Anyone tried AquaHydrotechLtd 'Duckweed Control'?

[vole-woman]

My husband brought home a bottle of 'Duckweed Control' by a firm called AquaHydrotechLtd, swearing it's safe to use in our pond and won't harm any of the animals in there (we have newts and frogs at various stages of development, plus stacks of invertebrates).

On the label it says "eco friendly" and "frog friendly" and "contains selected bacteria" and "suitable for use in all types of ponds". It doesn't have a list of active ingredients, though it does say "wash hands after use" and "keep out of reach of children".

Has anyone used this product? I'm terrified of damaging the eco-system we've got in the pond, but my husband's adamant it won't and we have to tackle the duckweed.

Please help!

[cat72uk]

i hate duckweed
i have been skimming it out bit at a time but it multiplys like rabbits
some one cleaver will be on in a mo and give you a realy good soloution
for it and i will copy it also !!!!
how dose it get in the pond i had none, then 3 bits, then 5 billion

[Jason Green]

No, I haven't heard of AH, Ltd. I wouldn't use anything with chemicals, even if it says it IS safe.

Have you tried this RHS page, Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Algae in Pools It suggests raking (I do this, I wouldn't use chemicals at all), or Barley Straw.

As you say, there's a lot of life in there and if the chemicals kill off even one species (which may or may not happen, it's hard to know without the active ingredient's name!), the delicate eco-balance could come crashing down.

Ultimately it's your choice, I am only suggesting what I would do in your situation!

Good luck.

Take care,

Jason

UPDATE: It does seem organic, but it's hard to know. Here is the product from their site: http://www.aquahydrotech.com/catalog...product_type=2

[vole-woman]

We rake at the moment, but it's tricky because the duckweed tangles itself in the Canadian pondweed, so you never get more than half of it.

The Aquahydrotech stuff I think is extract of barley straw.

What happens if you leave the duckweed to cover the surface of the pond? Does that affect the apmhibians and invertebrates? And does duckweed die in the winter?

[Kayleigh]

Duckweed hates moving water move the surface problem solved.

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

...What happens if you leave the duckweed to cover the surface of the pond?

Hi VW,

As far as I know... If the surface is covered, then the sunlight can't penetrate it as well. The duckweed continues to grow and uses up oxygen. This then kills off various species of plants or invertebrates under the surface. They die and the process of decomposition continues to use up any oxygen that can get through the duckweed. This ultimately kills off the ecosystem and leads to the death of the pond. Meanwhile I believe the Duck Weed continues to grow regardlessly.

I'm sure someone will correct me if my explanation is wrong

Take care,

Jason

[vole-woman]

Thanks. Well, we gave the pond a good skim and put some of this Hydrotech stuff in - watch this space.

An hour afterwards I saw a baby newt busy about its business just below the surface, so it didn't seem immediately bothered.

I'll let you know how we go on.

[JennyBennett]

Hi. Have just registered with Wild about Britain and have been reading about the Duckweed problem which I also have. Did the AquaHydrotech solution work with no side effects or is it still too soon to tell?

Jenny

[vole-woman]

It didn't harm any of our pond life, but I wouldn't say it had a massive effect on the weed either. Maybe it took some of it off. Nowadays we keep it under control by daily skimming.

[JennyBennett]

Thanks for the info won't waste any money on that then. We took the heater out of our pond last night and it promptly froze over. We then lifted great sheets of ice out of the pond this morning complete with duckweed. Will repeat operation tonight and hopefully collect what little remains tomorrow.
It will then be a case of wait and see. Fingers crossed.

Jenny