

As with many pond plants, the flag iris also requires pruning. Basically, do this once a year. Autumn is the best time for this, the time when the seed pods have been released by the plant and their work is done. Cut back the yellowed leaves to about 20 cm above the ground. To stimulate extra growth you can also prune once during the growing season. The plant will then start to grow harder, causing it to extract more nutrients from the water and thus filter better.

Pruning oxygen plants

Oxygen Plants are perhaps the most important kind aquatic plants for in any type of pond. The plant is known for its oxygen releasing function. With this, oxygen plants keep the water in the pond clean, clear and healthy. For this reason it is also very important to take good care of the aquatic plant and prune it when necessary. To encourage new growth and prevent disease, it is important to inspect the oxygen plants and remove any dead or damaged leaves. Use sharp scissors or pruning shears to trim the oxygen plants back to about half their original size. Cut the stems at an angle to prevent water from staying in them and to promote plant growth, if you don't do it the plant will mainly develop flowers and not grow much more. But for healthy pond water it is essential that your oxygen plants continue to grow. Therefore, prune these plants to -15 cm below the water surface to continue to encourage growth.

Sumpfpflanzen pruning

Sumpfpflanzen grow in shallow water, on the bank of the pond, this is why Sumpfpflanzen are also called riparian plants. Sumpfpflanzen are very important to keep the water in the pond healthy through their filtering and water purifying properties. Also, the beautiful large flowers that abound Sumpfpflanzen attract all kinds of insects to the pond such as: bees and butterflies, with which these special plants increase the biodiversity in the garden. Therefore, it is very important to properly care and prune the Sumpfpflanzen . Watch the marsh plant carefully before pruning. Remove any dead or damaged leaves or branches with pruning shears or a knife. Prune the plants to just above the ground or to where you want new growth to begin.

How to thin pond plants?

Pond plants are essential to a healthy pond, but without regular maintenance they can quickly become overpowering. Here is a simple guide to thinning out pond plants:

• Inspection: Begin by inspecting the pond and identifying which plants are overgrown and need thinning out.
• Cutting: Use the scissor function of your tool to cut the stems of overgrown plants. Be careful not to cut too much at once; you can always cut more later if needed.
• Removal: After cutting the plants, use the gripper function of the tool to remove the cut plant parts from the pond.
• Regular maintenance: Get into the habit of regularly inspecting your pond and thinning as needed. This will keep your pond healthy and balanced.

What to do with aquatic plants in winter?

Frost-prone aquatic plants are best removed from the pond when temperatures drop significantly in winter. This is because that is when they have the greatest chance of surviving. If you leave your frost sensitive aquatic plants in the pond during the winter, there is a very good chance that they will not survive and that you will need new aquatic plants in the spring. This is not ideal because the pond will have to be drained again in order to redesign the pond. Therefore always choose hardy aquatic plants, this will save you a lot of hassle and hardy aquatic plants will bloom more beautifully every spring because they will grow bigger and stronger every year.