Van Ginkel Landscaping and Lawn Care

 A floating island is a man-made ecosystem that mimics naturally-occurring floating wetlands. The result is a highly efficient, natural way to improve water quality. Floating islands use natural microbial processes to cleanse water. The matrix and plant roots that grow through it provide essential surface area for microbes to reproduce. Microbes (bacteria), occurring naturally in water, evolve quickly to remove contaminants of all kinds. Examples are nitrates, phosphates and ammonia, which can be present from fertilizer run off and organic waste, and heavy metals such as copper and zinc.

Floating islands are porous mats made from a matrix of fibers derived from 100% recycled plastic. The effectiveness of floating islands comes from the matrix base, providing an expanded surface area for microbes to grow. The mats are planted with sod, garden plants or wetland vegetation, left to flourish the root systems will soon be growing under the mats and filtering the water. For example, a 250 sq ft island provides one acre of wetland surface.

 Any waterway is suited for a floating island.