Aquatic plants are an excellent way to add natural beauty and interest to your water garden. In addition, aquatic plants help filter the water in your pond or lake, making it cleaner for you and your fish. If you have an aquatic plant in your pond or lake, then you should also be fertilizing this plant regularly with fertilizer made specifically for aquatic plants. There are many different brands of fertilizer that work well on aquatics; it is not a matter of which one that you choose but how often that you fertilize the plant. This blog post will walk through some important steps to take when using fertilizer on these types of plants.
Get the Water pH Right!
Before you can add any type of fertilizer to your plants, it’s important that the water has a pH level between 6.5 and 7 for optimal nutrient digestion. If the pH isn’t within this range, the roots will be unable to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow which means they won’t thrive – if at all! The best way to measure this is with a swimming pool pH test kit. It doesn’t matter what type of plant you have; if there are pH issues in the pond or aquarium, plants will have issues absorbing certain nutrients.
Determining When to Fertilize Aquatic Plants?
Plants have different needs at different times of the year. Just because a plant is receiving ample water and sunlight does not mean it has enough nutrition to thrive, so watch for signs of plant distress. For aquatic plants, fertilizer application is all about the season. If they are flowering, it’s a time of extra stress on the plants, so you should expect to fertilize them more than you would in colder months.
How Do You Fertilize Plants in Water?
You should always use a weak solution of water soluble fertilizer. This will avoid burning the plants with too much nutrient all at once. The best kind of fertilizer you can use is designed specifically for aquatic plants, so it can be used at the correct strength and frequency without hurting your fish or other wildlife in the tank/pond environment. Next we will look at two of these fertilizers specifically made for your aquatic plants.
What is the Best Fertilizer for Water Plants?
The best fertilizer for your aquatic flora is going to be something specifically made for ponds, as we mentioned above. We’re going to look at two such products and compare the pros and cons of them both. Let’s get started with an overview of API Pondcare Auqatic Plant Food.
Promoting Lush Plant Growth With API Pondcare Aqatic Plant Food
PONDCARE AQUATIC PLANT FOOD TABLETS Potted Plant Fertilizer are a revolutionary new product to make your plant life thrive. These tablets contain essential nutrients and iron for lush green growth of pond plants, including nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, zinc, and boron. All you have to do is place the fertilizer tablet in your pond, and it will fertilize your plants. If you’re just starting out, this fertilizer promotes new growth! Your plants will flourish with the right fertilizer and also proper care.
You should fertilize your when the temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above in the early Spring. Don’t use this product in lakes, streams or anywhere with a water outlet. The same goes for the next product we’ll look at.
Winchester Gardens 36 Count Highland Rim Aquatic Fertilizer Bag
This product was designed specifically for water lilies and lotuses. Highland Rim Aquatic Plant Fertilizer (10-26-10) not only promotes maximum blooming potential without copper, which can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life. It also gives newly planted aquatic plants a strong start with an early boost of nutrients!
So those are your two best options for fertilizing your water plants in a pond or large aquarium. And remember, just like regular plants, you’ll need to fertilize your water plants at least once a month for best results.
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