Floating pots / islands

[fiziks]

I'm curious. Has anyone used those floating pots ("islands") for their cps? If you are not sure what I'm talking about, they look like miniature life-saver rings (styrofoam circles) that go around a plastic pot. You place the pot, with its floating ring on, into a small pond and it floats near the surface.

Obviously, these plants get most of their water from the bottom. Are there any advantages/disadvantages of them? Are there any plants that can tolerate/thrive in such a device (vft, drosera, etc.)? Would the plants have a higher chance of root rot?

Thanks,
Dwight

 

[Clint]

...taaacky....

 

[Not a Number]

Just think of it as tray watering on a vast scale!

Bogs are normally waterlogged to just below the surface so just plant species that thrive on those conditions. You can always mound the soil so VFTs roots are above the plimsol line.

 

[xvart]

I would be most concerned about them floating the small pond and not staying in the middle where they look cool...

xvart.

 

[abcat1993]

Or an animal knocking them over.

 

[nepenthes_ak]

expensive my ex gf bought me one thinking it was something really fancy, it was like 25 bucks for a uv proof cheep small plastic pot and foam... a waste of cash.. and tacky. And we dont even have a pond!!!

 

[jimscott]

I think it's a great idea. I have seen that sort of thing at a nursery. I wonder if it would be a deterrent to aphids, while attracting mosquitoes for sundews and butterworts.

 

[xvart]

You could probably make one yourself at a fraction of the cost. You just need a pot with holes in the bottom, and a Styrofoam ring.

xvart.

 

[seedjar]

It's a good idea, but much cheaper to build for yourself, as with most things in the home and garden. Anchor it to the center of the pond and you won't have any problem with it drifting to the side and getting munched by critters. nep_ak, I think it's hilarious that your girlfriend bought you one of those when you don't have a pond to put it in.
~Joe

 

[jimscott]

I was thinking of taking a plastic trash barrel, which I use to collect rainwater, and placing a styrofoam cover on top, with the appropriate holes. Then all I'd need to do is poke a couple drainage holes near the top... just in case.

It sure would be better than finding my plants floating down a stream!