Warm Winter Creates Early Season Algae Problems

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Greetings everyone!

We’re breaking out winter hibernation here and while it is already March, we’ve remained busy throughout the late winter season. It was such a mild winter through most of the U.S. that in some places algae never really went away, or wasn’t missing for long. In other words, the graphic below sort of went out the window!

So for most of the winter we’ve been treating ponds with all season pond bacteria to help keep them a bit cleaner and work to keep algae blooms down. As always I’ve visited with a lot of pond owners and discussed the merits of aeration and muck reduction. Aeration of course is good at any time of year, and muck reduction is usually a warm weather activity but both are worth investigation.

We’re also finishing up some transitions to a new website cart which will serve our customers better and trying to finish up on our long promised free webinars on ultrasonic algae control, aeration usage tips, and using beneficial bacteria to create a cleaner and healthier pond. Look for announcements on those in the coming weeks.

Despite being so busy, I also try to keep an eye on what’s going on around the net concerning ponds and found a nice article from the State Journal Register out of Springfield Illinois. Using a Q and A format with a state fisheries biologist, it discusses the benefits of a warm winter for fish and for the most part everyone should see a bit less stress on them and less loss because of the mild weather.

That’s the good news.

The bad news concerns early algae outbreaks which are already occurring in the northern U.S. which is kind of unusual for us. On really troubled ponds, it’s not uncommon for us to find algae growing under the ice in March, but widespread blooms are uncommon. But not this year.

It’s a good article for discussing several types of pond fish (note that this applies more to larger ponds and game fish) and I think you can learn a thing or two from it. I don’t however agree with the idea of using chemicals for algae control if at all possible. But it’s not an uncommon thing for state agencies or extension services to necessarily advocate a good biological program for pond wide cleaning and management, but they’re learning!

Also note the mention of some new federal regulations in the National Pesticide Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) that will affect private pond and lake owners in various states. As always check with your local or state water management or wildlife agencies for clarification on the use of chemical applications.

You can read the article here.

And if you should have questions about your pond right now be sure to contact us and we’ll try to help.

Look for the webinars and our seasonal pond tips to come along soon. It looks like it will be another busy year but I know with the right information you’ll be able to enjoy your pond more than ever!

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3 thoughts on “Warm Winter Creates Early Season Algae Problems”

  1. MY pond look good this winter Thank to you. So thank a lot. I have egg shell and put Green clean in my pond.it keep it looking good and my fishes happy.Thank again Patty Houghton

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