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The scourge of blanketweed/ Leeches?

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Cally View Drop Down
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    Posted: 23 Jun 2016 at 11:10am
I have a small garden pond which has a largish frog population, at least three newts, damsel flies, water daphnae, snails and native pond plants such as frogbit, water forgetmenot and mint.  The blanket weed is overwhelming the pond this year - entangled in the plants and I have goes at removing it every day but am not making any headway; also the water itself is greenish and there is an almost total covering of duckweed.  Amongst all the wildlife is a single, inherited koi carp who is suffering oxygen deprivation. I use barley straw but I don't think it has helped this year. My question is: Has anyone any advice of safe additives to kill off the unwanted growth?
  Another question: In my trawl to remove the blanket weed, I found a shiny black squirming critter with what looked like a sucking mouthpart at one end? It was about 3 cm long? Could this be a leech? If so what is it feeding on - I haven't noticed any on the koi.
 
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2016 at 4:19pm
Im in the same situation - pond is completely covered this year with tiny leaves, the leeches are the same as previous years and there are loads of them and don't seem to really affect anything but i am very concerned about the fact that the other plants are not getting any sunlight.

The only solution i can think of for myself is to totally drain the pond but as so many creatures would die i am loathe to do it...

i have had this pond for over 20 years and never had this problem with the duckweed like this year...
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Suzy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2016 at 11:09pm
I am sorry you have got blanket weed. It's not something I've had, thankfully, but I do have duckweed. It totally covers my small pond. I rake it out at times, but of course never get it all out as it gets stuck in pond plants. I noticed this year that I'd got no emerging frogbit and I think that was because of duckweed last year smothering it out. I've introduced some from the larger pond and it is expanding slightly.The larger pond does catch the breeze and this occasional water movement seems to stop the duckweed getting going in there. There is some but not much. One thing the small pond has crystal clear water under the duckweed; the larger pond is not so clear as it has patches of open water.
I have leeches in both ponds. The frogs seem to get them attached but not the newts.
The duckweed stops me seeing things in the pond, so I clear small areas at times so that I can watch the newts. I don't think the newts are bothered by it at all.
I think if you are serious about having a wildlife pond you need to give the carp away.
Suz
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PondDragon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote PondDragon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2016 at 10:53am
Has the water quality been fine in previous years? Ideally I'd want to remove the Koi unless you are particularly attached to it. Carp will reduce the water quality by stirring up the mud, releasing nutrients which encourage blanketweed, green water (free-swimming algae) and duckweed, and feed on much of the wildlife.

I wouldn't worry about the leeches - the common species found in ponds generally feed on small invertebrates (eaten whole) rather than being blood sucking. Nothing to worry about.
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