skip to main content

Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Too much duckweed?

6 years ago

My lotus bog is completely covered in duckweed. My bog is a 300 gallon Rubbermaid container sunk into the ground, filled with soil, with about 5-6" of water on top. The lotus aren't growing like they used to because the trees have grown and it's not getting as much sun. But.......would the duckweed cover cause slower growth? Thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

PKponder TX Z7B
6 years ago
I love duckweed but found that it shades a bit too much for other plants when it's covering the surface. I ended up scooping it into the compost bin (horrors, I know) and the lotus died anyway. So did the parrots feather now that I think back. That's when both died. Life is about change, right?
tropicbreezent
6 years ago
I wouldn't think Duckweed would be a problem for Lotus. The leaves have a bigger job trying to out compete each other for direct sunlight. The other thing with Lotus, they seem to fade away in small containers after a couple of seasons. Combine that with encroaching tree canopy and it's a downhill slide. They do best in their first year.
Related Discussions
Soil Test: Too Much Phosph, Zero Nitrogen (too much compost?)
Q
Comments (3)
First, the DIY test kits are a waste of time and money. They are notorious for being inaccurate and mis-leading. So either get a pro test done from your local county AG office or don't do anything to your garden based on the DIY kit. Second, most all garden soils will test normal to high in P as most all soils have plenty of it naturally - one reason why most new fertilizers are being sold P-free. Third, most compost can't be your only source of nutrients, especially N, unless your soil also has a very active soil-food web, a good working micro-herd of bacteria to convert the compost to nutrients for the plants. How much N your compost may have in it all depends on what the rabbits are fed and how long it is composted. N leaches and evaporates out of compost and soil very quickly - which is why it always tests low - so it may require regular additions of other N sources or at least of more quality compost several times during the season. Too many who grow exclusively with compost make the mistake of assuming a 1x a year addition is sufficient for N. Unfortunately, given the fragile nature of N, it isn't. But the place to start is with a REAL soil test. Dave
...See More
Too much duckweed?
Q
Comments (15)
Hi catherinet. I 'thought' I remembered you didn't have fish but didn't trust my memory, lol. I dunno, duckweed is certainly not harmful and even beneficial but I do wonder about a thick covering blocking light to your lilies as well. My fish keep my duckweek under control - I have to grow it in a separate container it disappears so fast. I don't recall you ever mentioning why you chose not to have fish. And I may well get slammed for what I'm about to say.(Note here, my fish are my pets, all have names and I am devastated when I lose one.) However....if I were in your situation, I'd consider tossing in a handful of rosy red minnows and let them do your work for you. They have a short life span, stay small and will survive on their own in your healthy plant environment. No supplemental feeding necessary and little chance of getting emotionally attached. There I've said it. As to your little waterfall, if you miss it, start it back up. When it gets covered in algae and starts looking yukky, shut it down for a few minutes & pour H2O2 on it. Let it do it's thing then rinse with the hose jet spray. It'll look like new and won't harm your plants (or fish for that matter).
...See More
Where did all the duckweed suddenly go?
Q
Comments (3)
Couple of days is pretty fast. Even when dead plants generally don't disappear in a couple of days. Duckweed does die on its own but isn't suppose to sink. So assuming someone with a new didn't remove it my guess would be something ate it. No goldfish or koi in the tank I assume maybe a duck? However they normally make a pretty big mess.
...See More
when is too much too much
Q
Comments (17)
Clarification: I meant that most American recipes use too little of the spices called for--really like the authors are being stingy--not that they need to call for more spices. H B, I'm glad to give you a laugh, but I've actually been there when making small, low heat sauces. :) Re combos of many flavors, I do like a lot of them, like the Italian spaghetti sauce I grew up making, Indian and Mexican food, etc. Mr. Rao talks about how his mom removed "everything unnecessary") from each sauce. That leaves a clean, fresh, simple flavor and makes it possible to distinguish one cooked down tomato sauce from the next, however, for depth and richness, my own is the best with all its components making a harmonious whole. Both answers are "right"--it just depends on what you want it to taste like in the end and they're all good. Re meat: I was taught that good meat (the opposite of the half rotten medieval stuff Linda mentioned that needs exotic spices to cover the stank) doesn't need any spices at all. Broiled or grilled naked with a little finishing salt is all. I also like meats with good sauces, because I like sauces, but it doesn't require it, and if the sauce is hiding the flavor of the meat it's too much. Chicken needs more to be entertaining, but flavorwise, it can be fine on its own as well.
...See More
PKponder TX Z7B
6 years ago
Good knowledge shared, Tropicbreezent. Thank you.
catherinet
Original Author
6 years ago
I've had lotus in containers and they really need thinned almost every year.

The first couple of years I had the sunken stock tank lotus bog, it was gorgeous. Tons of leaves and blossoms. A couple years ago, it just quit. DH and I dug as many tubers out from the top foot as we could. I also started fertilizing it more. It seemed to pick up last year, but now the trees have grown and it just doesn't get enough sun. It's a bummer. Can't trim the tops of the trees. Sure miss those beautiful blooms. I also think I need to fertilize it more. We'll see.

It's hard to give up things that have given us so much pleasure for so long. If there's no solution for this bog, I might just go back to growing the lotus in a 7 gallon container and put it in my sunken stock tank pond......and turn the lotus bog into a swamp. I've always wanted a swamp! I know that sounds crazy to some, but swamps are so full of life. We'll see. It's hard growing old and not being able to keep up with all the things that we've loved for so long.
tropicbreezent
6 years ago
My place has a swamp on it, but only during the wet season, and for a while after. That's why I bought this property. I've been cataloguing the biodiversity for a number of years and I still keep finding different things. Guess I qualify for being one of the crazies too.

Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Secrets of a Successful Water Garden

Relax. Having a water garden is much easier once you understand the basics

Sponsored

More Discussions

Leak in my small inground prefab watergarden...?

1

pothos with yellow leaves

7

Stock tank cracked, New tank has brass drain

1

Growing impatiens in water

1