Plant Doctor Archive

Water Gardens — Grass carp

I HAVE recently heard about keeping grass carp. Will they keep the algae growth down in my pond?

THEY certainly will! In fact they will keep anything green down, including your water plants and the grass around the pond, as far as they can reach out of the water.

However, These fish require special permits and are not really the sort of thing you want in an ornamental pond. They are great at controlling weed problems in dams and canals when used properly and that is where they belong.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.