Pruning pond plants | Everything you need to know about aquatic plants and pruning them

To keep your aquatic plants beautiful, healthy and strong, it is important to prune the plants regularly. But when pruning a pond plant, it is important to pay attention to a few things to keep the plants healthy. Want to learn more about this? Then read on soon.

All about pond plant pruning

• What to look out for when pruning pond plants
• Pruning pond plants
• Water lily pruning
• Pruning Yellow Lis
• Pruning oxygen plants
• Pruning marsh plants
• What to do with aquatic plants in winter?

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 thus requires no pump systems or pond filters are required.

Hardy aquatic plants

Hardy aquatic plants are the ideal investment for the pond because they survive every winter and bloom more beautifully every spring. - Simon

Pruning pond plants and aquatic 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 tremendously important to keep your pond fish and other pond animals healthy.

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. For water lilies to maintain this function, it is important to keep a close eye on their leaves and prune them when they turn brown, for example. Water lilies are kept healthy by tearing or splitting them after about four years 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 so you can get to 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.

Pruning Yellow Lis

As with many pond plants, it is necessary to prune the yellow lis. 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 type of aquatic plants for 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.

Pruning marsh plants

Marsh plants grow in shallow water, on the bank of the pond, this is why marsh plants are also called riparian plants. Marsh plants are very important for keeping the water in the pond healthy through their filtering and water purifying properties. Also, the beautiful large flowers that many marsh plants 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 for and prune the marsh plants. 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.

What to do with aquatic plants in winter?

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

Frequently asked questions about pond plant pruning