Japanese Koi Pond/Water Garden

There are a lot of people that will tell you not to put Japanese Koi and plants together. Pet stores and internet articles suggest that koi will destroy any plants you put in your pond. I have been keeping Japanese Koi in my water gardens for six years without any Koi destroying any of the plants. The plants provide shade and shelter for the koi when spooked, and add to the water clarity.

Japanese Koi are by far the most beautiful and desirable fish you can keep in an outdoor water garden, and described as Living Jewels by author Steve Hinkling of the book "Living Jewels of the Orient". In Japan, breeding koi has occupied a position between hobby and art form for more than two centuries. To keep Japanese Koi in a water garden you have to understand that they are bottom feeders who are most at home rooting around, in and among the rubble found on the bottom of their natural environment. As a matter of fact, the purpose of the famous whiskers is to help them root around more efficiently in the rocks/ rubble. Putting a layer a gravel in your pond will give the koi something to root in and will also add to the natural biological environment. Plants will also benefit from being directly in the gravel. I always remove plants from their pots, and rinse the roots before planting in a bed of gravel, which adds to the natural beauty of the water garden.

Japanese Koi Eat Plants

It is true that koi eat plants. It is also true that in the warm summer months they are non stop foragers. I describe them as eating machines. That is why it is important to keep plants they can eat without destroying. My two favorite are watercress and marsh betony planted in a shallow high water flow area. Trust me, you will need the koi to help you keep these invasive plants in check and may still have to thin late in the season. These plants are excellent filters which will help keep the water crystal clear and the koi happy.

Building a Koi Pond Water Garden

Adding a koi pond to your back yard holds a fascination for everyone. Children love feeding the fish and a trickle of a stream or splashing of a water fall provides a tranquil recluse to escape. This site provides information to build a successful and beautiful koi pond water garden. Use the menu on the left for more information. Catch the koi pond fever!

For more information on constructing koi ponds Click Here!