Swamp ditch

A swamp ditch is a historical, artificially created wet biotope for the presentation of aquatic and swamp plants .

Since seepage or evaporation lead to a reduction in the water content in wet biotopes, a permanent inflow is necessary in a swamp ditch. When there was a lack of water, the drain was dammed with the help of protective boards or small earth dams.

When planting, care was taken to select the plants appropriate to the location according to their water requirements and according to their growth, for example plants with higher stems such as Typha , Acorus , Arunde , Sparganium separated from aquatic plants. Tall plants were planted in the middle of the swamp ditch (including bushes for shade) and the low ones on the banks that require less moisture. In order to slow down the spread of the roots, dividing walls (e.g. pieces of board or roof tiles) were built in to separate individual plants.

Places where the water does not spread were densely filled with peat moss , Sphagnum palustre (L.), and with those plants that grow in Germany's swamps between and on the peat moss, for example Ledum palustre , Vaccinium uliginosum , Schollera oxicoccus (cranberry scoop ), Drosera rotundifolia planted.

literature

• Friedrich Gottlieb Dietrich : Complete lexicon of gardening and botany or alphabetical description of the construction, maintenance and use of all domestic and foreign, economic, official and ornamental plants. Volume 1. 1802. pp. 23f.