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silver birch

Hi I do hope you can help, we have several fully mature silver birch trees which are dropping hundreds of catkins every day, we have a koi pond and are worried the catkins could do them harm, so my question is How long do they drop catkins and will they harm our beloved koi??? Thank you x

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Posts

  • flowering roseflowering rose Posts: 1,632

    put  netting over the pond until it has  finished.

  • we have a water fall around 25 m in length down a bank and the catkins are going down that into the pond so netting wouldn't work unfortunately.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,441

    The male catkins drop off, I doubt it takes long for that to happen. They must have been doing that for years. Is the pond new?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • we have just moved into this house and the pond isn't new but the koi are, we are worried the catkins might be toxic to the fish?

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,441

    Try googling silver birch poisonous to fish

    http://ezinearticles.com/?Beware-of-Poisonous-Trees-Near-Fish-Ponds&id=2220031

    I found this, a different species of birch but I'm sure there's plenty of other info on line especially on Koi keeping sites.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,887

    could you form some sort of netting DAM at the lower end of the bank ?

    Devon.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,887

    I'm sure as Birch is such a commonly planted tree , if it were poisonous to anything, we'd all be aware of the fact?? e.g. rowan berries??

    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,109

    I had a pond at last house with several mature koi and orfe which we inherited. There were two birches right next to the pond which had been there a long time. There was no problem.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • iGrowiGrow Posts: 183
    You could turn the pump off and net the pond and waterfall or create a filter for the water coming down the waterfall.
  • Brilliant ideas from all of you thanks so much and Hostafan I will check that website out right now…Many Thanks x

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