Pond and Water Garden Tip of
the Day # 1:
Get a head start on reducing the string algae in your pond this
year!
When water temperatures are 50 degrees and above, add our
barley straw bale(s)
to your pond. Barley
straw has a natural, organic enzyme in it that helps to reduce string algae
(you know, the stuff that looks like long, green hair that usually grows in
shallow, warm waters, intertwined within aquatic plants, on rocks in the
waterfall, etc. When added when water temperatures are cooler,
barley straw (not
wheat or any other type of straw - only barley straw) can be effective to
controlling string algae. Place the straw in your pond at the
beginning of the spring season and at the end of the summer season, when
water temperatures go through it's biggest change and when water
temperatures are around 50 - 60 degrees. It takes about a month for
the barley straw to start actively releasing its organic enzymes, so
start early!
Our barley straw
is on sale, too, so buy now for the entire year! To find out more
about how barley straw works,
click here!
Pond and Water Garden Tip of
the Day #2:
Have unwanted weeds growing in your pond? We have a
large selection of aquatic herbicides to get rid of those unwanted weeds. For
submersed weeds you might want to use a broad-range herbicide like our Avast! or
Sonar. For cattails and other partially submersed weeds try spraying them with a
mixture of 3 oz. of Cide Kick, 3 oz. of Shore-Klear
and 1 gallon of water. Hardy, waxy surfaces like cattails may need
more than 1 application. Check out our selection of aquatic
herbicides. The trick is to treat them at the right time,
usually when they first start actively growing or
ideally, when the brown cattail has started to form. Of course, see the manufacturer's recommended
application rates for more details. As with any application of any chemical
treatment, proper identification is important. Be sure you know what you're
treating! Check out our aquatic herbicides and other pond and lake chemicals here.
Pond and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 3
When choosing a filter for your pond, remember that a
filter should be the correct size in order to filter the entire volume of water in your
pond at least every 3 hours. So, if your pond is 1200 gallons, you would need a
filter that filters 400 GPH or more. If you have a lot of leaves or debris in your
pond, too many fish for that size of pond
or a pond in full sunlight you will want to go with a larger filter.
Filtering the entire volume of water every 2 hours is not uncommon
particularly for those wanting a very clear
pond. (You really can't 'over filter' your pond!)
Don't skimp when it comes to your filtration system. It's the most important part of
your entire pond! A proper sized filtration system
will be the difference between clear water and green water. Don't
think that a small, pre-filter on the inlet size of a pump is large enough
to filter a pond. These small filters are just pre-filters in that
they filter the water before the water gets to the pump. This is to
help keep the pump from clogging, that's it. They are not meant to be
used for ponds with fish in them but simply, backyard patio ponds that have
aquatic plants in them. You can see a selection of
filters at the following
page that are meant to be used for ponds or water gardens with fish.
Remember, don't skimp on the filter. It is the most important part of
your pond!
As a side note filters
are used for ponds that are less than
a total of 50' x
50' in size. For larger ponds, filters are not practical and the size of the filter
would be gigantic and not feasible. For ponds larger than 50' x 50' a mechanical filter is
not used. An aeration system and regular treatments of beneficial bacteria added to
the pond act as part of the biological 'filtration' system.
Pond
and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 4
To have correct water flow in ponds less than 50' x 50' you will need to have a pump that
pumps 1/2 the total volume of water in the pond. For example, if you have a pond that is
1200 gallons you will need to use a 600 GPH (gallons per
hour) pump for your pond and have your pump on the
opposite end of the pond as where the water flows back into your
pond. This creates optimal water flow so your pond doesn't become stagnant. For ponds with
waterfalls this calculation is a bit more involved since you will not only have to
calculate what water flow the POND needs but what your WATERFALL will need in order to
have the look you want. Check out our Ponds Online Course for
complete information in determining pump size, filter size and so much more.
Pond
and Water Garden Tip of the Day # 5
Green pond water is caused from an imbalance of too many nutrients
and not enough beneficial bacteria in your pond. The
excess nutrients in your pond provide nutrition for algae (green pond water)
to grow. Some examples of these nutrients are from: sludge,
muck, fallen leaves, dead aquatic plants, fish wastes, lawn fertilizers, etc.
One thing that you need to do is 'starve' out the algae to have
clearer water. You can do this by trying to eliminate as much debris
from entering your pond and settling to the bottom. Try 'catching' the
debris by using a pond net or skimmer.
In addition to reducing the nutrients
that build up in your pond year after year, you also need to be adding
beneficial bacteria on a regular basis.
Beneficial bacteria does many vital things for your pond. It breaks
down all of the nutrients from fallen leaves, twigs, dead aquatic plants,
sludge, muck, etc. that's in your pond and causing your water to turn green.
It also breaks down toxic ammonia from fish wastes, improves dissolved
oxygen levels and so much more. Every body of water has
beneficial strains of bacteria in it; it's just when there is an
imbalance between too many nutrients in the pond and too little of
beneficial bacteria is when there are problems like having unsightly
green pond water (algae).
So what can you do to clear up the green
pond water? Here's a list of some things:
Do what you can to eliminate the
nutrients in your pond. If you have too many fish, get rid of some.
If you have a smaller pond and can clean it out, do so. If your
filter is too small,
get a bigger one or get rid of some fish that is over-taxing your pond
filter. If your pond is quite large and has years of debris on the
bottom of it, start using an
aerator and
beneficial bacteria treatments right away. Whatever you can do to
eliminate the excess nutrients in your pond, do it. It will only save
you a lot of time and money now and in the future. Try using a
lake rake to rake
out the debris or use a
pond vacuum.
Get a pond skimmer
or pond net to
catch the debris before it settles to the bottom of the pond. We also
have filamentous algae
seine nets that can be used to scoop the floating algae, leaves and
debris off the top of large ponds before it settles. Start adding our
beneficial bacteria product right away. We recommend
Microbe Lift
™ for
small ponds less than 50' x 50' and our
PlanktoniX™ for ponds and
lakes larger than 50' x 50'.
There is also some specific
information to help pond owners to clear up their ponds. Check out
the information available
here.
Be
sure to choose the correct link for the size of pond you have!
Good luck! As always,
contact us with
any questions you have!
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all of your pond, water garden, aquaculture
and lake management needs!
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