Blanket weed in large pond?
Question:I have used various remedy's but it is still very thick. The pond holds 2,000 gallons and I can't reach the middle. Barley Straw doesn't do it. We rake it out around the edges but it's not very satisfactory. anybody got any good idea's?
Answers:
The key to healthy clear water is to achieve a balance between the various inhabitants. The plants absorb mineral salts and carbon dioxide from the water and, in the presence of sunlight, create food materials and oxygen. The fish absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide through their gills; apart from their aesthetic attraction they feed on such pests as water lily beetle, aphids and caddis fly. They also fertilise the plants with their excreta. So long as the plants get plenty of light and have to compete for minerals, the microscopic algae that makes the water murky will have little chance to thrive. On the other hand there must not be too much light in relation to the number of oxygenators. It is important,therefore to work out the number of and size of inhabitants. The murky water/blanket weed indicates that there are too few underwater oxygenating plants to compete for the available light and minerals, or that too little shade is cast by water lilies. Correct these imbalances and then if necessary use permanganate of potash to clear the water.
Make a saturated solution by shaking the crystals in a jar of water until they all dissolve. Stir in a maximum of one teaspoon full ( 5ml ) of the solution for every 50 litres of water in the pool. The water should not turn more than a pale shade of pink and should clear in a few days.
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Get a small inflatable dingy and use this to reach the middle; take a good supply of sticks to twist it out.
You'll need to do it regularly to stay on top of the stuff for at least a couple of years.
Unless there are pond experts on this site, you need a bucket full of pond doctor, and aerate the pond with a large fountain to get the oxygen in.
go to a garden centre or water garden centre they should have a chemical that can be added to the pond water that may help this problem.It is one of the major problems faced when you have a pond.
Barley straw does do it but don't use those silly little expensive things they sell in fishy places. Go to a pet shop and get a bag of barley straw for bunny bedding (about £2)
Pull out as much blanket weed as you can by twisting a stick,
Transfer the straw all into a netting bag and put it in your pond, it will take about 3 weeks to sink. The effect is not immediate as it is the chemicals from the rotting barley straw that will prevent blanket weed from growing.
If you put it in now you will have very little or no blanket next year, do this once a year.
My pond (2000gals) was plagued with the green slime two years ago but now there is none at all.
You will find that the blanket weed is worse in the summer because of the extra sunlight. Invest in some surface cover plants, like water lillies. The leaves limit the amount of sunlight going down into the water and therefore reduce the amount of blanket weed naturally. We did this a couple of years ago and the blanket weed is no longer a problem.
get a lot of big leafed water lilys blanket weed is caused by to much sun on the water
That sounds like the plants that I once put in my fishtank except it was called 'Duckweed'. It just grew and grew untl not one inch of surface water was left. I scooped every bit out with a net. If it is the same plant...you might have to ask some one to get rid of it but not a leaf must be left behind or it will get worse.
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