My take on this is ... aquatic compost was originally made for people who don't have access to suitable loam e.g. people with small gardens, paved courtyards etc who construct a pond and want to plant it.
However, as in so many other fields, the way it is promoted has led to the inexperienced gardener believing that aquatic compost is necessary for all pond plants in all circumstances.
If you're a confident gardener a moment or two's reflection (see what I did there? ) will mean that you get on and use whatever suitable planting medium you have to hand.
However, if you're a new and anxious gardener you may well be persuaded that gardening is a minefield of rights and wrongs, dos and don'ts and thus succumb to the marketing blandishments for fear that you are going to kill all your plants
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Well said Dove, re persuading people to buy unnecessary products. They do that by putting fear into them.
Most of my pond plants are just chucked in, and as the OP’s pond is only just over a ft deep that’s what I would do.
I have kept rushes in pots to try and contain them a bit, but forget me not, and water Lily’s are just put in there. These plants grow naturally in lakes and ponds where there is no one to pot them up.
I would advise keeping a water butt so you can top it up because at that depth it will soon dry out. Although I suppose that’s a myth as well because I’ve read that lots of people on here use tap water.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
We use tap water to top up our shallow pond ......... doesn't seem to upset any of the frogs, toads, pond snails, newts, grass snakes, dragonfly nymphs and various beetles, bits and bobs who all live there and feed off each other
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In my very scientific double blind trials, I have discovered that in our pond it doesnt seem to make a blind bit of difference...
I've got the lily and some irises in baskets with aquatic soil and a gravel topping. They are growing well, lily has got its first flower bud opening today in fact. Ive also got some plants in normal plant pots with lots of holes punched in them, normal soil from the garden, sand on top. They're growing well. some have just been dropped in as bare root and are growing well. For most of them though I wrapped a little pouch of playsand in a square of hessian and tied them with twine. Theyre growing well.
I think the lilys may appreciate the soil to promote flowering, but other than that I wouldnt worry and do whatver is easiest/cheapest for you, though putting them in pots of some kind is good to restrict spread or move them
I think the main distinction is between aquatic soil/garden loam and potting compost. Most experts seem to say either of the first pair is fine, but compost (ie: stuff high in organic matter) would be problematic. Given that that is what most ordinary people would expect to pot new plants into, that's the key point to make.
The OP is asking about just using gravel, which is something I saw on GW (Rachel de Thame said it was the 'latest advice') but not elsewhere. It makes sense in that they will gain nutrients from the water but be weighed down / contained. I figured if I was planting anyway, I might as well use some soil, though as I ran out the proportion of gravel got higher and higher!
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I think the loam/compost issue is mainly that the richer your soil is the more effect it will have on your pond water clarity. It seems to be pretty minimal to me though, there is shedloads of soil in my pond and the water has been crystal clear all along. If you have fish in the pond then it may be a different story, but in a wildlife pond the balance is generally easier to achieve. As I understand it the plants gain their nutrients from the water, so the soil is more of a medium for planting in than anything else, so gravel, sand etc is just as good
Is it soil or potting compost in your pond? That's what I'm trying to get at - and failing! I think it's the nutrients released in the decomposition process - as OM is still breaking down - rather than the nutrients in the soil per se. Similar to the advice to avoid major autumn leaf fall staying in the pond and decomposing. Though I'm sure you're right about the wildlife vs ornamental pond aspect.
I am just rationalising what I've read - didn't use any compost to test if it had a significant impact.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Ah sorry missed that bit. Its just soil from the garden, not bought potting compost, which as you say I imagine would be far too rich in nutrients. I think the key aspect is to think of whatver you use is purely a planting medium for the roots to spread through rather than something to promote plant growth
I'm sure I've heard someone on radio/tv (but can't remember who) advise that rather than buy aquatic compost a mix of JI loam-based seed compost will be fine because it it low in nutrients.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
However, as in so many other fields, the way it is promoted has led to the inexperienced gardener believing that aquatic compost is necessary for all pond plants in all circumstances.
If you're a confident gardener a moment or two's reflection (see what I did there?
will mean that you get on and use whatever suitable planting medium you have to hand.
However, if you're a new and anxious gardener you may well be persuaded that gardening is a minefield of rights and wrongs, dos and don'ts and thus succumb to the marketing blandishments for fear that you are going to kill all your plants
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Most of my pond plants are just chucked in, and as the OP’s pond is only just over a ft deep that’s what I would do.
I have kept rushes in pots to try and contain them a bit, but forget me not, and water Lily’s are just put in there. These plants grow naturally in lakes and ponds where there is no one to pot them up.
I would advise keeping a water butt so you can top it up because at that depth it will soon dry out. Although I suppose that’s a myth as well because I’ve read that lots of people on here use tap water.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've got the lily and some irises in baskets with aquatic soil and a gravel topping. They are growing well, lily has got its first flower bud opening today in fact. Ive also got some plants in normal plant pots with lots of holes punched in them, normal soil from the garden, sand on top. They're growing well. some have just been dropped in as bare root and are growing well. For most of them though I wrapped a little pouch of playsand in a square of hessian and tied them with twine. Theyre growing well.
I think the lilys may appreciate the soil to promote flowering, but other than that I wouldnt worry and do whatver is easiest/cheapest for you, though putting them in pots of some kind is good to restrict spread or move them
The OP is asking about just using gravel, which is something I saw on GW (Rachel de Thame said it was the 'latest advice') but not elsewhere. It makes sense in that they will gain nutrients from the water but be weighed down / contained. I figured if I was planting anyway, I might as well use some soil, though as I ran out the proportion of gravel got higher and higher!
As I understand it the plants gain their nutrients from the water, so the soil is more of a medium for planting in than anything else, so gravel, sand etc is just as good
I am just rationalising what I've read - didn't use any compost to test if it had a significant impact.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.