It was 70* today and I had the best time in the yard. Spent the day prepping this area to be my new herb garden. It’s a large area all around this pond and very fertile. I had some herbs here last year and they did amazingly well so, this year, they may all go here!
I do have one problem, however. My pond has algae and I don’t know how to treat it. The birds sit at the edge to drink water and lots of frogs call it home. Do you know what I can do to rid/prevent algae that won’t hurt the wildlife?
Thanks!
Oh dear! Anything you do will affect the frogs (which you don’t mention but I’m sure they’ll be there any day). They are one of the most sensitive of creatures – kind of the canary in the coal mine environmentally. Has the pond pump been running? Normally moving water doesnt’ get a lot of algae so if it’s been off for a while, just setting the water in motion might do the trick.
From what I’ve heard and read (I did some research when installing my bird bath) the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with algae is to scoop it out and scrub off the bits clinging to rocks (and stir up the rocks on the bottom if that’s where it is). I know it’s a bit gross, but the frogs will thank you!
As for herbs, did any survive over the winter? Did you try putting the lemon grass in pots and moving them inside? If so, you should be able to replant them in the ground and they’ll come back as it warms up. It’s realy resillient stuff!
Actually, re-read slooooowly. I did mention my frogs..
Dad sent this link and it looks awesome. http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/PondWaterProducts.html
Pond Keeper with Barley Straw. I’m going to try it.
No, the water is not stagnant. The pump stays on 24/7 and hasn’t quit. However, once the warm weather hit, it’s all turning green. I want to get it under control before the strings start to form!
The rosemary and, surprisingly, the parsley survived all winter, as did some of the thyme. I didn’t have enough pots to bring in all the parsley and never dreamed any would live outside, but it did, quite well! Snow, ice and all!
No, I did not bring in the lemon grass. Every plant was literally 5 feet tall and probably as wide. I would have to build a wing just to house those 5 plants. So, I cut a couple back and, if they come back, amazing. If not, I will spend another dollar to buy more. Best buck I ever spent.
Thanks for writing!
Weird I missed the frogs because I definitely read about the birds (are you sure you didn’t sneak that bit in after I read it :-)
Dad’s link looks pretty good. I would feel better if they specifically mentioned frogs but it looks unlikely to harm them. How much harm could barley do? Being the minimalist, I’d still go with trying to discourage it with a good scrub but that’s just me. I’ll be hanging out for the post with the results (and photos of the frogs).
I’m becoming a bigger fan of parsley every day. My new seeds (taken from the old plants) are looking fantastic. Outside. Inside they look rather miserable. It’s such a beautiful plant, it smells great, it can go in almost any meal and it’s loaded with all kinds of vitamins. AND it survives in snow covered pond islands as well as dought stricken barren gardens. Let’s hear it for parsley!!!