Help - Muddy water!

[King Edward]

If you aim to have native oxygenators etc. then I wouldn't add the Canadian Pondweed (or Curly Pondweed etc.) back in at all. Once they establish themselves in the mud they are very hard to remove - they're brittle and any root fragments left will regrow.

Besides, if the aliens don't grow much before you take them out then they're not going to be of that much benefit anyway. And if they do grow, you'll be stuck with them.

[lovecrawlies]

Hi,

Just to say, aquatic soil will settle out, and everything will be fine!

We built a new pond last year, our garden is clay, and, despite my best efforts, some clay got back into the pond after we lined and filled it. The fine particles turned the water to milk, and it took weeks to clear. Every disturbance, every rain shower stirred it all up again. But it cleared in the end.

Then we built up the 'banks' with aquatic soil to cover the liner and give natural shelving banks. Sure enough it all clouded up again, but, sure enough, it all cleared (and much quicker than the clay!). Aquatic soil shouldn't release loads of nutrients into the pond either, but if it does and it all gets a bit green, follow the excellent advice above, don't panic! That too will pass! The great thing about ponds is that they are self-sustaining little ecosystems, as long as they're not really, really tiny, or really, really shallow throughout, they'll generally fix themselves and become clear and popping with life in time!

Good luck, and enjoy!