Aquatic plants are less more likely to be attacked by pests and diseases than those growing outside the pond. That’s very fortunate because chemical sprays should never be used in the pond, the effect on fish and insects that we would like in the pond can be disastrous. The basic control technique is to remove the affected leaf or the whole plant, depending on the danger posed from the pest or disease. This should be done promptly before the situation gets out of hand. For some pests the leaves could 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 bit of sacking over the foliage so that it is weighed down until the insects have drowned.
There is one common complaint which doesn't involve neither the pest nor disease - it’s purely cultural and this is the failure of Water Lilies to flower properly. You will find a number of causes of poor or absent flowers. The plant may well not have reached flowering size or it may have been planted incorrectly. With a mature plant it may be at the wrong depth or it may have been moved to deeper water too early. Shade can be one problem and so can water currents or the droplets from your 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 inside the planting basket), or it could require dividing and repotting.
Here are a couple of of the most common pests that you may find in the pond. A number of them require you to definitely take action and a few don't. Before I get onto them though, I would 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 do not forget that through the breeding season a male frog will cling very tightly to anything that moves, and very occasionally a fish might get damaged or even killed by having its head tightly clasped from the legs of a 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 can be seen - the site of the embedded barbed head of this pest. From this affected area hangs the body of the worm, Greyish-White and tubular. At the end of the worm there are usually several egg sacks. Prorietary remedies can be found, but the common treatment is to touch the worm with a paint brush which is dipped in paraffin. Pull out the parasite using tweezers and dab the wound using a fish antiseptic.
Dropsy.
This really is an uncommon problem, but an incredibly serious one. The body of the fish becomes bloated and also the eyes protrude, but probably the most distinctive symptom is the scales are raised to present the 'pine cone' effect associated with this disease. The experts cannot decide what causes dropsy. There may well be several varieties of dropsy and it is known that one kind of dropsy is the result of bacteria. You will sometimes see dropsy cures listed in the catalogues and the condition sometimes corrects itself, but the very best course of action is to kill the fish humanely.
I have only listed Two which could occur in your pond, but there are a lot more. Maybe I will write about them in my next article if I have time.
Author Resource:
I spend a lot of my spare time in my garden but I have to admit that the majority of it is spent either improving my pond or simply sitting by it watching the world in the water live it's life. A large amount of my fascination with ponds was created with 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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