What is this stuff in our pond? NGC naturally

[Chuck in Indiana]

And how do I get rid of it without killing my lilies?
2018-06-24_03-34-49 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

2018-06-24_03-34-30 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

Floating on top, looks like platelets. So far, confined to one area..
TIA

[RinkRat II]

  Possibly Duckweed? Best organic solution for that and algae is Barley straw.  Depends how big your pond is, a bale of straw cut in to slices and tethered around the pond will help. Does your pond circulate?

         Paul B

[Mr Pootle]

I had it in my garden pond. it came with some water lilies. It�s very difficult to get rid of. Those little leaves keep multiplying. It�ll require repeated scooping out with a net until it�s all gone. And dispose of those leaves somewhere a long way from your pond.

[yogidozer]

I had it in my garden pond. it came with some water lilies. It�s very difficult to get rid of. Those little leaves keep multiplying. It�ll require repeated scooping out with a net until it�s all gone. And dispose of those leaves somewhere a long way from your pond.

My garden too. Grows VERY fast, even if you pull it up by the roots, it's back again shortly.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Oh, yuck. I was afraid of that. Something that looks like that came with Dorcia's mulch this year. I just assumed it was a pond only problem..

[Chuck in Indiana]

Does your pond circulate?

No, I have a windmill that drives two aeration stones like are used in sewage treatment plants, though. Not too much of a problem with algae.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Will copper sulphate kill it?

[lucian]

Looks like Pondus Weedaciphicus.  Legal in most states.

[yogidozer]

Will copper sulphate kill it?

probably will kill it, but....
Copper sulfate is toxic to very few fish. Some species that you can't use copper with are Koi, goldfish and trout all of which are listed on the label. Pond owners that have experienced a fish kill after using a copper sulfate algaecide most likely treated too large of an area.

[RinkRat II]

       Will copper sulphate kill it?
      Probably not, C S mostly used for algae control by blocking the sunlight, You'll need a herbicide to kill duckweed or mechanical removal if it's confined to one area.

         Paul B

[yogidozer]

maybe try using a rake on it? might take a few times.
I bet it's been very sunny and warm by you?
Thinking if you can deal with it by raking, the winter freeze will finish it off.
If you do use the Copper sulfate, be VERY sure your pets don't drink the water.

[Perazzimx14]

Red eared sliders love to eat duckweed. 

[yogidozer]

Red eared sliders love to eat duckweed.

Now THERE's a great solution! 

[Kent in Upstate NY]

My dog, a red colored Vizla jumped into a pond full of duck weed. She came out green.  She wondered why we were laughing at her.

[RinkRat II]

   A pool leaf skimmer works well too,

 You do see the skimmer don't you??

       Paul B

[dlapierre]

   A pool leaf skimmer works well too,

 You do see the skimmer don't you??

       Paul B

Yup. Skim it off and if you can't feed it to chickens, compost it. It has nutrients.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Red eared sliders love to eat duckweed.

We have a few, but not enough to handle this invasion. 

[blackbuell]

That, indeed, is duckweed, a vascular plant like your pond lilies. I doubt that a chemical treatment would take care of it without harming your lilies. Mechanical removal might be the only way to go.

Jon

[Chuck in Indiana]

That, indeed, is duckweed, a vascular plant like your pond lilies. I doubt that a chemical treatment would take care of it without harming your lilies. Mechanical removal might be the only way to go.

Jon

If absolutely necessary, I'll kill the lilies, too.  There's more where those came from..

[slopokes]

What skimmer😄😀😎

[Chuck in Indiana]

Hey, thanks for all the replies. Although this forum has outlived it's usefulness.. I've learned yet another thing. WG rocks. 

[giusto]

Manual removal (such as scooping it out with a net) of watermeal is often ineffective because if even just a small fraction of the watermeal is not removed, it will quickly propagate and you'll be back out there scooping up the watermeal again in no time. Because of watermeal's explosive growth pattern,  recommend herbicidal treatments for optimum results.  Clipper is the most effective herbicide for controling watermeal, it also treats a variety of algae and and submerged weeds. 

 Because watermeal thrives (and can easily reproduce explosively) in waters with high phosphorus levels, part of your control method should concentrate on reducing the water body's nutrients, especially Phosphorus. PhosControl® is one such product capable of doing this.

Try using  Watermeal POND Solution products for watermeal  control  and to help prevent future outbreaks.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone knowledgable about watermeal control, please feel free to call 1-877-428-8898

[Sheepdog]

Now THERE's a great solution! 

Yes, but sliders also eat water lilies...

[rocker59]

Chuck,

You could try a few of these guys:

https://www.finfarm.com/white-amur-for-aquatic-weed-control/

[Githianki]

Duckweed....scourge of many a planted aquarium tank...hate the stuff.  Most goldfish will eat the stuff like crazy if you wanted to go that route.

[luthier]

What about some ducks?

[yogidozer]

Chuck, didn't I read in one of your posts you have chickens?
They can eat duckweed.
Grass carp will too, but you'll have to buy them, not sure if your pond is big enough anyway.

[brider]

Deja vu all over again.....brings me back to my youth growing up in Michigan. We were surrounded by swamps, and they all were covered in that stuff. We got good at picking out the bullfrog eyes and noses poking out of the top.

[menzies]

It looks like what they call Mil-foil down here, I bought 15 grass Carp for my pond, 1 1/2 acre size, it took them over a year too clean it up and it has never come back.

[Toecutter]

Duckweed.

You near any farms? That stuff grows aggressively with runoff from industrial farms.