Pond Maintance Help!

[sab]

Yeah, I was thinking Duck-Duck would feast on those plants but that was last year when she was such a cute duckling and the pond only had 2/3s this amount. Now I'm pretty sure the job is a bit too big for 1 duck.....

I do see a Sand Hill Crane out there a lot. All she does is clear them aside to make room so she can eat Koi.

And yes they are tubular. I hate to do it but likely I will have to go the chemical route.

 

[jdywntr]

You can check with your local extension office. If it is an invasive species, they can tell you the best way to get rid of it. Many pond plants have elaborate root systems that can be impossible to kill unless you remove ALL of the roots. I would avoid any chemicals unless they are approved for fish and waterfowl. No sense killing those big koi that are in there. If you have no local resources, search online to find out the species of plant and how to safely get rid of it.

 

[Eroc1_1]

I would also see if some sterilized grass carp would work.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

There is a lot of good information about invasive lily plants per: GOOGLE. I, personally, would not want to continue the propagation of a plant that has the ability to cause such issues if introduced to another water source. We've had problems with 'duckweed bloom' on our pond in the past. It is also an invasive species. Our pond looked much like yours, just another weed. It killed most of the fish in our pond (blocks oxygen) before we discovered a system to control it. The ducks REFUSED to go on the pond once it got out of hand. Here in PA, grass carp are HIGHLY regulated and it is next to impossible to purchase one (they also provide a risk to public waterways).

An annual 'lily removal' party sounds great.

 

[nes]

Tree trimmers & an ebay store

If you've got fish in there you should definitely consider adding an air-pump at least, that will keep at least part of the pond free from weeds as well (as long as it's strong enough). That will also improve water quality for ducky

 

[Czech's_chicks]

Quote:
ABSOLUTELY!! I'm in CA - you can imagine how many free palm tree you dig ads are out here. I've gotten rid of excess geranium, passionfruit, jade bush, etc, just by posting on freecycle.