Pond advice please

[pwlynch]

I've had a wildlife pond for about 10 years,the only problem I've ever had is with blanket weed but despite trying loads of different things to get rid of it,nothing has worked.Today I was working in the garden,thought I'd tidy the pond up a bit.I took out loads of pond grass/reeds that was taking over and couldn't believe that all the oxygenating plants were gone.The pond didn't look as healthy as it has in recent years,although there was frogspawn.Why do you think the oxygenating plants have died and what is the best kind to get?Are the solar oxygenators any good?I don't want to put in a pump.Thanks in advance.

[jackarmy]

Blanketweed could well have killed it off but you should always (resow) so to speak. The top halves of oxygenators are always the healthiest, fish, and other beasties will nibble away at the bottom halves, cut about 6 inches off the tops, tie them together with a thin strip of lead or something similarly heavy and let them sink to the bottom.
Old stuff ( leafless bottom halves) need to be ripped out really.
Blanketweed is easilly (collected) with a stick, just hold it in the middle and twist , itll come around like candy floss .

[Owamya]

Agree with jackarmy , blanket weed will smother oxgenators and they'll die. You've too many nutrients feeding the weed and sun light , recommend Lillies as they'll use some of the nutrients and keep the sun off the water. Blanket weed can be put in composer or mulched.

[1Bee]

My Dad was the pond guru of the family. He used to wind out the blanket weed on a garden cane, push the resulting candy-floss-sausages out onto a bit of wire mesh balanced over the pond to let the beasties crawl back in, then composted it.

I think the oxygenating plants don't last forever... I remember Dad replacing some of them in spring.

[Zelenina]

There's probably some good advice for you here https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=162

And here https://www.pondplants.co.uk/blog/vi...ket+Weed%3F/1/

I especially like the suggestion of planting waterlilies.

[DannyK]

Watch out for tadpoles when pulling blanket weed out. They don't seem to be able to escape wound up weed left on the side. I give them a helping hand.

[pwlynch]

Thanks for everyone's advice,it's much appreciated.Unfortunately there's a big tree near the pond and there was loads of leaves in it this year,hard to get out.I'll clear it out some more and get more oxygenating plants and fingers crossed,things will get better.

[burnie]

I hope to start my wildlife pond in the next few months and thought I'd share the ideas in case anyone else is thinking the same.
I will use a preformed liner, purely because of tree and shrub roots and this will hopefully prevent any punctures. I am not planning on putting fish in it, so the need for lots of oxygenators is reduced, there will be no filtration of pumps.
Plants will be as much an interest as the wildlife and I intend to have mainly native plants as I like them. I intend to use some liner as well to create a beach/bog garden where wildlife will be able to get in and out of the water and also to have plants that though not aquatic, will like their feet wet.
We have toads and newts in the area, not seen any frogs and hopefully won't get any snakes as we only have Adders this far north and as nice as they are to see when I'm in the hills walking, we don't really went venomous residents.

[bario1]

I'm thinking exactly the same for my plot Burnie. Got a preformed liner off Freecycle about 4' x 3' and want to extend it a bit for a bog garden. The liner doesn't have as much 'shallow' as I wanted, so I'm hoping to blend it out with the boggy bit.

[SarrissUK]

If you're getting blanket weed or algae in your pond, you either have too much sunlight into the pond, or too much nutrients. Don't fix it with chemicals - you simply need to make sure that you have either surface cover, or enough plants like oxygenators in the water to cover around 65% of the pond surface area.
To reduce nutrients, just put in more plants

I seem to have learnt a few things since starting work for a pond plant place!

[Bigmallly]

I've recently started to get blanket weed on the waterfall. The only way I can control it is with a bottle brush, just put the brush on the weed & twist. Not sure how that method would work in a pond though...........

[SarrissUK]

It's horrible stuff isn't it - can't get it out of plants that are wrapped up in it :/

[Bigmallly]

It is, it's a nightmare & grows back so fast.

[burnie]

If you have room Grass Carp will eat it, but they will also have a go at everything else too though............

[fishpond]

Make and try a protein skimmer.