frothy problem advise needed plz x

I know WaterGarden is going to jump all over me for this,but I have had a pond for 20 years now with fish in it. I have never used UV filters or the like in the pond. I have used plants to take of the nutrients in the pond such as marginal plants, deep water plants and oxygenating plants and I have never had one day of green or froth because the plants keep the pond in balance. To me the filter is not doing the job it was made to do and you now have a bad case of algae soup. I'd replace at least part of the water and put some marginal plants in baskets into the pond and try for a natural nutrient extraction system.:D

 

Well that's good news, Joolz! Pete and I are going along the lines of thought, although I do use baskets lined with hessian and topped with gravel and Elodea is thought by some to be a bit of a thug and invasive. Having said that you should be able to control Elodea and it will use the nutrients in the water. One thing. Joolz, I have over-planted with the marginals so as to get maximum nutrient extraction. My advice would be to do the same and also to give the plants a first helping hand change as much of the water as feasible.:D

 

Okay, I'm sure Pete will come up with plants for you, so here's a list to be going on with

Caltha Palustris [Marsh Marigold - Yellow flowers]
Caltha Palustris Plena [The double form]
Carex Stricta Aurea [Bowles Gold Sedge [Nice plant]
Carex sylvatica
Carex pseudo-cyperus
Coluta coronopifolia
Lythrum Virgatum
Myosotis Palustris
Mimulus
Acorus gramineus Variegatus
Alisma natans
Calla palustris
Iris Laevigata
Iris pseudacorus Variegata
Iris versicolor [blue]
Iris kermesina [reddish purple]
Juncus effusus spiralis [corkscrew rush]
Potentilla palustris
Ranunculus lingus Grandiflora
Thypha minima
Acorus calamus Varigatus
Menyanthes Trifoliata [bog bean]
Orontium aquaticum
Pontederia cordata
Zantedschia aethiopica

So there's some plants to go in with. How many to a pond? Well, that depends on the size of your ponds, so how big are they?:D

 

Sorry, Darran, but there are others I could have listed but had to take into account the size they grow to and so on. I would do a little research, if I were you, Joolz, nothing too deep but enough to give you an understanding on how to keep a pond in natural balance. Try looking in second hand book shops where you'll find some good books of Water Gardening. One book I do like is a small one, the RHS Wisley Handbook on Water Gardens, it's informative without getting technical.

You forgot to mention the size of your ponds!!:D

 

You're right, Pete, about marginal plants growth and not adding sol at this time of year. Joolz's ponds are obviously full of nutrients and algae at this moment. I tried to factor in the size of Joolz's ponds when I gave the list but it is difficult when the size of the ponds isn't known. Hopefully Joolz will let us know the size and we can weed out what we think is too big.:D:D
What about your reccommendations, Pete?. You mentioned some deep water plants might be part of the answer, I was wondering if you had any in mind. I don't see how any pond can be boring no matter what you've planted in it, you always enjoy it. There are so many different styles of ponds and everybody has their own tastes, which is why when giving advice it's so important to make sure you're not inferring "my way is the best way" It's better for people to take advice on board and then do it their own way.:D But I do love seeing other gardeners pond's, formal, informal or "natural", as you can always get a fresh look on things.

This is a corner of my pond in Spring whre the fountain is:



There's a plant that's not on my list, to your left of the fountain, and that's the American Skunk Cabbage which, to me, is a fantastic plant, very hardy and gives that bright yellow spathe which really stands out. To your right is a loose brick wall which is actually in the pond itself and the other side is filled with ordinary garden earth. The pond feeds the soil with water through the loose brick wall and turns it into a bog garden naturally and I've never ever had any trouble with it. The bog plants are working with the marginals to extract and use the pond waters nutrients, helping to keep it clear even with fish in it.



This is the same corner in early Summer. Believe it or not the pond is low maintenance because I rarely do anything to it although it is heavily planted. I just let it get on with what it's doing and wander down there every now and then with a glass of wine to contemplate Life!!!

 

Watergarden is very knowledgeable and we disagree amicably on whether to use artificial means of clearing water or natural means. But we both understand the basic biological system that ensures a clear water or not and the reasons why algae forms making froth and green mucky water. Your UV filter is not doing the job and while I would never give any guarantee that any system will work I would bet, that done properly, the natural system will balance your pond with the plus of giving you a nice looking set of plants around your pond making it look more in line with your garden. I'm no "tree hugger" or "green extreme". I did research on using artificial UV filters and other systems at the beginning but the cost, time spent on maintenance, messing around with filters and chemicals put me off along with the suspicion that it was being pushed commercially as being essential and the only way of keeping a pond in balance. I did a bit more research and came across a piece by the late great Geoff Hamilton in his Gardeners World book regarding how to dig, line, fill and plant a pond using just basic common science and sense. His line of approach which used marginal plants, deep water plants, etc, appealed to me as being easy, full of down to earth logic, and being a complete novice at the time, I had to choose the artificial way, or the use of plants to naturally extract the nutrients from the pond water ensuring a balanced pond. I chose Geoff's way and I am glad I did because I have had over 20 years of trouble free pleasure in the pond.
Watergarden is right again, a fountain or waterfall is not good while a pond is full of froth and algae. But they do serve the function of aerating the pond when it is in balance.:D