Question on removing floating grass

[RobH]

We just bought a house with a beautiful pond filled with a variety of
fish. Trouble is, the previous owner didn't cut the grass, and when
the 1 1/2 foot tall grass was mowed, a lot of it went into the pond.
It's been three weeks now and I removed about half with this tiny net,
but a lot is still there. Any suggestions on how to remove the
remaining grass? The pond is between 4 and 8 feet deep. Is there
some special lightweight net I could use, or vacuum, or should I just
wade in there with someone else and a large net between us (where
would you suggest I could get such a net?)?

Thanks a lot. Rob

[Ka30P]

Hi Rob,

You could try floading the pond. Adding
water slowly. Too much too rapidly could be a temp. shock for your fish.
It will move all the grass to the lowest
point where you would be able to net it out easier (or at least closer
together).
If there are fish in the pond you need to add a water treatment for chlorine or
chloramines depending on what your city puts in the water.
Only replace about 20% of the water with the flooding.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[RobH]

Thanks Kathy- that's good advice- I'll try it. Rob


(Ka30P) wrote in message >...
> Hi Rob,
>
> You could try floading the pond. Adding
> water slowly. Too much too rapidly could be a temp. shock for your fish.
> It will move all the grass to the lowest
> point where you would be able to net it out easier (or at least closer
> together).
> If there are fish in the pond you need to add a water treatment for chlorine or
> chloramines depending on what your city puts in the water.
> Only replace about 20% of the water with the flooding.
>
>
> kathy :-)
> algae primer
> http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Gail Futoran]

"RobH" > wrote in message
om...
> We just bought a house with a beautiful pond filled with a
variety of
> fish. Trouble is, the previous owner didn't cut the
grass, and when
> the 1 1/2 foot tall grass was mowed, a lot of it went into
the pond.
> It's been three weeks now and I removed about half with
this tiny net,
> but a lot is still there. Any suggestions on how to
remove the
> remaining grass? The pond is between 4 and 8 feet deep.
Is there
> some special lightweight net I could use, or vacuum, or
should I just
> wade in there with someone else and a large net between us
(where
> would you suggest I could get such a net?)?
>
> Thanks a lot. Rob

I have a long-handled, stiff net I bought from
Petsmart in their pond section. I've used that for
netting all kinds of stuff out of the pond, including
grass when my husband used the weed whacker
too close to the pond. The handle is (presumably)
aluminum, and relatively lightweight.

Fish will tend to avoid the net so you should be
able to go fairly deep with it, without accidentally
netting fish, although probably not 8' deep.

There's stuff you can add to the water that's
supposed to help clean up decomposing
plant matter and the like: PondZymePlus, also
available at stores selling pond supplies. Other
ponders here recommend another (similar)
product but I can't find a reference to it, so
maybe someone else will chime in.

Gail

[Bob Koerber]

RobH wrote:

>We just bought a house with a beautiful pond filled with a variety of
>fish. Trouble is, the previous owner didn't cut the grass, and when
>the 1 1/2 foot tall grass was mowed, a lot of it went into the pond.
>It's been three weeks now and I removed about half with this tiny net,
>but a lot is still there. Any suggestions on how to remove the
>remaining grass? The pond is between 4 and 8 feet deep. Is there
>some special lightweight net I could use, or vacuum, or should I just
>wade in there with someone else and a large net between us (where
>would you suggest I could get such a net?)?
>
>Thanks a lot. Rob
>
>


I use a pool net that I attached to a 16' telescoping aluminum paint roller extension handle. Works great and gives lots of reach.

Bob

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

Without seeing your pond, size and living plants within, perhaps a leaf
blower could move all the grass to one end. Or use the blowing end off a
shop vac? ~ jan
(Do you know where your water quality is?)