By: Stephen Drommonsy
Submitted: 2010-09-20 08:57:01 | Word Count: 710
Aquatic plants are less prone to be attacked by pests and diseases than those growing outside the pond. That 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 is usually disastrous. The fundamental control technique would be to remove the affected leaf or the entire plant, depending on the danger posed from the pest or disease. This aught to be done promptly before the issue gets out of hand. For some pests the leaves can 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 place a piece of sacking over the foliage in order that it will be 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 quantity of causes of poor or absent flowers. The plant may not have reached flowering size or it could have been planted incorrectly. With a mature plant it could be at the wrong depth or it may have been moved to deeper water too early. Shade may be one problem and so can water currents or the droplets from the 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 may require dividing and repotting.
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Here are a few of the commonest pests that you may find in your pond. A number of them require you to take action and a few don't. Before I get on them though, I would like to mention the frog. I am including the frog mainly for interest and not as a warning, as it is unlikely that this amphibian will ever cause any harm in 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 and 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 one of the causes of obvious distress with your fish swimming rapidly around in circles. When the scales are examined a raised bump will 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 you will find usually a couple of egg sacks. Prorietary remedies are available, but the common treatment is to touch the worm with a paint brush which has been dipped in paraffin. Pull out the parasite using tweezers and dab the wound with a fish antiseptic.
Dropsy.
This is an uncommon problem, but a very serious one. The body of the fish becomes bloated and also the eyes protrude, but probably the most distinctive symptom is that the scales are raised to present the 'pine cone' effect associated with this disease. The experts cannot decide what causes dropsy. There may be several varieties of dropsy and it is known that one kind of dropsy is attributable to bacteria. You might sometimes see dropsy cures listed inside 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 fishpond which could occur in the pond, but there are a lot 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 have to admit that most of it is spent either improving my pond or just 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 help and advice that I needed as and when I asked them for it.
