Wetland Plants Help Maximize Pond & BMP Health
Wetland plant buffers provide incredible benefits for your pond, constructed wetland, or BMP in South Carolina and beyond.
Orion Harrell- Client Service Manager, South Carolina
Spring is upon us and now is a great time to add native wetland plants to your pond shoreline to protect and beautify your waterfront. Installing a wetland plant buffer to the shoreline is a great way to stabilize pond edges and prevent shoreline erosion. Aquatic plant buffers slow water coming down pond embankments and their large root systems hold soils in place much better than turf grasses.
Wetland Plant Buffers Improve Water Quality
Establishing and maintaining a healthy buffer also plays an important role in water quality. Water quality benefits of plant buffers include:
-Pollutant removal
-Prevent sedimentation from erosion
-Reduce nutrients for algae
-Provide attachment area for microbes that help convert nitrate to nitrogen gas
-Reduce space for invasive vegetation to establish
Pickerel Weed (above) is a flowering wetland plant.
Wetland plant buffers are great additions to improve the aesthetics of your pond and provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects like Dragonflies. Dragonflies are known predators of mosquitos, and can be an important source of biological mosquito control. There are many plant species, flowering and non-flowering, that we can install to improve your pond's look. Some of our favorite native South Carolina aquatic plants include Pickerel Weed, Blue Flag Iris, Lizard’s Tail, and Duck Potato or Arrowhead.
Team Dragonfly installed 11,000 native aquatic plants in this newly constructed stormwater wetland.
Wetland Plants & South Carolina Stormwater Requirements
Wetland plants are a key design element in stormwater wetlands and most South Carolina stormwater ponds. Lack of wetland plants can lead to a Notice of Violation from many municipalities during the Annual Certification process. Re-planting is often required when this occurs. Aquatic plants are costly to install, and should only be installed by an experienced stormwater professional. Timing and location of plantings are key factors impacting survival. Specialized stormwater vendors will help you understand your stormwater device and its requirements.
How to Maximize Wetland Plant Establishment
Hiring a knowledgeable South Carolina pond and stormwater management company, like Dragonfly Pond Works, is key to a successful and long-lasting wetland plant buffer. We know the appropriate plant species for your system, planting locations, best practices to protect your wetland plants from wildlife damage, and how to properly maintain a plant buffer with our routine monthly maintenance programs. Specialized routine maintenance is critical for establishment and long-term survival. Invasive plants can quickly overtake healthy aquatic plants. Landscaping crews may inadvertently eliminate beneficial plants in treating invasive vegetation or allow invasive plants to outcompete the healthy plants. Specialized stormwater and pond vendors will treat the invasive plants while helping the healthy aquatic plants flourish.
Dragonfly Pond Works’ South Carolina team of experts will work with you to create a customized planting and maintenance strategy. All of our installation and maintenance services are documented for your records, and we provide detailed reports with photos after every Dragonfly service. Contact us today to improve the health of your South Carolina pond or BMP with a customized wetland plant strategy.
Wetland Plant Management & More!
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Dragonfly Pond Works provides specialized pond & stormwater maintenance, wetland plant buffer management, stormwater compliance repairs, and more in Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Wilmington, North Carolina, Tampa, Sarasota, Naples, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Florida, and Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah, Georgia.