Gardener's Question Time

[Joey66]

The only problem with the cloverleaf Joey, is that by my calculations, I`d need to buy 11 x 10kg tubs of the it, to properly treat the pond, which would cost me over a grand !

The only other realistic answer, would be to buy some young Grass Carp and let them munch their way through it - would be much cheaper.

Plus if the pond/lake became clear the fish would become available to bird predators - seagulls - Herons - plus on land cats - known them to drag fish out of a pond with no net on -

The carp you need are these -

Triploid Grass Carp are one of the most effective pond algae eaters. Though they primarily feed on aquatic vegetation, they also munch on filamentous algae and submerged weeds - shop around on the net & buy 100s of young ones - they are bottom feeders too

 

[COYBL25]

Plus if the pond/lake became clear the fish would become available to bird predators - seagulls - Herons - plus on land cats - known them to drag fish out of a pond with no net on -

The carp you need are these -

Triploid Grass Carp are one of the most effective pond algae eaters. Though they primarily feed on aquatic vegetation, they also munch on filamentous algae and submerged weeds - shop around on the net & buy 100s of young ones - they are bottom feeders too

The good thing about the triploid Grass Carp, is that they can’t breed, as they’re sterile, so can’t over populate ponds.

The bad thing is that they can grow to be absolute monsters very quickly if the conditions are right for them

 

[Tommy Chong]

The good thing about the triploid Grass Carp, is that they can’t breed, as they’re sterile, so can’t over populate ponds.

The bad thing is that they can grow to be absolute monsters very quickly if the conditions are right for them

Wow mate… Sounds like you might need a cheaper hobby altogether!

If I were you, I’d fill in the pond, cement the backyard, and then cover the whole surface with astroturf.

That way, you’ll never have to worry about it again… And then take up a nice and simple activity like embroidery or needlepoint.

 

[Joey66]

Haven't fared too bad in terms of drought, I had seeded a small area in the summer (under duress from Mrs DBN) so I had been giving it a good watering - it's mostly moss and crab grass etc getting in.

I think I'll just give it some iron for the moss and then attack in spring. Do the levelling and take it from there. Not expecting much from next year, will do the hard yards next spring.

Do not rake the moss when it is alive as the spores will spread all over your lawn as you stated kill it first then when it goes black remove by scarifying it - if we get a lot of rain & your lawn greens up you could still do it in September even to the end if you sow your seed rake it in a top dressing of soil or peat & leave a bit on top for the birds it germinates better covered slightly & watered in regularly with no rain etc ....

 

[Joey66]

The good thing about the triploid Grass Carp, is that they can’t breed, as they’re sterile, so can’t over populate ponds.

The bad thing is that they can grow to be absolute monsters very quickly if the conditions are right for them

You can fish them out by fishing with a rod etc ....I thought that was the idea of looking after this lake ?

 

[COYBL25]

You can fish them out by fishing with a rod etc ....I thought that was the idea of looking after this lake ?

Lol.

Of course you can mate, but the idea of stocking the lake on the sly, is not to have loads of mad carp fisherman turning up with a mountain of gear to fish for days on end (which they wouldn`t get away with anyway, with it being private land ).

It`s for me and my lad to fish for a few hours during the night in the warmer months and to watch the pond turn from what it is now - fishless, into a thriving environment not just for fish, but also for the likes of frogs/newts/ dragon flies and all the various aquatic insects that live in ponds.

The bats and swifts have already found it and are hunting like mad over it, plus there`s mallards and canada geese there during the day.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Lol.

Of course you can mate, but the idea of stocking the lake on the sly, is not to have loads of mad carp fisherman turning up with a mountain of gear to fish for days on end (which they wouldn`t get away with anyway, with it being private land ).

It`s for me and my lad to fish for a few hours during the night in the warmer months and to watch the pond turn from what it is now - fishless, into a thriving environment not just for fish, but also for the likes of frogs/newts/ dragon flies and all the various aquatic insects that live in ponds.

The bats and swifts have already found it and are hunting like mad over it, plus there`s mallards and canada geese there during the day.

There's a lot here, so let's get to it.

In the hierarchy of knob-head birds, I think geese are silver medal to swans.

Where are you considering borrowing the fish to stock this pond/pit with? And does the land owner have any idea of your plans? Do you know whoever it is?

This next bit is best though, about 3 hours ago we established you've never had a rod licence, and now you've set yourself up as the anti carp fishermen cops. You must be somewhere fairly secluded, how sly do you reckon you can be you and jnr? Would it not be worth finding a small local anglers club and introducing him through that? With a bit of structure and law following it'd make getting into the game a bit more straight forward?

cowboy ninja skirmish fishing might be a bit stressful from the off?

Reading your post back, I guess the rampant weed is what's choked the water off sustaining life thus far, but if you tidy that out might you find another problem, in that is it a body of water that takes run off from local fields or is part of a stream system? It might be worth getting the water checked for contaminants as you'll be heart broke if in 12 months time and a load of hard work that a flash rain fall has washed a load of fertilizer through it and killed everything.

