Aquatic plants are less likely to be attacked by pests and diseases than those growing outside the pond. This really is very fortunate because chemical sprays must never be utilised in the pond, the effect on fish and insects that we want in the pond may be disastrous. The fundamental control technique is usually to take off the affected leaf or the whole plant, depending on the danger posed from the pest or disease. This aught to be done promptly before the situation gets out of hand. For some pests the leaves may be sprayed with a forceful jet of water to wash away the insects into the pond and into the mouths of grateful fish. Another technique used is to put a piece of sacking over the foliage so that it is weighed down until the insects have drowned.
There's one common complaint which doesn't involve neither the pest nor disease - it is purely cultural and that is the failure of Water Lilies to flower properly. You can find a number of causes of poor or absent flowers. The plant may not have reached flowering size or it may have been planted incorrectly. With a mature plant it could be at the wrong depth or it might have been moved to deeper water too early. Shade could be one problem and so can water currents or the droplets from a fountain. If the plant has bloomed well in previous years then it may require feeding (use special fertilizer pellets or sachets pushed into the soil within the planting basket), or it could require dividing and repotting.
Listed here are a couple of of the most typical pests that you might find in the pond. Some of them require you to do something and some don't. Before I get onto them though, I would just like to mention the frog. I am including the frog mainly for interest rather than as a warning, as it will be unlikely that this amphibian will ever cause any harm within your pond. But keep in mind that through the breeding season a male frog will cling very tightly to anything that moves, and very occasionally a fish might get damaged and even killed by having its head tightly clasped by the legs of the well meaning but over-amorous frog.
Anchor Worm.
This skin parasite is without doubt one of the causes of obvious distress with the fish swimming rapidly around in circles. When the scales are examined a raised bump is often seen - the site of the embedded barbed head of this pest. From this affected area hangs the body belonging to the worm, Greyish-White and tubular. At the end of the worm you will discover usually a few egg sacks. Prorietary remedies are available, but the typical treatment is to touch the worm using a paint brush which has been dipped in paraffin. Pull out the parasite using tweezers and dab the wound using a fish antiseptic.
Dropsy.
This is certainly an uncommon problem, but an exceptionally serious one. The body of the fish becomes bloated and the eyes protrude, but probably the most distinctive symptom is the scales are raised to give the 'pine cone' effect connected with this disease. The experts cannot decide what causes dropsy. There may be several kinds of dropsy but it is thought that one type of dropsy is attributable to bacteria. You might sometimes see dropsy cures listed inside the catalogues and the condition sometimes corrects itself, but the best plan of action is to kill the fish humanely.
I have only listed Two problems that may occur in the pond, but you will discover considerably more. Maybe I will write about them in my next article if I’ve time.
Author Resource:
I spend a lot of my spare time in my garden but I must admit that the majority of it is spent either improving my pond or simply sitting by it watching everything in the water live it's life. A large amount of my fascination with ponds was created using the help of a gardener london company. They gave me all the assistance and advice that I needed as and when I asked them for it.
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