Blanket Weed

Submitted by Maz on Wed, 15/08/2007 - 8:26am.

I posted this in the wrong place earlier.

I have had my beautiful wildlife pond since the beginning of June. I was hoping for the water to go a little bit green because I can still see the pump and the pipes and every wrinkle in the liner. Instead I have crystal clear water and blanket week growing on the bottom.

I have tried two different products for the weed but so far it has not worked. I have now bought some barley straw to try out but to be honest I don't really want that stuff floating around the pond for ever more.

Do you know if there is any pond life that actually eats the blanket weed. I know the bacteria treatments feed on the nitrates, not the weed itself. What about pond snails?

Thanks for any help.

Maz

‹ I used Blanket Answer by Cloverleaf What do you think? ›
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Blanket Weed ...more

Submitted by Maz on Wed, 15/08/2007 - 8:53am.

I should have said I have a UV filter, small rock pool serving a little waterfall into the pond. I am told by landscaper the pond is about 6000 litres. I have put in a few marginals, parrots feather, water forgetmenots, one lily with some under water plants in mesh and I am pleased I am getting natural common duckweed which looks nice.

The pond has two stepping stones standing on concrete pillars. On the bottom of the pond there is some sediment but I don't know what it is. Some people call it silt.

I have tried Blank Kit and another one which is bacteria that you have to put in warm water and incubate before putting in the pond. Useless!

Thanks.
Maz

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Blanket weed

Submitted by Peter May on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 6:10pm.

Blanket weed loves a high pH and phosphates in the pond water. With phosphates splashing in from the soil in the rain and concrete and mortar all around the pool, it difficult to keep the pH down, especially on a new pool. The one advantage in having blanket weed is that keeps away all the other algae.
I think as the plants become more established things will begin go more your way.It sounds like you need a few more. Try some reedy things. These will use up nutrients that algae would normally consume - flowering rush, cyperus, irises, carex. The best for keeping water clear is the common reed, but take care because it can take over in a small pond.
Floating plans, particularly water hyacinth (hopefully you are in the UK - it's banned in the US and South Africa), are great hoovers of nutrients. Maybe try another lily. You will need two thirds pool cover to truly have nature on your side.
If you keep hiking the blanket weed out and refrain from topping up as much as possible, it will help.
As for bacterial cures - everyone is talking about Cloverleaf's Blanket Answer as being the best thing yet.
P.S Beware the duckweed.


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Blanket Weed

Submitted by Maz on Thu, 16/08/2007 - 7:57pm.

Thanks for that. I will be aware of the duckweed, but it is pretty and is giving some much needed coverage. I can easily get it out if it becomes too much.

Can you tell me what pond snails are for? They sell them at our local aquatic centre and someone told me they eat blanket weed. Should I introduce some and if I do will they also eat my pond plants?

Thanks.

Maz

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Blanket weed

Submitted by Peter May on Fri, 17/08/2007 - 8:42am.

Duck weed is pretty good for emergency coverage to help hinder the growth algae whilst the higher plants get established. I could never grow it even if I wanted to, because I had ducks. There is a good reason for its common name because ducks go crazy for it eating every last morsel of it.

Snails are just part of the tapestry of pond life. They have many pros but mostly cons as far as the pond keeper is concerned. Just like on dry land, they do eat plants, and if you are trying to establish a pond they can be a bit of a scourge on the oxygenating plants especially. The ramshorn type or Planorbis spiral types are much preferable to the winkle shaped Limnaea. The ramshorns dont eat so much foliage and do actually eat a bit of algae (even a bit of blanket weed). If you have a plastic pool or liner they(both species) can be good at cleaning the sides of algae accumulations.
Also being molluscs they are taking in water all the time and it comes out clean and algae free. But in the greater scheme of things you need a LOT OF snails to make any difference and the quantity you would need would soon put pay to any plant life in the pond, therefore giving the advantage back to the algae once more.
Their eggs are are eaten by some fish too. Like I said they are part of the fabric of pond life and if you are after a natural type of balanced pond then three or four snails wont do any harm. But dont introduce them to solve a problem, they may make it worse.


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Blanket Weed

Submitted by Maz on Fri, 17/08/2007 - 7:30pm.

Thanks for that.

One more question. When I got some blanket weed out tonight it had a load of little small white worms in it. ~They weren't wriggling but they were definitely worms of some sort. What are these and is this OK or do I have another problem?

Thanks.

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Blanket weed and now worms

Submitted by Peter May on Fri, 17/08/2007 - 7:41pm.

I doubt they are a problem. They are more likely to be some nourishing food for something.
If they were hard and or segmented they may have been a fly larva or maggots. If they were very stretchy and could shrink almost to a blob, they might have been small leeches. If they have little dots for eyes and they are flat, they could be flat worms. None of these are a problem.


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