Azolla problem solved - 06/01/17 04:21 PM
I used a three-part solution:
- aeration
- skimming
- bacterial pellets
One month ago, I used a 100' floating boom to skim the Azolla covering our 100' x 40' pond in Southern Humboldt County, CA. The Azolla has not come back, although a tiny population persists on the extreme edge of the pond.
I began aerating the pond last year. The aerator eliminated the rotten egg smell, but the Azolla did not go away. I collected some with a 4' boom, but it grew right back.
So next I bought the 100' boom and skimmed 99.9% of the Azolla, which took half a day with one helper. I expected the Azolla to grow back, but no. I attribute this to changed chemistry in the water from the aeration over six months, because the muck was still there.
Now that the Azolla is gone, the pond can heat from the sun, so that the bacteria can work on the muck. It's possible that the Azolla will grow back unless I eliminate this nutrient source.
We are off-grid, so I bought a 500W aerator and powered it from our 1kW solar system. It's switched on and off by our charge controller, which has a 12V circuit that can be programmed to open and close according to the battery levels. I had a custom DPDT relay built to tie the controller to AC from the inverter.
Some aerator vendors tell you your pond must be aerated 24/7. My experience aligns with vendors who say that daytime operation is sufficient.
This has been a long ordeal. Some of you will have read my earlier posts about it. I offer to provide the names of the folks who sold me what I actually needed, so that others can get relief.
The frogs are croaking wildly, fish are popping the surface, and the water lilies are growing back. We filled four compost bins mostly with the Azolla. My wife is also very pleased that the pond reflects the trees again.
I'd like to upload images. "Enter an image" only offers HTML options. Any help?
- aeration
- skimming
- bacterial pellets
One month ago, I used a 100' floating boom to skim the Azolla covering our 100' x 40' pond in Southern Humboldt County, CA. The Azolla has not come back, although a tiny population persists on the extreme edge of the pond.
I began aerating the pond last year. The aerator eliminated the rotten egg smell, but the Azolla did not go away. I collected some with a 4' boom, but it grew right back.
So next I bought the 100' boom and skimmed 99.9% of the Azolla, which took half a day with one helper. I expected the Azolla to grow back, but no. I attribute this to changed chemistry in the water from the aeration over six months, because the muck was still there.
Now that the Azolla is gone, the pond can heat from the sun, so that the bacteria can work on the muck. It's possible that the Azolla will grow back unless I eliminate this nutrient source.
We are off-grid, so I bought a 500W aerator and powered it from our 1kW solar system. It's switched on and off by our charge controller, which has a 12V circuit that can be programmed to open and close according to the battery levels. I had a custom DPDT relay built to tie the controller to AC from the inverter.
Some aerator vendors tell you your pond must be aerated 24/7. My experience aligns with vendors who say that daytime operation is sufficient.
This has been a long ordeal. Some of you will have read my earlier posts about it. I offer to provide the names of the folks who sold me what I actually needed, so that others can get relief.
The frogs are croaking wildly, fish are popping the surface, and the water lilies are growing back. We filled four compost bins mostly with the Azolla. My wife is also very pleased that the pond reflects the trees again.
I'd like to upload images. "Enter an image" only offers HTML options. Any help?