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Copper wire to deter algae in ponds
On 2014-03-07 08:13:06 +0000, Chris Hogg said:
On Thu, 6 Mar 2014 15:34:45 +0000, Sacha wrote: In The Garden of Evening Mists, the woman learning from the Japanese master is set to making balls out of copper strips. These are thrown into the pond and sink. He tells her this is to deter algae. Has anyone ever tried it and I wonder if it would work on the accursed duckweed? A strip of bare copper wire along the ridge of a house roof is supposed to keep the roof clear of moss. I'm not quite sure what form of life moss is, but copper is poisonous to many life forms (eg it's a popular fungicide, and above a certain concentration can inhibit plant growth) so it wouldn't surprise me if it prevented algal growth in ponds. But it raises the question as to what else it would kill, animal and vegetable. You might end up with a sterile pond. Controlling algae is better done by controlling the nitrate levels in the pond by not (over)feeding the fish. Duckweed may be similarly controlled. If the fish aren't fed, the nitrate levels in the water will be low so won't encourage the DW, and the hungry fish will eat what's remaining. No DW or algae problems in my pond. If we don't feed our fish, they eat the frog spawn. ;-( We're feeding lightly now. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
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