hmmm....anyone know if there’s a reason I can’t do that?
Overgrown pond
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hmmm....anyone know if there’s a reason I can’t do that?
sissy
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my fish eat azolla also and it does not have a chance to get growing good .I have to put it in a stock tank to help it and transfer some of the water from my pond filter to the stock tank .I didn't get any this year ,no time to do much of anything
j.w
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Here's what I found on Azolla:
Azolla: A Genuine Super Plant
by Ian Maxwell (GranvilleSouth) September 16, 2010
Time for a look at a little plant with a big future
Who doesn't enjoy trying new plants? I certainly do because occasionally, I stumble across something special. An example of this happened recently when I decided to buy some Red Azolla (Azolla pinnata). This is a fern that floats on water. I obtained it online, along with some Algerian winter & water irises that had been my main interest. The water fern was an added after thought, but it was the irises that were put aside once it all arrived.
The appearance of azolla alone is fascinating. The effect of this tiny fern covering still water is rather like a verdant fractal. It is miniature perfection in both the structure & attractive green hue in its foliage. But left in the sun, this azolla would turn red & earn its common name. Straight away, it gave me ideas about partial shade & mixing reds & greens.
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Here's what I found on Azolla:
Azolla: A Genuine Super Plant
by Ian Maxwell (GranvilleSouth) September 16, 2010
Time for a look at a little plant with a big future
Who doesn't enjoy trying new plants? I certainly do because occasionally, I stumble across something special. An example of this happened recently when I decided to buy some Red Azolla (Azolla pinnata). This is a fern that floats on water. I obtained it online, along with some Algerian winter & water irises that had been my main interest. The water fern was an added after thought, but it was the irises that were put aside once it all arrived.
The appearance of azolla alone is fascinating. The effect of this tiny fern covering still water is rather like a verdant fractal. It is miniature perfection in both the structure & attractive green hue in its foliage. But left in the sun, this azolla would turn red & earn its common name. Straight away, it gave me ideas about partial shade & mixing reds & greens.
This Red or Ferny azolla is a native Australian, but good news is that there are six more species worldwide. You can grow it too & soon you may want to because it is a super plant. This title is awarded for its ability to colonise fresh water & double its biomass every few days. This ability stems from a symbiotic relationship azolla has with a blue-green algae species, Anabaena azollae. The algae fixes atmospheric nitrogen, allowing azolla to spread places where many other water plants are unable to take hold. In this way, azolla is an ecological trail blazer which will clean water, adding nitrogen to the system & allow other species to help establish healthy regimes.
Awesome, thanks for sharing that!!!
6 grass carp won't even make a dent .....If they eat parrot feather at all..... you need to mechanically drag the pond and add 50 grass carp
You have to be VERY CAREFUL parrots feather is illegal in many states you have got to be sure you don't ship to one of them. And like everything else these days i am sure you will need a license , and insurance to go ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER HIDDEN TAXES
ok, so my worries that the grass is winning the battle wasn’t unfounded.
will using a pond rake/grass cutter thingy work, or by mechanical do you mean specialized back-hoe?
I pulled out three hazel alder (pretty sure) bushes that were huge and frankly it has taken over the shore line like an infestation. I don’t live downstream from major farmland (just a bit of hay field) but they are putting in a new neighborhood with multi-acre wooded lots and not huge lawns and I’m wondering if I’m getting fertilizer runoff or something. Cuz it is just insane.
Alders only grow at the waters edge or in they love there feet wet. The fertilizer is a real concern if you get run off in there your doomed. but then again there are neighbor hoods where everyone fertilizes and then there is the dandy lion lawns
I have a follow up question, but first an update: I started the manual task of pulling our as much of the plants that are in the water that I can. It's really hard work, but it's kinda fun. Right now I'm using a rake and that damn parrot stuff has some INSANE root systems! I can only go about 60 minutes before I'm about to collapse, but I'm making a dent. I've been out there a total of 5 hours so far:
(Note on the far side of this picture you can also see a much bigger opening that I made.)
There are areas where the Parrot grass is that I'm not sure how I'll clean it out. I'm also not 100% sure I should clear everything out or whether I should leave some.
