Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

Carnivorous Pitcher Plant
one of the first plants in our swim pond

Friday 11 May 2012

Duck weed

We are back from our trip. The pool is as clear as ever. The lotus is dying back for winter, but the waterlillies are flourishing. One has a flower bud at the surface so we'll see what colour it is tomorrow. But we have duck weed! That is that tiny three leaved plant (is it a fern?) that covers the surface of some ponds like a lawn. It is quite attractive in a pond but I think it would be disastrous in a swimming pond. I think it would stick to your skin and clothes and be quite unpleasant. We must have introduced it with plants from another pond. So my daughter and I spent some time removing the floating plants and picking the duckweed out from among the remaining plants where ever we could find it. I don't like our chances of eradicating it- it is so tiny and even a single leaf can grow and multiply.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Beryl, thank you so much for keeping us posted about the development of your converted pool. In my experience the duck weed does arrive sometimes with plants or on the feed of ducks or other water fowl but it has not nearly enough nutrients in this type of natural pool to spread .It also does not like moving water and the water in the pool gently circulates. So, maybe you just need to watch how it behaves as it will normally stay in very small pockets or vanishes altogether. Kind Regards, Ralf

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  2. Ah! That's great news. I was so afraid that it would spoil the clean experience of swimming, if you came out of the water with tiny plants stuck to your skin and clothes. I won't worry about it then, although I think I almost have it beaten.

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