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my pond water has turned a green colour with a lather on top any ideas to correct it2007-11-24 23:39:24

there is no sign of blanketweed

Answers:

I suspect that one of the plants you have in the pond is a producer of saponins, a common substance produced by plants, but which has soap like qualities - the commonest being "soapwort" a common garden plant that was used as a cleanser before modern detergents came about.

If the saponin level in your pond has risen, the churning effect of the waterfall will have produced the lather. - you will often see it in fast flowing rivers and streams.

It is harmless.

The green colour will be due to unicellular algal growth, stimulated by a high nitrate content of the water, (particularly if you have fish) and sunlight, it obviously likes your pond. Most natural ponds turn green at some time in the year, and again it is nothing really to worry about, and indeed the algae is lowering the nitrate content of your water by "locking it up"

There are many suggested ways of clearing it - commercial products such as "green away" will do the job temporarily but are expensive, and I don't think adding artificial chemicals to the water does the pond life a lot of good. A net or an old nylon stocking stuffed with barley straw is also reputed to clear ponds of algal growth, but if you don't mind having a green pond for a while, it will subside as the Autumn draws on, and isn't really anything to worry about.

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get a sucker put into your pond and it will clean the water for you

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Uh sorry my expertise is more into pools if it was a pool I'd tell you to brush it and put a full jug of chlorine into it.

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get your oxygen l;evels right and your pond will be clear,