If you are looking for a unique way to spruce up your pond or other waterway this spring, you might want to consider a Bio Haven Floating Island. These islands can be added to waterways and planted with anything from perennials to annuals, and could even be used as a creative way to add garden space when planted with vegetables. The islands can also offer habitat and food sources for wildlife. Ion Exchange, Inc., which is best known as a source of native plant plugs and seeds, also offers other landscaping and gardening products, including the Bio Haven Floating Islands.
The islands work on a concept of bio-mimicry. There are naturally occurring floating islands, though many people may not realize that's what they are. Some may be very small, and some may be large enough to support trees growing on them. "I first saw floating islands on the Chippewa flowage in Wisconsin," noted Howard Bright. He was fishing on a foggy day, and casting towards the shore of an island in one direction, then turned to try in another direction. When he turned back around, Bright discovered that the island was gone. After that experience, he later found the Bio Haven Floating Islands, which were developed by a company in Montana and their company website notes that this product is modeled after floating peat islands in Northern Wisconsin.
The Bio Haven Floating Islands are made from recycled plastic, which forms a matrix of plastic fibers that resembles a steel wool pad. The islands also contain foam, which allows the islands to float. The buoyancy of the islands can be adjusted to achieve the desired effect. The islands come in several sizes, from 25 square feet to 265 square feet. The larger islands come in sections that need to be assembled in order to make one large island. Depending on the area of the waterway where the islands are to be installed, there could be a single island, or a chain of islands.
When installed, the islands can be kept in place with an anchor, or they can be left to completely free-float on the surface. The installation process is such that it can be a do-it-yourself project, and does not necessarily require professional installation. From Ion Exchange, they have shipped islands from places in Iowa to California for installation. The larger islands may require more muscle to move the finished project, which can get kind of heavy.
The islands are set up and planted on dry land, preferably as close to the water line as you can get, so that you don’t have to move the islands so far when it’s time to launch them. A tarp is laid out on the ground where the island is to be assembled. If an anchor is being used to keep the island in place, that is attached to the bottom first, then the island can be turned right side up for planting. The islands come with pre-drilled holes for planting. Rock wool is then put into the planting holes to help absorb water. A planting medium called Bio-Mix is also used, and the islands can be planted with sod and plugs of annuals and perennials. Of course, plants native to wetland areas will thrive in the conditions provided by the island, but herbs, vegetable plants, or other annuals and perennials not native to wet areas could also be used. The sod helps to protect and keep the Bio-Mix in place.
Once the islands are planted and assembled, the tarp provides an easy way of pushing the island down to the edge of the pond or stream, where it is launched and then put into place. You don’t want to walk on the islands after they have been launched. The islands are left on the pond year round, and there is virtually no maintenance involved. The root system of the plants grows down through the matrix and produces a very dense mat, drawing water and nutrients form the body of water it was installed in.
Aside from beautification of an area, these islands also serve other functions to help make waterways cleaner. The islands can provide cover and food for fish, which feed on the root system. The plants themselves can help to use up any excess nutrients found in the water from fertilizer run-off, and the plants will also compete with algae in the pond for those nutrients, offering something of a control in that aspect as well. The plants in the island help to capture carbon and other greenhouse gases, as well as removing pollutants from the water. Birds and other wildlife drawn to wetlands may also utilize the islands.
The islands can be installed on nearly any kind of waterway. They have been used on golf courses, where it is a sort of “novelty” hole and even floating golf balls can be used. These islands have also been used in zoo habitats, water treatment facilities, corporate waterways, and an island was also launched into the Chicago River in 2006. These islands would be suitable for use in farm ponds or residential, commercial or municipal areas. When planting these islands, three to four feet of water or more would be the ideal depth of the body of water. If the island is planted in an area that is very shallow, the root system could grow into the bottom of the pond.
For more information on Floating Islands, visit Creating a Floating Island on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E15-_4_1kyM, or contact Ion Exchange at 1-800-291-2143.
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