Back and Thanks and New Topic

[William Young]

I would like to thank all the members for the help provided several  weeks ago when I had lots of string algea and was looking for water plants. The pond is now doing well and is in a healthy state.

I have the algea completely under control now and it is finally  warm enough for water plants. We are supposed to get up around 30 degrees celcius or more  this weekend .
I found a local source for reasonably priced water plants. Last week I bought  a canna lilly and a camillion plant .
I also "stole"     a free water lilly in a marshland near by. Those things have awesome roots and don't know if they are the same species as that  are used for fish ponds.
Today I bought a water lettuce and a couple water hyacinths(sp?) . I did a google and  found they are considered a bad weed and are banned in some areas  and multiply real fast  .  , No problem . .  I want something that multiplys fast and I can control it in a small pond by thinning them out if necessary . I had never seen water hyacinths before . Strange looking with the leaves coming out of round base's
Question . .  ? ?  the last two kinds  of  floating ones mentioned are young plants  about 6" in diameter   and have a few "babies"  with small roots  shooting out from them. Should the babys be removed and let start growing on their own or should I just leave them attached to the mother plants and let them grow out from there. ?

One more question.
Have a problem with grass clippings getting on the pond  when mowing the grass causing a lot of skimming. Previously I could  put a tarp over  it while cutting the grass. Now with the taller potted plants I would not like to put a tarp on them.
Any suggestions on how to keep clippings off  just when cutting the grass ?
W.Y.

[Julles]

With both the lettuce and the hyacinth, leave the babies attached.  When they get full size, you can break them off and let them float around on their own.

Esp with the hyacinth, this provides more stability, as mine tend to tumble over a bit if there are not a lot of branches going out to each side.

In SOME areas / states, those ARE outlawed.  But generally, if you keep them in your pond and don't release any to public waterways, you'll be OK.  Just don't go 'round telling your neighbors you have some, 'cause there's always SOMEone who wants to turn you in.

Re the lawnmower - can you turn it so it blasts the grass cuttings in the other direction?  Or add some koi or other greenery-eating fish? You might be able to get clippings out of the pond after the fact by using a loose rake with close prongs.

[William Young]

Thanks Julles for the great info  about the plants. This ponding is still fairly  new to me because I just started last fall and there were no plants in it at all when my siter-in laws bought the place   and it was too late in the season to get any. .
I do have a skimmer I made by bending a coat  hanger round and attached it to a broom stick . My wife sewed a nylon mesh onto it and it works quite well. It's just that I am a little on the lazy side and would rather not have to skim any more than necessary 
I try not to get much on from the lawn mower but the weed eating around the rocks on the perimeter of the pool is what causes most of the clippings on the water.

[Cedric]

William (please to meet you) please don't leave us in suspense, how did you get the hair algae under control?

[William Young]

Cedric;
I call it string algea but as you call it hair algea maybe it is the same thing.
I simply went by the advice of members here and removed as much as possible manually and sarted  adding a phosphate control product weekly for about a month as well as extra filtering . Then I was told to use plants for shade to prevent more from forming.  There is a little forming now but it is not a problem and I am hoping that now that the weather is getting warmer the plants will grow fast enough to keep it under control by offering shade and use  up some of the nutrients in the water that the algea apparently thrives on .

W.Y.