Hair grass has fine, bright green leaves and grows in attractive tufts. It can be planted as a shallow water oxygenator on the marginal shelf or submerged up to 60 cm deep. Submerged oxygenating plants grow up from the deeper part of the pond. Their underwater green leaves give off bubbles of oxygen during daylight hours which improve the quality of the pond water to the benefit of fish and other pond creatures. Underwater growth provides habitat for pond life such as newts and water snails which lay their eggs on submerged leaves, and gives cover to fish and other pond life.