permaculture

[DAVIDMATTHEWEDGE@aol.com]

Paul, you wrote:
 
What would be the impact of a floating swamp garden on the oxygen exchange  
in the water?
 
Here's the beginning of an answer:
 
    In addition to the gaseous exchange of the plants  in a floating swamp 
garden, which could vary depending on species, partial  shading of a pond, by 
anything, causes movement and additional oxygenation of  the water.  
    Cool water in the shaded areas flows to the  bottom, surface water is 
drawn into the shaded area to replace it,  etc.  In this way much more of the 
water in the pond comes into contact  with the air than in a pond in which 
all of 
the water is exposed to sunlight or  is shaded.
 
Thes floating gardens also mean that much more edge, that many more bugs  for 
the trout, etc.
 
I hope this is useful.
 
David Edge