Blanket weed problem

[bigwig]

Hi

I have 2 small ponds and both appear to have blanket weed growing in them I bought some stuff from an aquatic centre that said it was ' guaranteed ' to kill blanket weed - it didn't. Its still growing and choking everything in the ponds. Even the snails and mussels have it growing on their shells . Is there anything else I can try to get rid of it ??? Something that will not harm the fish and other life in my ponds ? Thanks in advance.

[Kayleigh]

Stop using tap water...get rid of extra nutrients by adding more plants...water lilys are good greedy plants to have but can get to big but potting them on and spiting them up stops that.
I put watercress in mine but there may be a problem with copper..
I have had no problems with it though though and have no blanket weed but now have duck weed .....
You cant win....

[Lancashire Lad]

One of the best remedies is the use of a part bale of barley straw, held in a suitable mesh bag. (must be made so that the whole lot floats - possibly by inclusing a plastic football or something similar into the mesh bag).

This is not an overnight solution, and does take time (several weeks) - but it does work, and it doesn't harm the wildlife & plants already in the ponds.

Doesn't necessarily look too nice having bags of straw floating in your pond either, but it is the lesser of the evils when it comes to green algae.

There is plenty of info on the net about the procedure - just Google blanket weed barley straw.

Regards
Mike.

[bigwig]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Stop using tap water...get rid of extra nutrients by adding more plants...water lilys are good greedy plants to have but can get to big but potting them on and spiting them up stops that.
I put watercress in mine but there may be a problem with copper..
I have had no problems with it though though and have no blanket weed but now have duck weed .....
You cant win....

I have watercress and potted marginal plants as well as loads of oxygenators. Have just added lots of floating plants now they are available in aquatic centre. I don't think the ponds are large enough for lilys.

What is duck weed, please ? Does it look like blanket weed ? Wondering if I have duck weed or blanket weed Assumed it was blanket weed as its growing in long tendrils and coating everything it touches - except for the fish, who probably move to fast

[bigwig]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

One of the best remedies is the use of a part bale of barley straw, held in a suitable mesh bag. (must be made so that the whole lot floats - possibly by inclusing a plastic football or something similar into the mesh bag).

This is not an overnight solution, and does take time (several weeks) - but it does work, and it doesn't harm the wildlife & plants already in the ponds.

Regards
Mike.

I had bags of straw in both ponds last year, but it didn't appear to be doing very much, so I removed them. However, I didn't have the weed problem then, so will try your idea again. Thanks.

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by bigwig

What is duck weed, please ? Does it look like blanket weed ? Wondering if I have duck weed or blanket weed Assumed it was blanket weed as its growing in long tendrils and coating everything it touches - except for the fish, who probably move to fast

Duckweed is a floating plant forming large colonies of pad-like plants.

Your weed sounds like an alga (i.e. Blanketweed)

[Kayleigh]

I have a miniature water lily in my barrel they are not supposed to be hardy but mine has been in there for 3 years....
Duck weed floats on the top of the pond with tiny leaves....
Yours sounds like blanket weed the only way to rid it is by what's been said before....
Don't use tap water, get barley straw, the frogs sit on top of mine.
get the nutrient balance right..
It will sort its self out.