 

[COYBL25]

There's a lot here, so let's get to it.

In the hierarchy of knob-head birds, I think geese are silver medal to swans.

Where are you considering borrowing the fish to stock this pond/pit with? And does the land owner have any idea of your plans? Do you know whoever it is?

This next bit is best though, about 3 hours ago we established you've never had a rod licence, and now you've set yourself up as the anti carp fishermen cops. You must be somewhere fairly secluded, how sly do you reckon you can be you and jnr? Would it not be worth finding a small local anglers club and introducing him through that? With a bit of structure and law following it'd make getting into the game a bit more straight forward?

cowboy ninja skirmish fishing might be a bit stressful from the off?

Reading your post back, I guess the rampant weed is what's choked the water off sustaining life thus far, but if you tidy that out might you find another problem, in that is it a body of water that takes run off from local fields or is part of a stream system? It might be worth getting the water checked for contaminants as you'll be heart broke if in 12 months time and a load of hard work that a flash rain fall has washed a load of fertilizer through it and killed everything.

Lol, my lad is a mad carp fisherman, he doesn`t have a licence either, as we`re angling anarchists ( not one person in Liverpool is arsed about them - the police have got much better things to do and there are no baliffs )

We`re stocking it by catching fish from two other little ponds, that have way too many small fish in them, as the likes of Roach populations can explode if there`s no predators in the pond - pike / perch. Neither of the ponds we`re taking them from have predators in, so there`s a surplus population of small Roach / Carp in both.

It`s a bit of fun with an element of " lets see what happens if we stick a load of fish in this pond and look after the pond a bit "

Plus the location makes fishing it on the sly fun too. It`s not like you have to climb walls or sneak in to get to it, it`s just that the landowners are knobheads and it`s almost like sticking two fingers up at them by doing it ! ( even though they are unaware )

 

[Rita_Poon]

it`s just that the landowners are knobheads

I sense a looming conflict...

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

I had a friend who had a big mill pond full of tench fish - he had stables a multi millionaire - on day on his tractor load massive hale bales in to his horse stables - the forks on his tractor bucket implement - he accidently dropped one in his massive mill pond & 6 weeks later the water around that area went really clear so he added more to clean his pond - i used to get him cheap fish pellets off the car boot & he was made up seeing the fish etc - then one morning all the fish disappeared he found up stream an otters had arrived & was the culprit - he was upet , but he just put it down to nature ....
so if you make the pond too clear herons would have a field day seeing the fish etc - my advice would be to use the cloverleaf on the worst infected areas TBH ....its a real deal on amazon today

The best laid plans etc...gotta' love nature.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

Lol.

Of course you can mate, but the idea of stocking the lake on the sly, is not to have loads of mad carp fisherman turning up with a mountain of gear to fish for days on end (which they wouldn`t get away with anyway, with it being private land ).

It`s for me and my lad to fish for a few hours during the night in the warmer months and to watch the pond turn from what it is now - fishless, into a thriving environment not just for fish, but also for the likes of frogs/newts/ dragon flies and all the various aquatic insects that live in ponds.

The bats and swifts have already found it and are hunting like mad over it, plus there`s mallards and canada geese there during the day.

You guys talk a lot about carp there, I'm surprised Pike isn't mentioned more considering the typical weather...nothing like a good topwater day when they're hungry.

 

[COYBL25]

You guys talk a lot about carp there, I'm surprised Pike isn't mentioned more considering the typical weather...nothing like a good topwater day when they're hungry.

You can`t introduce an apex predator like Pike in the first year of introducing fish, as the Pike would just ravage them.

Granted it would grow big and very quickly, but there`d be very few young fish left

Predators come once the numbers of the population of prey fish can withstand them being introduced.

 

[Joey66]

You can`t introduce an apex predator like Pike in the first year of introducing fish, as the Pike would just ravage them.

Granted it would grow big and very quickly, but there`d be very few young fish left

Predators come once the numbers of the population of prey fish can withstand them being introduced.

The dry warm summer is not ideal for blanket weed....

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

You can`t introduce an apex predator like Pike in the first year of introducing fish, as the Pike would just ravage them.

Granted it would grow big and very quickly, but there`d be very few young fish left

Predators come once the numbers of the population of prey fish can withstand them being introduced.

Yeah, I know...just not seen them mentioned by UK anglers much but maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. They love the cold, drizzly and cloudy vibe so gotta' get Chernobyl-sized there. Nothing like a fish that can turn your fingers in to hamburger while removing the hook.

 

[COYBL25]

Yeah, I know...just not seen them mentioned by UK anglers much but maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. They love the cold, drizzly and cloudy vibe so gotta' get Chernobyl-sized there. Nothing like a fish that can turn your fingers in to hamburger while removing the hook.

People do still fish for them, but they tend to be dedicated pike fishermen.

Very few float fish anymore either, as you say it’s all about carp - which is very big business nowadays with all that gear and the mad baits.