Oxygen Plants | What is the best oxygen plant and what are the top 10 oxygen plants for the pond?

Pond keepers know it: for success, you can't do without oxygen plants in the pond. It is the most important plant to keep the water clear and healthy. Together with a bottom of pond substrate and a dose of bacteria, these three form the basis of any healthy pond without a pump or filter. But which oxygen plants do you place in the pond? There are many. Simon is happy to provide you with advice and a top 10 of his best oxygen plants for the pond.

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This is how oxygen plants work

In fact, all plants produce oxygen. But when we talk about oxygen plants, some characteristics come into play that other plants do not have. For example, they always grow completely under water, unlike, say, marsh plants or water lilies that also interact with the atmosphere. The fact that complete growth takes place under water means that oxygen plants release all the oxygen they produce under water as well as absorbing CO2 from the water. Thanks to this effect, oxygen plants have a purifying effect on the pond water and immediately manage to keep algae at bay. Enough reasons to place oxygen plants in the pond.

Why oxygen plants in the pond?

There are five good reasons why it is best to place an ample amount of oxygen plants in your pond:

1. Oxygen plants filter and purify water and release oxygen. Sufficient oxygen in the water is important for the growth of other aquatic plants, aquatic animals and bacteria.
2. At the same time, they absorb CO2 from the water, which keeps the water from suffocating. If you have too few oxygen plants in the pond, algae may appear. They compete with the oxygen plants because they too need CO2. So place enough of them to avoid giving algae a chance.
3. Oxygen plants prevent the sun from getting free rein in the pond water. This causes the water to heat up less (quickly), which reduces the formation of algae.
4. With enough oxygen plants in the pond, a pump and filter is completely unnecessary; the plants form a natural filter that manages to keep the water clean and clear.
5. Oxygen plants in the pond provide shelter for fish and frogs when a hungry heron passes by, for example.

What are the best oxygen plants?

Many different oxygen plants are available on the market. In our nursery, we have chosen an assortment of native oxygen plants that are all hardy. They will always do well in any water feature. According to Simon, the best oxygen plants are: moss ball, waterweed and hornwort. These are all tremendously oxygen-rich plants. A big advantage of these three plants is that you can place them directly in the pond separately without having to plant them first. Good to know: Simon made a conscious decision to stop growing shiny pondweed. This is because this oxygen plant does not seem to be a success in every pond. We often get questions about it, which already indicates that the plant often has to be repurchased because it no longer grows or is dead. Better choose one of these favorites from Simon:

How many oxygen plants in the pond?

Of course, how many oxygen plants you place depends on the size of the pond. They are needed in practically all ponds, except perhaps a koi pond because the koi carp will eat them. Simon recommends: place at least 5 to 6 individual oxygen plants and 1 pond basket (containing 4 plants) per 1 m² in the pond. If you want the pond to reach biological balance faster or because you like the look of it, you can double this number. So 10 to 12 plants and 2 pond baskets per 1 m2. To make it easy, we have put together two packages of oxygen plants in baskets:

Oxygen plants for a swimming pond

A swimming pond usually consists of two sections. A shallow marsh filter section and a deeper swimming section. Oxygen plants that can always be used in any pond, but certainly also in a swimming pond, are loose oxygen plants. Simon has put together a special package for this, with species that you can release directly into the pond; they will find their own spot where they will attach. Read more about a swimming pond in the garden.