Pond Maintance Help!

[sab]

I have 1 pekin duck - "Duck-Duck". Duck-Duck won't go in this pond. Hum.... wonder why not! Any suggestions on how I can clean this up?? Lots of Koi in the pond but I doubt they can breath much.... Help!!! It's the invasion of the Lilly Pads!!

 

[chickens friend]

You have three options that I can think of right off the bat. First you can get a grass carp from a garden supply, farm supply, or a truck that brings fish to your farm supply. Second you can cut the Lilly pads stem off from under neath the water several times and eventually this will kill them. Or if you are brave enough you can spray them very lightly with weed filler and this will get rid of them also, if you do this spray on a non windy day and spray only the bare minimum to coat the pads, and I would only do about 1/4 to 1/2 the pond at a time. Maybe you can also go to your farm supply or garden place and ask them if they might have something to kill them, I have no clue if they do or don't.

 

[mestaske]

I would go to my local farm store and buy some irrigation boots, the kind that go up to your thighs. I would also buy a big net like the kind they use for pools. Then I would get in there and pull up those weeds, see if some come out with the net. If you just pull some out they will die. Fish that want to eat that stuff is also a good idea.

 

[Czech's_chicks]

Don't know if you have it in your area or not, but whenever I want to get rid of ANYTHING, I post on FREECYCLE. Doesn't matter what I've listed, someone always wants it.

 

[Wifezilla]

Yes. Sell pond plants on eBay.

 

[sab]

whoa Czech's_chicks! You mean someone would come and take these lilly pads away for me??? Or am I pullin' and they are takin'?? I never thought of puttin' it out there on FreeCycle. I've given away a lot of stuff but this will be a first....

"Free - Lilly Pads by the scores -- you pull'em, you take'em" LOL!!

Thanks for all your suggestions - I am considering each one!

 

[sab]

Wifezilla
The bloom is just a little yellow flower - not the big beautiful blooms you see in the cartons @ Lowes... I doubt they would sell on EBay. Hum..... thought though....

 

[sab]

And we just moved here a couple of years ago - this was NOT like this then. It only took a couple of years for these things to grow WILD - very invasive. What to do... what to do.... I used to feed the Koi - huge Koi. Now I can't see them except in the late fall after a freeze and early spring.

 

[70%cocoa]

I would have a 'waterlily party' in which you invite over a bunch of friends one sunny day. Get them to bring rakes, gloves and clothes that can get wet and muddy. Get in there and rip out as much as possible and make a huge compost pile. You supply lunch and beer.

If they are the same as Aussie waterlillies then they will be growing from tubers in the bottom of the pond and also spreading with runners through the water. They do keep coming back after being pulled out, so you make have to do regular maintenance - an annual 'waterlily party'?

 

[polenslager]

Another thing you might try is to see if there is a local pond society by you. Look up local watergardening clubs near you. There are many. You could contact them for help. They might be willing to help you get some
of the plants out,
they could give some away at meetings ect.. or know best what to do not only to thin them out, but also how to keep them from taking over again.
My silly ducks in my pond have ripped up all my lilies several times and like to eat them.. One reason I fenced them out!