This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Pond looks 'dusty'...
MissM
Posts: 36
My pond, dug in January, plants in in March & April, looks 'dusty' on the surface, but also has 'cobwebby' algae on the sides and some of the floating plants, pots etc. Initially thoughy it was pigeon dust but see that it is now algae. Plants are only just beginning to take off, and I have got some more oxygenators coming.
I added grass to one of the edges - could this be a cause? Should I do anything? Or just wait for the plants to get going?
First pic in March... others today. Looks worse from a distance - especially from my kitchen window!
0
Posts
The dust may well be tree pollen ... there’s a lot of if about.
I dont think there’s anything to worry about. It’ll soon look more ‘settled’.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I think the dust is tree pollen. It's been all over my car.
You can put a bunch of barley straw in a pond, supposed to prevent blanket weed.
The first is patience. It takes a year or two for the biology to sort itself out and green water will likely be a feature for a while. It might sound strange but putting a jar full of water from an established pond into your new one can be beneficial.
The second is resist the temptation to stuff it full of plants. Garden centres are great at selling highly invasive species that will leave you with a bog instead of a pond within 3 or 4 years. Don’t chuck lots of oxygenators in either. You will be pulling the stuff out by the barrowload after a couple of seasons. If you want water lilies and I would recommend them, not only for the flowers but to shade the water surface, try some of the new varieties that survive in 12” of water. They’re non invasive and a couple in the margins will give plenty of flowers. Some of the bigger varieties available, grow like triffids, will take over and you will be chucking them out in a few seasons.
The third is to watch out for duckweed. It starts as attractive wee patches on the surface and looks rather nice to start with. It multiplies like bugery though and will colonise your entire pond surface. Fish it out as soon as you see it or better still invest in a waterproof container to act as a quarantine. Fill it up to the top of basket level and keep your plants in it for a while. You’ll soon see any duckweed on the surface and dispose of it. I’ve unwittingly bought plants riddled with the stuff from reputable sources and once you get it it’s usually yours forever.
That looks like a nice pond you’ve got there. A pond is in my opinion one of the most interesting and rewarding features you can have in the garden and I hope you enjoy it for many years. The wildlife certainly will.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I get a greasy film on mine in early spring - it's the oily wood pigeons and starlings having a bath. A bit of aeration from the hose, or a good spell of rain, sorts it
You can use watercress to help with the excess of blanketweed too. The cress uses up some of the nutrition in the water which helps starve out the blanket weed and algae.
You can also buy snails to eat it, and as already said, tadpoles will do that too, so if you get some frogs arriving, that will help in future.
It's common to have it when the water starts to warm up too, so don't worry too much.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've been here...honest guv...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...