Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,901
Posts557,097
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,415
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,110
Who's Online Now
11 members (Dylanfrely, Angler8689, Sunil, esshup, jpsdad, azteca, BillyE, H20fwler, FishinRod, Augie, PRCS), 713 guests, and 264 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 6
T
OP Offline
T
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 6
We have a 1/4 acre spring fed pond with average depth of 8 feet (12 maximum). Intermittently, duckweed and filamentous algae have been a real problem. Last year, May through November the entire surface was covered with duckweed.
We use our pond to irrigate about 1 acre of organic blueberries. I would like to stay away from chemicals in general, although I have used pond dye in the past with little success.
Questions:
Has anybody used herbicide in this situation? If so, what? Needless to say, anything that would harm our crop would be a strict no-no.
I'm currently putting together an aeration system. How much of the duckweed and algae problem with this take care of by itself? I've been lurking in the aeration forum for a while, and have a pretty good idea of what I want to build, but haven't seen much detail on the success of aeration alone to control algae.

Thanks for the help.

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,415
Likes: 793
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Online Content
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,415
Likes: 793
Check to see if Tilapia are legal to stock in the pond in your state. If they are, then I'd stock 20-30 pounds. Aeration by itself won't fix the problem.


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 6
T
OP Offline
T
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 6
Great idea!
Tilapia farming is legal in Tennessee and there is, or was, a farm very close to us.

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,249
Likes: 584
F
Lunker
Online Content
Lunker
F
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,249
Likes: 584
I like all of the non-herbicide solutions first, but sometimes you can achieve better living through chemistry.

Purdue put out a good article on control of duckweed:

Control of Duckweed and Watermeal

One of their non-herbicide recommendations is to reduce nutrients to the afflicted pond. Do you use any organic fertilizers on your blueberries that might wash into the pond? If so, then diverting this nutrient-rich surface flow away from the pond could reduce your duckweed problem.

They also make herbicide recommendations. There is a good "contact" herbicide (diquat) and a good "systemic" herbicide (fluridone).

I would recommend trying the diquat first and seeing how much control you can achieve. The treated pond is then safe for irrigation after 5 days.

The systemic treatment fluridone would probably give you better, longer-lasting treatment. (Sometimes the duckweed control may carry over to the next year.) However, the treated water cannot be used on irrigated edible crops for 30 days. It also cannot be used within 1/4 mile of drinking water intake pipes.

Hopefully, you can beat back the duckweed and FA with tilapia and other means. But you can probably use the diquat for assistance if your blueberries can take a week off without irrigation.

Good luck on your project!


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
Bob Lusk, GaryK, GrizzFan, PhotographerDave
Recent Posts
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by Sunil - 03/28/24 05:33 PM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/28/24 04:51 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by BillyE - 03/28/24 04:35 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
Alum vs Bentonite/Lathanum for Phosphorus Removal?
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 04:23 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by ewest - 03/28/24 03:37 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by esshup - 03/28/24 10:39 AM
Brooder Shiners and Fry, What to do??
by Freg - 03/28/24 09:42 AM
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by Justin W - 03/28/24 08:19 AM
Reducing fish biomass
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:18 AM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5