Most Effective Algae Competitors. Fight Against Algae In The Reservoir. Photo

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Most Effective Algae Competitors. Fight Against Algae In The Reservoir. Photo
Most Effective Algae Competitors. Fight Against Algae In The Reservoir. Photo

Video: Most Effective Algae Competitors. Fight Against Algae In The Reservoir. Photo

Video: Most Effective Algae Competitors. Fight Against Algae In The Reservoir. Photo
Video: AQUARIUM ALGAE GUIDE - HOW TO FIX ALGAE ISSUES AND WHAT CAUSES ALGAE BLOOM 2024, March
Anonim

Algae control is one of the most important challenges facing any owner of small and large bodies of water. In summer, when the water is very hot, algae multiply in small ponds at such a rate that they can seriously disrupt the ecosystem. It is much more difficult to deal with the consequences of uncontrolled seizure of water areas by algae than to prevent it. Moreover, for this all you need is to pay attention to plants that can create reliable natural protection at the greening stage.

Decorative pond
Decorative pond

Content:

  • Crops that can prevent the spread of algae
  • Submerged hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
  • Buttercup water (Ranunculus aquatilis)
  • Urut whorled (Myriophyllum verticillatum)
  • Common bog (Callitriche palustris)
  • Efficiency, but not speed of natural filters
  • Water show for algae control

Crops that can prevent the spread of algae

Mistakes in the landscaping of reservoirs quickly make themselves felt. If you set the task only to achieve maximum decorativeness and forget that many garden plants play other roles, in addition to decorating the water surface, then you can initially doom yourself to big problems. This also applies to the planting of crops with a hollow stem, which provide breathing for the pond even in winter, and dense sod perennials, in the thickets of which insects and animals settle, and about the inhabitants of deep water that are underestimated due to their insufficient showiness.

Indeed, it is the cultures that endure the strongest diving that play the most important protective role for any body of water. They are the natural filters that regulate the distribution and quantity of algae, absorb nutrients and release oxygen. In fact, they are competitors of algae and literally prevent them from taking over the pond even in the height of summer, when the heat activates very rapid reproduction.

Regardless of what your task is - to combat the problem of the spread of algae and the consequences of mistakes in landscaping, or you are just at the beginning of the journey and think over the concept of planting plants and prevention of problems - the helpers in solving it are the same.

There are crops that claim to be the best natural defenses against algae - the four main competitors for unwanted pond vegetation. Their activity in absorbing nutrients from the water and their oxygen saturation capacity are most effective for small to medium sized garden ponds and are virtually equal to various aerators.

Aquatic plants in a decorative pond
Aquatic plants in a decorative pond

Submerged hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)

This is one of the inhabitants of deep water, with only submerged leaves. It grows completely in the water surface, is able to endure immersion to a depth of about 9 m. This perennial does not form roots and is strengthened in silt by pale-colored branches at the bottom of the stem.

Hornwort produces a very long stem that branches only at the top. The whorls of rigid leaves cut into threadlike segments make the plant filigree, glowing and look very beautiful in clear water. The flowers of this plant are practically invisible, pollinated under water (only ripe separated stamens float to the surface).

The functions of the hornwort are not limited to the fight against algae and aeration of water: this plant is a favorite and reliable haven for many inhabitants of the pond. By absorbing nutrients and releasing oxygen with literally all parts of the leaves and stems, hornwort is much more effective than plants that “work” only with roots.

Submerged hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
Submerged hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)

But it also has drawbacks: due to water pollination, which is difficult to control, the plant can displace other inhabitants of the reservoir, spreads quickly, requires control and settles forever (it will not be possible to completely remove the plant under any measures).

But hornwort is able to grow in the shade and in the sun, does not require planting (cuttings are thrown into the water), it regulates the depth itself, is easily controlled by removing a part of the plant with a rake or a net, winter-hardy.

Buttercup water (Ranunculus aquatilis)

This is not a large, but very pretty plant that adorns the reservoir with elegant greenery and touching flowering. This aquatic inhabitant develops underwater filamentous and very clover-like emergent leaves, whose bright, rich color appears especially effective on the surface of the water.

