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Pond plants issue

FlinsterFlinster Posts: 883
in Problem solving
Morning! I’m having an issue with my pond plants. I put the pond in last November and had some plants over winter in there, like mint, hornwort etc. I’ve added more plants as the season has warmed. The trouble is they never thrive and seem to turn red often within days. They don’t die, just very purple red stems and leaves and don’t thrive. My basic water test is fine- no nitrates/nitrites, GH is 8, KH is 10-15 and PH around 8 and 0 chlorine. The pond is in full sun all day, so maybe it’s that... any ideas?
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  • aureliecelerieraureliecelerier Posts: 157
    OK so I am not an expert in aquatic plants... But I was wondering, have had any problems with algae recently? Is it just those 3 plants turning red or are all your plants (including oygenators) like this? 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    IMHO they all look perfectly happy to me.
    Devon.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I agree Hosta.
    I'd swap mine for them :) Lovely looking plants

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FlinsterFlinster Posts: 883
    Thanks for responding! I have had algae but I’m twirling it out most days. The hornwort isn’t thriving at all, in fact the algae seems to just swamp it and I’m beginning to think it’s now dead! Starwort is there but really slow in establishing, the spiked milfoil is much the same. My water Lilly is now looking really ropey- it was lush green when it went in a week ago!
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2018
    re the water lily ... the older leaves are looking a bit ropey ... but that's to be expected ... it's in a new environment so a little bit of 'transplant shock' maybe, and the leaves do die off through the season.  The newer leaves towards the centre look fine to me, and I'm sure some more new ones will be appearing soon ... a week is only a very short time.  

    In my experience, hornwort takes a while to get going  .... and then romps away  :)

    Think it's the sunlight that's turning the mint red ... I've often seen wild water mint turn reddish in bright sunlight. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    Id agree they look fine. Lily leafs often come up red and then get greener as the season progresses. Think you just need to give them more time to establish, they tend to be slow to begin with, and then when they take you'll spend more time pulling them out than worrying about them
  • FlinsterFlinster Posts: 883
    Thank you! I’ve been really concerned for weeks that’s it all going a bit wrong! Should I remove the brown lily leaves do you think, as they have turned from fresh green and getting browner ever day? (I would leave the healthier looking ones) I’ve twirled out about half a bucket of algae today as I missed a couple of days- so much of it attached to hornwort which is brown and falls apart! So I am ordering some fresh plants as they are definitely dead... there are a few bits clinging on! I need to sort the surrounding planting out this Autum, as the pond has no shade at all and is evaporating so fast! 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I'd leave the whole lot alone, ( apart from twirling out the algae ) . I'd remove the water lily leaves only  when they turn yellow and come away with a sharp tug.
    Devon.
  • FlinsterFlinster Posts: 883
    Great, thanks!
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Flinster said:
    Great, thanks!
    and breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeathe.  ;)
    Devon.
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