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| Building and Stocking the Farm Pond |
There is a mistaken idea that decorative plants in a farm pond
constitute a nuisance, however pretty they may be, the objection being
based on the idea that they will quickly spread and cover the entire
pond. Another objection comes from farmers who stock their ponds with
game fish. In my part of the country, which is western Maryland, such
stocking is frequently done with bass and bluegills. It is a nicely balanced combination,
for the bluegills multiply just fast enough to support a good bass population, but not so fast that they can crowd out
the bass. In a pond overgrown with greenery, say the pond owners, the
bluegills have too much protective cover in which to hide from the bass,
their population soon increases disproportionately, and the balance is
upset.
Planted indiscriminately with decorative aquatics, a pond undoubtedly would be overtaken by these problems, but planted with a variety
of carefully chosen water-lilies and aquatics, it will not be spoiled for
its intended use. At the same time, it will be a most beautiful aspect of
the landscape.
Water-Lilies
All of the Marliac water-lilies are excellent for farm ponds. They offer
a complete range of colors, forms, and sizes, and need no attention from
year to year. Although they will produce a few more blooms and leaves
each season, they will not spread. In a three- to four-year period, a
single planting will have developed a tangle of roots and stems as big
as a bushel basket. If desired, such a mass can be broken down to provide growing points for other parts of the pond.
Set the sections directly on the bottom. They will flourish on almost
any fertilizer you have at hand. Water-lilies of the odorata and tuberosa
species will spread if planted directly in the bottom, and within a few
years will cover a pond. This can easily be prevented, however, by
planting them in boxes or tubs which will restrict roots and prevent
spreading. But when so planted, they require new soil and fertilizer every other year.
Tropical water-lilies are splendid for a pond. They do not spread.
They can be planted directly in the pond in shallow water along the
shore, but they must be propped up to a point where they can break
the surface of the water if planted in the deep areas of the pond. They
will die in the winter unless cared for as suggested in Chapter 9.
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