Re: lavender clippings for cleaning ponds

Vinciguerra, Alessandra wrote:
>  Irene wrote:
> 
>    >In a recent magazine article I read, there was a passing reference
>    >to keeping ponds clear by adding straw or lavender clippings in a
>    >net bag
> 
> > my water features are now   amazingly clear.
> 
> Irene, for sure I can't explain the reason why, but I would be very grateful
> if you could tell me more about the method! I am always fighting with algae
> problems, even though now, as the  weather is getting cooler, the problem is
> decreasing. 
> How many and how big lavender clippings, how big the net bag, is there a
> water-lavander rate (no. of clippings per gallon), for how long do you keep
> the bag in the pond, what happens to the fish?  

Alessandra,

  I don't know a whole lot about it yet. Check out 
      http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/mn_algae.asp
  which was the article I read. It says:

    "submerge mesh bags of barley straw (or lavender
    clippings in larger ponds) just below the water's surface in
    early spring, replacing them when they turn black.
    Chemicals released through straw decomposition inhibit
    algal growth. Roughly 25-50g of straw per m2 of water
    surface area is required, depending on the severity of the
    problem."

  In a separate thread, Xavier Flores has posted a pointer to this site
     http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/articles/use.htm
  which seems to indicate that it has positive effects on fish.

> And, do you have a filter
> with pump in yuor pond? Would this method work without such devices?

  Another website I found says that lavender clippings work more
  effectively than barley straw, but needs more oxygenation, so a pump
  might be needed if using lavender.

  Of my own experience, I can only tell you that I have no true ponds, 
  only 2 water features:

  1. a very small one, just some water trickling out of a pipe 
     onto a rock urn, overflowing onto a basin of rocks
     and recirculating. Maybe 10 gallons water total. For this,
     I added 3 small "sachets" of loosely chopped
     lavender clippings in cheesecloth, and the water went from
     murky brown/green to completely clear in about a week.

  2. A raised pool about 3' x 12' x 2' deep with some vertical water 
     jets for oxygenation - there are some goldfish, and a few ho-hum
     plants in it (we inherited this, I am not much of a water gardener,
     though I keep meaning to learn more about it).
     I used to have a problem with the pump intake head needing to 
     be wiped off several times a day, but this problem has gone
     away since I added a net bag (the kind that contained onions
     from the grocery store) stuffed with a handful of lavender
     I hacked off one of our plants. It's only been about a week
     or two, but so far the fish show no signs of distress (except
     perhaps at being more visible to the cats).
  
  I think that the bags are just so that it is easier to remove and change
  the straw/lavender after they lose their efficacy.

Regards,

-- Irene
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