Anyway, in no particular order, here are my questions:
1) Aeration: Now that I'm taking all the time and effort to go through this plant removal process, I am getting myself ready to invest in an aeration system. The pond is 1/2 acre, mostly a circle. Has a creek as a input and a drainpipe as an output to a stream on the other side. It is 3-4' deep in the shallow areas, then gradually gets to 5-6' deep towards the pipe. I've been reading about aeration systems and some seem just too damn expensive. Anyone have experience with EasyPro? They have a PA6SWN and a PA8SWN that both look interesting. I think the 6 would technically be close enough with a rating of a 3/8 acre, but only has one head for aeration. The 8 has two heads and will do up to 3/4 acre. They also have more expensive models, for deeper ponds that I shouldn't need. One thing I'm uncertain of, will the aeration help control the plant growth, or will it make it worse?
2) Should I try to remove all of these plants and all other plants, or not? Is there something I should try to promote? A few years ago we had bad algae blooms, so it's nice to not see that happening with the plants, but of course they are creating their own problems.
3) As noted, the Alders are growing up around the edge all the way around the pond. Should I let them line the edge of the pond, or should I keep it more cleaned up?
Thanks in advance!
(Note on the far side of this picture you can also see a much bigger opening that I made.)
There are areas where the Parrot grass is that I'm not sure how I'll clean it out. I'm also not 100% sure I should clear everything out or whether I should leave some.
Anyway, in no particular order, here are my questions:
1) Aeration: Now that I'm taking all the time and effort to go through this plant removal process, I am getting myself ready to invest in an aeration system. The pond is 1/2 acre, mostly a circle. Has a creek as a input and a drainpipe as an output to a stream on the other side. It is 3-4' deep in the shallow areas, then gradually gets to 5-6' deep towards the pipe. I've been reading about aeration systems and some seem just too damn expensive. Anyone have experience with EasyPro? They have a PA6SWN and a PA8SWN that both look interesting. I think the 6 would technically be close enough with a rating of a 3/8 acre, but only has one head for aeration. The 8 has two heads and will do up to 3/4 acre. They also have more expensive models, for deeper ponds that I shouldn't need. One thing I'm uncertain of, will the aeration help control the plant growth, or will it make it worse?
2) Should I try to remove all of these plants and all other plants, or not? Is there something I should try to promote? A few years ago we had bad algae blooms, so it's nice to not see that happening with the plants, but of course they are creating their own problems.
3) As noted, the Alders are growing up around the edge all the way around the pond. Should I let them line the edge of the pond, or should I keep it more cleaned up?
Thanks in advance!
Mmathis
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Hmmm, since so many of us want parrots feather, but it’s considered invasive, so illegal to sell in some states....does that mean that you can’t ship it if the receiver only pays for the shipping cost? That’s not actually selling it (though, I guess it would be considered transporting over state lines — darn!)
LOL...I'm not sure. Probably best to discuss in DM if your serious...
That said, right now it's all just going to dry up on the shore in these big piles. Crazy.
selling / providing/ transporting a known invasive species that ever got into a water way you don't ever want to find out what they could do to you. This is a perfect example of why it is banned in so many states. LOOK AROUND back in the 70's stores were selling colored fragmitee . and unfortunately today you have to look long and hard for a wetland that does not have this invasive species. it is everywhere.
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If you want to sell plants, just be sure that the plants you are selling are not prohibited to be sold in the state you're selling from and the state you're shipping to. First you must positively ID the plant. Let's say you positively ID one as Myriophyllum aquaticum. Go to a invasives look-up website like https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver and look up Myriophyllum aquaticum on it using the search box on the website at https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=MYAQ2 then click the LEGAL STATUS tab at the top of the page and it will list the states it's prohibited in. If it's prohibited in your state, you can't sell it legally, and in fact, it may be illegal to even own it. If it's not illegal in your state, then you need to look up the state the buyer lives and and see if it's illegal there. If not, you can sell it to them, if it is illegal in the buyer's state, you can't sell it to them. For example, it's not illegal in your state (Virginia) so you could sell it, but not to me, because I live in Vermont where it is illegal. In places where it is illegal, it's illegal to sell, trade, own, or transport. There is no legal way around this and to be honest, you shouldn't be trying to get around it because if it's illegal there's a good reason and it would be unethical to try to introduce it to an area where it is a known problem or at risk of being a problem. Fines can be quite high.
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great detail, and also kudos for the links!
I really am not interested in selling or even shipping since this is invasive and without looking, I’d say Louisiana is probably not an approved state since they have lots of water ways down there.
