On 17/08/2014 18:13, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 17 Aug 2014 15:57:22 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

"Spider" wrote
Thanks, David, that's a good tip. I've usually lined my aquatic pots with
torn up old tee shirts (there's a limit to how many dusters one can use!),
which keeps the soil in place, but I'll investigate cabbage nets.
I'm not sure I'd want to eat and paddle in water I'd just soiled! At least
chick poo pellets are sterilised. I'll not be too worried, then.

A pet beef of mine is the pots they sell for water plants covered in holes
so the soil washes out. Do water plants need drainage holes? I think not.
Recently I have seen some lily pots that are solid so don't need a liner at
all, actually you could use a bin from a pound shop, I have on occasion. For
example RHS Wisley and others use half dustbins.

I'm pretty sure Kew use huge tubs without drainage holes for their
Victoria amazonica lilies. But Spider should be aware that if she
introduces a highly nitrogenous fertiliser into her pond, she will get
an absolute mass of algae and the water will become like pea soup.




Mmmm. That is what I was worried about. I do want to be able to see my
fish occasionally, quite apart from the water becoming choked up with
weed. I may just use gravel or aquatic compost (if I can get it), then
use the 'feed bomb' method shown on TV recently. Can't remember if it
was Monty Donn or Alan Titchmarsh, but it looked quite easy.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay