Pond algae or some kind of spawn?
Hello, something green has appeared on the top of my bucket pond, and wanted to check what you all think it might be. Should I skim it off and get rid?
and also wondered if you might know what a little critter is that's in the pond too (the little dark thing by the stem and edge of the leaf)
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The green stuff is algae. It comes and goes. Usually a sign that the water is too rich in nitrogen or some other food for it to live on. Just scoop it off. It will stop when the weather cools down.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
Thank you very much for letting me know, and so quickly
will see what I can do about the mosquito lavae too now I know what they are...
They're part of pond life James, something will eat them
In the sticks near Peterborough
Nut, it's a very small pond in a bucket - not sure what predators will have found their way there yet
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Not very observant am I
In the sticks near Peterborough
It is difficult - articles tell people that they can make a pond in almost anything, but the smaller the pond the harder it is to get a balance - and any standing water will be a mosquito breeding ground in a matter of hours - even minutes!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Your little pond looks well-balanced and a credit to you.
You've got oxygenating plants there and something providing a bit of shade too.
I'd just take out the blanket weed as it appears. Give it a little wiggle first to let any pond-life wiggle free then pull it out gently. It'll come back a bit, just pull it out again. A little more shade will help and as the nutrients deplete the blanket weed will go.
Do you keep it topped-up with tap water? If so, you're adding fresh nutrients each time that the blanket weed uses to grow. Use rainwater if poss.
As Dove says the mosquito's are all part of pond life, keep the balance right and something will be along to eat them
Good luck
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Firstly thank you all for your comments! Okay, so the algae is gone as best I could manage. Had to lift some plants. Was quite interesting how it had wrapped up the pots below the water too.
oxygenating plants in the pond are
Eleocharis acicularis (which the water snails seem to quite like)
myriophyllum crispatum
another which looks similar to the one above but isn't the same
another one which looks like an oxalis (in the pic at the top of the post)
other plants in the pond
forget me not
typha minima (was hoping this might attract damsel/dragonflies)
also if there's interest, the pond dimensions are 60cm dia. 30cm depth. I think another problem with little ponds, aside from them being quite small to have a full ecosystem, is that it's raised above ground level, which makes it even more at risk from the sun with heating the sides too. Especially with having a black bucket as I do.. Thinking of painting it white to try and lessen the heating as well as sorting out more shade.
Mosquito larvae will stick around for now then. Should be good for bats at least.
Sounds good James - best of luck
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.