Gradually expanding, the buttercup creates a semblance of a lace covering. This is a modest, but by no means unattractive plant, the flowering of which can be considered a model of cuteness. Snow-white flowers with a lush yellow center and flawless teardrop-shaped petals seem to be a touching miracle against the background of bright greenery, rising on peduncles up to 10 cm above the water surface. Buttercup blooms in early summer.

Buttercups not only saturate the water with oxygen and absorb minerals, but also have a fungicidal effect, preventing pathogenic fungi from developing in the water.

Buttercup water (Ranunculus aquatilis)
Buttercup water (Ranunculus aquatilis)

Unlike many competitors, the water buttercup is sun-loving. You can not plant it, but simply put it into the water. It winters well due to the formation of renewal buds, which sink to a depth until spring. Buttercup can be found both in shallow water and at a depth (from 20 to 200 cm). Good in ponds and streams. The plant is controlled by simple thinning. Care comes down to removing dead parts in the fall.

Urut whorled (Myriophyllum verticillatum)

This watery large-sized one seems to many to be a relative of the hornwort. Its long shoots, dotted with densely spaced leaves cut into thin threadlike lobes, create stunning thickets and laces. The leaves are very delicate, usually light brownish in color.

Urut forms branched stems and creeping rhizome, grows quickly enough. Despite the fact that most of the plants are hidden under water, the tops sometimes rise to the surface. During flowering, a spike-shaped inflorescence with nondescript pink flowers rises above the water, and the inflorescence appears only during pollination.

Urut is considered one of the best aerators and is very valuable for the aquatic ecosystem, provides shelter for small organisms and serves as food for fish.

Urut whorled (Myriophyllum verticillatum)
Urut whorled (Myriophyllum verticillatum)

Uruti are light-loving aquatic stars that can be grown in partial shade, deep water, and shallow water. The minimum planting depth is 10 cm, the maximum depth is 2 m. Controlled in the same way as the hornwort.

Common bog (Callitriche palustris)

The bog, we also know as the water star, despite its "ordinary" name, is the hallmark of natural ponds. The plant got its nickname for a reason: on the surface of reservoirs, the bog marsh forms "stars" - funnels of lanceolate leaves crowded at the top, they seem to be green, concave rosettes. And the bright color of the greenery makes them even more catchy.

Swamp is an unpretentious culture that does not suppress other plants, whose shoots up to 20 cm long are evenly leafy with linear leaves, but at the top of the internode they are shortened, which creates the feeling of a star-shaped rosette lying on the surface of the water. The flowering of the bog is almost imperceptible, but the rosettes of the leaves remain attractive throughout the season.

Bogs are home to beneficial animals and insects, are considered stabilizers to help balance the ecosystem of a pond, and are some of the best plants for water purification.

Common bog (Callitriche palustris)
Common bog (Callitriche palustris)

Wetlands can settle at a depth of 10 to 50 cm, both in partial shade and in the sun. They can not be planted, but simply lowered into the water, tying a stone to the base of the shoots to fix it before rooting. Care is reduced to thinning during rapid growth (you need to remove some of the greenery only with strong shading, dense coverage, because the bog never interferes with other plants).

Efficiency, but not speed of natural filters

Planting deep-sea plants, aimed at creating a natural defense against the spread of algae and improving the condition of the water, can be carried out in the spring and until mid-summer. Such plants are planted in baskets, setting them to the recommended depth for each plant. The larger the plant is, the faster it will reach its optimal size and the closer the days when you can evaluate the result of its "work".

Don't expect instant results from these plants. After planting (or rather, installing a basket with an aquatic plant in a pond), it will take some time before their active growth begins. In fact, such crops perform their full filter function only from the second year. And when it comes to tackling serious pollution, then first you have to take steps to clean the pond and only then rely on green helpers.

Decorative pond with aquatic plants
Decorative pond with aquatic plants

Water show for algae control

If you have a problem with algae every summer, the area of the reservoir does not allow enough deep sea plants to cope with the problem, or you need a faster solution, then consider installing an aerator.

True, we are not talking about a device, but about various water activities that will improve the saturation of water with oxygen and revive the water surface. Fountains, waterfalls, water cascades, flowing streams - all of them are also helpers in the fight against the active growth of algae.

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