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Dye for pond water

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  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Though my garden is quite large, it is south facing and gets much sun. I know the ideal pond location is partially sunny, partially shaded but for me that simply is not an option. There are benches either side for idling away the day and counting newts (10 before I stand up and get on with something productive) but it is in a very sunny spot and I am living with the blanket weed consequences.
    Rutland, England
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Isn’t that why waterlillies are so good for sunny ponds ... to shade the water?

    i wouldn’t want to use an additive that prevents light getting into the whole area of water ... apart from the oxygen question many organisms require light for healthy development. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Mine’s in the sun all day long. No problem, the surface is covered with water Lily and other plants. 
    I don’t know what courses  this blanket weed on an established pond, I only had it in the first year, once the oxygenators took hold, no more problem. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I would have thought the primary use for such a product is in a formal pond where you just want a perfect mirror of water as a design feature

    Image result for formal contemporary reflection pool
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Yes, @WillDB , I think that was why it was first used - purely as part of the design aesthetic so as such, has a useful part to play. It is very effective. I haven't seen it used in ponds with water lillies but can imagine it would be quite pleasing. 

    Like most things, each to his own. Not all ponds need to be havens for wildlife - some just need to be 'pretty'. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • I must admit that I initially toyed with the idea to add black dye in my pond when I realized I was fighting a losing battle with blanket weed - pond in full sun most of the day.  However I am so glad that I didn't go down that path and now try to garden completely organically.  There was a certain quick fix t.v. gardener extolling the virtues of the dye a few years back - he advertised it's use a a cure all and I am sure the sales of the dye shot up.
  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,276
    Isn’t that why waterlillies are so good for sunny ponds ... to shade the water?

    i wouldn’t want to use an additive that prevents light getting into the whole area of water ... apart from the oxygen question many organisms require light for healthy development. 
    Exactly Dove. My initial comments about the dye/nature/humans were perhaps a bit strong (I was not in a good mood), and can see that a purely ornamental pond could benefit from adding a dye. Though that said my garden is chemical free not just pond additives.

    But for a wildlife pond I think adding dye would negatively impact the pond's ecosystem. After all, the majority of the pond's microscopic/insect life is in the sunlit shallows. Like Lyn I've never had a problem with blanket weed, the pond is five years old now and has a large population of frogs. In the first couple of weeks after construction I had an algae bloom when the water turned green. Once the algae gobbled up all the nutrients (tap water) it cleared again.
  • We have a big wildlife pond that we wanted to keep as natural as possible. We refused to have filtration and pumps; we were keen to let the planting do its thing. However, nature didn’t dig the hole, lay the liner or plant the plants. We use the shadow dye and have had fantastic results in keeping the water clear. Our tadpoles were dying due to the level of algae we had when we first established the pond. Our aim was to give the pond a head start and will stop once the planting has taken over which we are close to.  

    We have managed to create a habitat for all manor of creatures including a fabulous population of frogs, newts, dragonflies and many other water insects. 

    Good luck to you if you are able to do this the absolute the natural way avoiding every external influence. 

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