Product Overview
Giant Val (Vallisneria gigantea) aka Jungle Val or Eelgrass
Giant Val has ribbon-like leaves that will grow 5' long or even longer in deeper water. It grows planted at the bottom of the pond, and can be planted in a pot or in mud. sand or gravel directly onto the pond bottom.
Giant Val grows quickly in warm weather once established, and sends out many runners that grow into new plants; it stays evergreen in winter if growing below the ice level. Anchor well when planting, as it is slightly buoyant until its roots grow firmly into the soil.
Giant Val is much larger than Corkscrew Val; in shallow water its leaves can reach the surface and then travel horizontally a little--this helps shade the pond, and improves the plant's ability to compete with algae for both nutrients and light.
Giant Val is a popular aquarium plant, for both high and low light levels.
This submerged pond plant is also known as tape grass or eel grass, and is often referred to as a submerged oxygenating plant.
Giant Val is sold as a bare root plant, and will come with 3 or more leaves. They are short when shipped, because a long leaf will tend to dissolve once planted, as the roots undergo transplant shock and can't support a large leaf.
Minimum purchase of 3.
Hardiness Zone: 5-10
Light Requirements: Sun to Shade
Water Depth: 1'-15', if water is clear enough for the plant to get light
Planting Container: We recommend a 10" x 6" fabric pot for growing a small group of plants; multiple pots may be placed around the pond. Click on any fabric pot link to read about why fabric pots work better than hard plastic pots!
FERTILIZING: For best health and growth, we recommend fertilizing regularly (unless using the plants in a plant filtration system!). Use Pondtabbs 20 count, 60 count, or 300 count for fast release, or Aquascape 6 count or 12 count capsules for slow release (once a year) fertilizing. Aquascape is preferred for low maintenance, but Pondtabbs are useful in Spring when Aquascape is slow to start in low temperatures. Pondtabbs are also useful for a quick extra nutrient push for extra bloom, and for mid-summer fertilizing of a new plant (we don't recommend using slow release fertilizer in mid-summer or later in cold climates, as plants should run out of fertilizer at the end of the year to encourage dormancy in cold climates).
Plants are shipped bare root or in starter pots, and will require planting upon arrival. For in depth planting and care instructions visit our Planting and Care Instructions for Shallow Water and Bog Plants.
For information on using plants for pond filtration, please read our blog on this topic!
