Pond substrate

The new pond is excavated, the liner is in place and the pond edge is finished. But before you turn on the tap, there’s one more important job to do. Make sure oxygen plants on the bottom and all other pond plants are planted. Apply pond substrate or bottom substrate. Pond substrate are special porous stone granules for the pond bottom to create a stable pond environment. The microorganisms that provide clear pond water need a substrate to attach to. The porous rock on the pond bottom is therefore a favored place in the pond for these beneficial bacteria.

Using pond substrate

When applying pond substrate to a new pond, cover the entire pond bottom with a few inches of substrate. Also add a dose of water-purifying bacteria for lightning-fast results. Now your pond is ready to fill with water. Write down the water meter reading before and after filling because the contents of the pond are important for many things afterwards. Introduce the first 10 cm of water with a spray head into the deepest part to avoid turbidity with soil species. Afterwards, you can fill the pond faster with an open hose, but make sure it is fixed and not directed at soil sections. Since the bacteria love oxygenated water, it is advisable to place many oxygen plants. While filling, you can already put the oxygen plants in the pond. And bring KH and GH levels up to standard.

Basically, pond substrate lasts a lifetime, but if necessary, you can always refill it. Pond substrate remains active as long as it is not covered with organic waste; bottom sludge. In the latter case, use a good Bio-Oxidator to remove bottom sludge.

Soil substrate is also sometimes used to cover soil in planting baskets. It is better to use special growing substrates for planting or covering soil in planting baskets. These substrates are specially formulated to the plants in which they are used. They are an additional nutrient medium for the plants and prevent rotting of the roots.

Pond gravel or pond gravel is a capping substrate and prevents leaching of pond soil and churning of the bottom by fish. Should you want to build a helophyte filter, lava split is usually used.

Caution! When you have bottom drains in your pond, you cannot use pond substrate. The drains would quickly fill up with substrate.