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mini pond in butler sink
ellee bowden
Posts: 1
in Talkback
hello. i have a established a pond-ette in an old butler sink and have established wild irises and some kinda water buttercup, both of which are flourishing [the buttercup is already flowering. there is a lot of stringy green algae-ish gloop in the pond and i am wondering if i should clean some of it out. my instinct tells me to leave it be but i am not sure if it might overtake and clog up the pond. the water is clear and i can see the leaves at the bottom of the sink. any advice would be appreciated. thanks!
0
Posts
If the sink is quite shallow - I assume it will be ellee - it means it'll heat up quickly, which gives algae and blanket weed the conditions they love. Having part of the surface in shade helps (if you have room for a dwarf water lily that will do the job) but at this time of year there's often a lot of warmth in the water but plants aren't yet covering the surface, which means the algae gets a foothold. A great trick is to chuck a bit of watercress in - just straight from a supermarket bag - as it feeds on the nutrients that the algae like. If it takes over too much , it's very easy to pull out, but it will help to clear your water without using chemicals remedies.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...