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Where do I find the right plants for my pond?

Q:

We recently hired a pond builder to excavate and line our 1.5-acre farm pond near Sisters, Ore. We replaced the bottom substrate and included space for plants. Can you direct me to a person or article that will help us with choosing and placing plants?

A:

In addition to the resources I am able to share, I highly recommend that you reach out to the your local Soil and Water Conservation District as well as the Natural Resource Conservation Service to see what they can offer.

Here are OSU Extension’s pond care resources

Penn State Extension has an extensive pond and lake management resource page. While some of the issues may not be the same in Oregon, much of the information will be transferable.

You may want to get the water tested. Oregon Health Authority has a list of certified water testing labs. I would recommend reaching out to a lab near you to discuss best testing options.

For additional reading, here are two resources out of PSU Extension, which cover pond water management issues that may impact you and your land.

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Woodland Ponds: A Field Guide

This field guide describes in detail the steps woodland landowners would take to build a large pond on their properties. The guide describes the planning, permitting and construction of the pond, and includes ...

Steve Bowers | Apr 2015 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

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Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension: Gardening techniques, Ponds

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