WILDLIFE GARDENS AND PONDS

Discussion in 'Wildlife Corner' started by ARMANDII, Mar 22, 2018.

  1. ARMANDII

    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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    Your marginal plants are doing the best they can to take out the excess nutrients in the water, lucius, but it takes time for them to grow enough, using the excess nutrients to grow, so for the moment have patience and keep taking out the blanket weed. The ironic thing is that the Blanket weed itself is using the excess nutrients to grow!!

    There are no nutrients in UK tap water, lucius,but there is Chlorine but that will not encourage growth in Blanket weed. However, the warm weather will encourage any algae cells in the water to multiply and form Blanket weed. In this dry, warm weather I top up my pond almost daily with tap water, via a 100' hosepipe permanently laid at the back of the West border, from the outside tap. That takes around 75 minutes to top the pond up the right level and because of the depth of the pond, some shade, but more importantly because the marginal plants are all established they keep the proper balance of the pond and the water crystal clear.:hapydancsmil::snorky:
     
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    • martin-f

      martin-f Plant Hardiness Zone 8b

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      The problem is that tap water has much higher levels of nitrates than the level found in natural ponds. Nitrates cause excessive nutrients in the water.
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        This is a well trodden subject, Martin:wallbanging::snorky: UK tap water has 50 miiligrams of nitrates per liter of water. Rain water has 1000 milligrams per liter, and also contains Sulphate, heavy metals, calcium, acids, organic matter, algae cells, etc. So the level of Nitrate in tap water doesn't, contrary to belief, encourage algae, but rain water will. The other factor in a pond is that pond water will never be sterile and is full of dormant organic matter that given the opportunity, such as warm weather, will proliferate time and again.
         
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        • martin-f

          martin-f Plant Hardiness Zone 8b

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          The problem is that tap water has much higher levels of nitrates than the level found in natural ponds. Nitrates cause excessive nutrients in the water, encouraging plants such as duck weed and blanket weed, which in turn make life a struggle for the submerged plants that are essential for healthy and diverse pond-life.
          :dbgrtmb:

          Tap water is culprit for polluting garden ponds
           
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          • luciusmaximus

            luciusmaximus Total Gardener

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            Our drinking water is supplied by Llyn Alaw or Llyn Cefni reservoirs on the Island but I don't know if water comes in from the mainland as well. According to the Telegraph the nitrates in the water is not a problem for those whose water comes from the Welsh hills. Not sure if that applies to Anglesey.

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            This is a good site :). The survey mentioned by the Telegraph seems to have been of natural ponds, lakes and rivers, but I not sure if it also encompassed garden ponds - haven't trawled all the way through the site yet.

            So what are we supposed to use for topping up the pond if tap water is not so good and rainwater is also not so good :scratch: :loll:
             
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            • martin-f

              martin-f Plant Hardiness Zone 8b

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              Tap water will be a small part of the problem luci other issues will come into play, i top up with tap water and do have a certain amount of algae but its at a level i am happy with.
               
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