Aquatic Soil

WHAT IS A PRE-ORDER?

Pre-ordering reserves you a plant that is still growing and not ready for dispatch yet.

Payment is taken at the time the order is placed. 

The nursery will release these plants once they have developed a strong root system to enabling them to travel well.  Additionally some plants are also frost sensitive, so they will be held until the last frosts have passed.

WHEN DO YOU TAKE PAYMENT FOR MY PRE-ORDERED PLANT?

Payment is taken at checkout at time of ordering.  This reserves a plant for you from the growing stock in the nursery.  In the unlikely event we are unable to supply the plant, then we will contact you to offer a suitable alternative or provide you with a full refund.

THE PLANT I WANT TO PURCHASE SAYS 'AVAILABLE SOON', WHEN WILL THAT BE?

For the 2023 season we are releasing plants in 3 phases, most plants on the website will be available in Phase 1 and Phase 2.  If a plant says 'available soon' use the 'e-mail when available' feature to sign up for an alert once it is available to pre-order or ready for dispatch.  We will take pre-orders for plants as below.

Phase 1 - Early Season Plants - these plants will be available in March and April. We will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of April.  Pre-orders for these plants is open now.  Plants in this group include Water Hawthorn, Marsh Marigolds, Iris and some waterlilies. 

Phase 2 - Late Spring Plants - these plants are available in May and we will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of May.  Pre-orders for these plants will open on 15 April.  Plants in this group include Loosestrife, Frogbit, Brandy Bottle and Pygmaea Waterlilies.

Phase 3 - Summer Plants - these plants are available in June and we will have all plants in this section shipped by the end of June.  Pre-orders for these plants will open on 15 May.  Plants in this group include Pickerel Weed and Powdery Alligator Flag

Not Available for Pre-Order - these plants are not available for pre-order and will be released for general sale once they are ready.

I WANT SOME PLANTS THAT ARE READY NOW AND OTHERS THAT ARE PRE-ORDER, WILL YOU SEND THEM SEPARATELY?

No, if you mix the plants in your shopping cart then the whole order will be held until all the plants are ready.

We suggest in this scenario that you do two separate orders, one for plants that are ready now and one for the plants that are on pre-order.  This will ensure you get the plants that are available now sooner.

The 'Normally Available From' is a guide and based on when this plant has been ready for sale in previous seasons.  

This is subject to change as our greenhouses are not artificially heated, so we rely on the British weather to be kind to us!

WHEN WILL MY PLANTS BE READY?

We offer an estimated date range on each product page but cannot give an exact date as each plant grows at a different rate.  Our plants are grown in the UK in unheated greenhouses and in cold water, this produces stronger plants for the UK climate but also means that our plants can take longer to mature for sale if the spring weather remains cold.

We are in daily contact with the nursery from mid February and once seasonal growing conditions are favourable, then we see big changes in plant growth on a daily basis.

We will only send out plants once they have established a sufficient root system, to ensure they travel well and reach you ready to be put into your pond.  

Although it may be frustrating waiting for a plant, we want to make sure we send you the best plant we can.  They grow quicker, stronger and develop a better root system under the glass in the greenhouses, so please be guided by us and our experts at the nursery, as we aim to only send plants once they are strong enough.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for an update.  

DO YOUR PLANTS ARRIVED 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.  These plants can be placed straight onto the waters' surface.  

Bunched and loose Oxygenators, can be dropped straight into the pond.

WILL THE POTS FIT ON MY SHELVES, WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS?

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 

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.

HOW MANY PLANTS DO I NEED FOR MY POND?

See Planting your Pond for more detailed information.  When planting your pond make sure you leave space between varieties to stop the dominate variety taking over.

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

DO I NEED TO LINE MY BASKETS WITH HESSIAN?

No, Finofil baskets have been designed to have a very fine mesh structure to stop soil loss, if you want to add to this with liners it will not cause any harm to the plants.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANTING BASKETS MADE FROM?

Finofil aquatic baskets are made from 100% recycled plastic and manufactured in the UK.  They can be recycled at your local recycling centre or any kerb side recycling that collects black plastic.  Plant labels are recyclable.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POTTED AND BUNCHED OXYGENATORS?

Potted Oxygenators 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 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 are traditionally used by the industry.

HOW MANY SNAILS AND 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.

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.

Goldfish 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.

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.