Blanketweed on pond

[Primrose]

My tiny pond is being swamped with blanket weed - far worse this year than I can ever remember, probably due to so much sunshine. Can anybody suggest what I can do to reduce the problem as I'm having to clear it on a daily basis. It's in full sun for much of the day. Whenever I pull handfulls out there seem to be lots of tadpoles either sucking it or entangled in it, so I', reluctant to completely eliminate their food source if this is one of the things they're feeding on.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, it might help if you can cover at least half the suface area of the water, maybe a pygmy water lily, also an oxygenating plant will help, and don't use tap water in the pond unless you have to.
If you are already doing these three points, i don't know apart from keep pulling it out.
Just thought you can buy barley straw in small net bags that are meant to help.

[Colin_M]

I'm new to all this but am trying to get a pond going this year.

Whilst shopping for supplies, I noticed several garden centres & pond specialists selling a variety of treatments you can apply to your pond water for different conditions. One of the ailments was blanket weed.

I can't speak for the effectiveness of these or any side effects. However I believe at least one of them tries to work by getting the balance of stuff in the water correct & less conducive to support blanket weed.

Colin

[gloworm]

I had this problem some years ago & bought some Grass Carp, they love blanket weed & duck weed !

[gloworm]

Try this link for info

http://www.fishing.co.uk/species_display.php3?id=51

[Have-a-go]

There are a number of products you can buy from garden centres to eliminate blanket weed but I would leave treating your pond until after your tadpoles have left the pond. The algae the tadpoles feed on will also be eliminated. The easiest way to remove it for now is to twist it around a rough stick.
Once your tadpoles have left treat your pond to eliminate your current problem, to effectively keep the blanket weed away put Barley straw in your pond every spring and autumn.

[Monika]

Like OH says, barley straw (untreated) will cure it. It depends how large your pond is but you can buy sort of pads of barley straw from many garden centres with aquatic sections. Or introduce some duckweed which will multiply rapidly in the warm weather, thereby exclude the light and "starve" the blanket weed. I certainly wouldn't use any chemical treatment at this time of the year.

[jane E]

Don't put duck weed in. You'll never get rid of it and you'll have the same problem with that. I didn't know Grass carp eat it - that might help us because we have quite a number of carp - common, mirror. Thanks for the tip. We'll try it because they're pretty anyway.

[gloworm]

My grass carp are hungrey for any green stuff, they devour spare lettuce & cabbage from the garden, so pond weed no probs

[Belinda]

I'm intrigued by the mentions of Grass Carp. I saw some advertised on Ebay a couple of years ago but wasn't sure if the claims of them eating blanketweed were to be believed. We asked our local pond specialist outlet and they told us it was complete tosh

Do they really eat it??

[gloworm]

Take it as read Belinda, they do. Your pond expert is not so expert if he denies it, the only greenery they wont tackle is bull rush I have to drag that out with a rake