Plant Care
Planting
Do your plants arrive potted?
The 1ltr, 3ltr, 5ltr, 10ltr and 30ltr Marginals, Deep Water, Waterlilies and the potted oxygenators arrive pre-planted in a Finofil aquatic basket, potted with aquatic compost and aquatic fertiliser.
9cm plants need repotting. They will arrive in solid pots and therefore will need repotting into aquatic baskets before placing them in your pond. Aquatic Baskets and Aquatic soil can be found in our Essentials section.
Floating plants arrive loose in tubs. The plants can be placed straight onto the waters' surface.
Bunched and loose Oxygenators, can be dropped straight into the pond.
What are the dimensions of your planted baskets?
9 cm Plants - These plants need repotting. Purchase 1ltr square pots or above and re-pot them before placing in the pond. Aquatic Baskets and Aquatic soil can be found in our Essentials section.
1 ltr Plants - Finofil 1 ltr square 11cm x 11cm x 11cm high
2ltr Plants - Finofil 2 ltr round 17cm dia x 13cm high
3 ltr Plants - Finofil 3 ltr hexagonal 18cm x 18cm x 16cm high
5 ltr Plants - Finofil hexagonal 3 ltr 18cm x 18cm x 16cm high
10 ltr Plants - Finofil 10ltr Square 29cm x 29cm x 19cm (weight 12 kgs)
30 ltr Plants - Finofil 30ltr Square 40cm x 40cm x 28cm (weight 50 kgs)
For further information on planting your pond - click here
What is the difference between a potted oxygenator and a bunched oxygenator?
Potted Oxygenators simply come pre-potted in 9cm, 1ltr or 2ltr pots and can be placed straight in the pond on your marginal shelves or as deep as the plant allows (see individual product page or care label).
9cm packs of potted oxygenators will need repotting, so please purchase suitable aquatic baskets, we suggest 1ltr or 2ltr size.
Bunched oxygenators usually can go far deeper and will require silt, soil, clay, gravel or some other substrate to root into. They come with a soft lead weight which is used to take them down to the bottom of the pond where the weight holds them there while they root. The exception to this is Hornwort, which is a free-floating oxygenator
A soft lead weight strip is used to bunch the plants together, if you do not want lead in your pond then you can either re-pot the bunches into aquatic baskets filled with gravel and soil (each variety is different, so see product page), or re-weight them with other heavy materials. These small lead weights have been used for many, many years by the industry.
How many plants do I need for my pond?
A rough guide to planting your pond, see Planting your Pond for more detailed information.
Marginals:
5 x 1ltr per linear metre or 7 per square metre
3 x 3ltr per linear metre or 5 per square metre
Oxygenators:
Potted Oxygenators - 5 x 1ltr per linear metre or 7 per square metre
Potted Oxygenators - 3 x 3ltr per linear metre or 5 per square metre
Weighted Bunches - 2-3 bunches per square meter
Waterlilies:
1 x 1ltr per 1 sq metre
1 x 3ltr per 1/2 sq metres
1 x 10ltr per 2/3 sq metres
1 x 30ltr per 4/5 sq metres
Floating Plants:
2 to 3 per sq m
Deep Water Plants:
4/5 x 1ltr plants per sq metre
2/3 x 3 ltr plants per sq metre
1 x 3ltr plant per sq metre for large ponds of 20+ sq metres
Moisture Lovers:
Plant as you would a normal dry flower border
How many Snails or Mussels shall I buy?
Swan and Painter Mussels
1 per cubic square metre
Swan Mussels are only suitable for large ponds, they can grow up to 17cm long. Swan Mussels help are filter feeders and will feed off pond debris. Painter Mussels are slightly smaller.
Ramshorn and Trapdoor Snails
1 to 2 per square metre
Ramshorn snails live on the sides of your pond and feed off plant debris and algae. Trapdoor Snails live on the bottom of your pond.
How deep do I place my new plants?
Marginals and potted oxygenators:
Depths vary with each variety, this information can be found on the the product page on our website and your plant will be delivered with a care label too.
Depth is measured from the top of the pot to the water's surface.
Waterlilies and other deep water plants
Water Lilies like still water, they also like to keep their leaves dry, do not place them too close to fountains or other splashing water.
Place the water lily in your pond so that the current leaves remain on the surface, gradually lower over the season as the leaves grows outwards across the surface, making sure the leaves remain on the surface.
Depth is measured from the top of the pot to the water's surface.
Pruning - Deadhead, removing yellow and brown leaves regularly throughout the growing season.
Will fish and ducks eat my plants?
Yes!
Koi and other varieties of carp find all pond plants very tasty - so we cannot recommend any plants for your pond unless they can be protected by some form of barrier.
Gold fish will nibble at oxygenators and softer leaved plants in your pond. They are omnivores so will also eat larvae, insects and tadpoles.
Wildfowl will also eat plants, we suggest buying more mature plants with established root systems and protecting the roots/rhizomes as best as you can to prevent damage from eating and nesting.
What are the planting baskets made from?
Finofil aquatic baskets are made from 100% recycled plastic and manufactured in the UK.
I have pre-ordered plants, do you take payment immediately?
Yes, you will be charged at the point of order for all items, whether they are on pre-order or ready to leave the nursery immediately. This payment reserves stock for you. If you change your mind or we are unable to provide you with that variety we will offer a substitution or a full refund.