Pond Algae

Pond algae types and information

The Power Of Pond Aeration Against Algae

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There are days I can probably sound like a broken record. If you’ve watched any of our videos or read through my articles here, you’ll no doubt remember that I have often said that pond aeration can help with algae problems. In fact, aeration is the first place we often look when we’re trying to … Read more

Serious Algae Problems On Lake Erie

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This has been an interesting story to follow. It seems that due to high levels of phosphorus and other nutrients, some toxic algae blooms are now affecting the drinking water of millions of people in Northwest Ohio. Over the years, we’ve talked about algae blooms that can affect drinking water and usually, ever once in … Read more

How To Kill Algae In A Large Pond

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Algaecide spraying

Pond algae is just one of those things that most people want to get rid of.  If you’ve had it show up you probably know what I mean.  First there’s the shock of a once pretty pond turning into a green and slimy mess.  Maybe it will even smell bad which leads to even more frustration.

So really, who could blame you for wanting to learn how to kill algae that you find in a large pond?

Certainly not me.

But as I always do, I want to pass along a warning of sorts that sometimes killing things isn’t always the best option and it’s no different when it comes to pond algae.

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Are Pond Algae Blooms Dangerous?

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AP Algae Bloom 658x372

It’s impossible these days to go through an entire summer without hearing of some warning about a pond with algae in it.  Often the title might say something like “Toxic Algae Found In Lake” or something similar.

Just this week two new articles came out, one from Kansas, and one from Long Island New York, with warnings that people, pets, and livestock should avoid ponds that are covered with green algae, or if the water is tinted green (blue-green, bown, and even red.)  In the New York case, a pet died after drinking from the pond.

So the question came up about just how dangerous any pond with algae might be and what to watch out for concerning the “toxic outbreaks” that always seem to make the news.

You might recall an article I wrote a year or two ago about this very subject.  You can read that one here.  My attempt in that installment was to try and ease concerns a little bit but in doing so, I don’t want to minimize this issue either.

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Can You Spot Treat Pond Algae?

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Filamentous algae06

Here’s another good question from the old Pond Q&A mailbag and I think it can be applied to just about any size of pond, even though in this particular case the question was about a 3 acre pond.

The gentleman described his situation as having some reasonably heavy string algae around the perimeter of the pond and wondered what he could do about it.  He wanted me to put all the options on the table so to speak and so I did that, and I admit, I hedged a bit on the fact that the pond was so big and that if costs where a consideration, I’d try to include some reasonably affordable options too.

After sending the email out however I began to realize that I may not have talked about this much on the blog and so today, it’s a good opportunity to cover it.

So, when is it a good idea to spot treat an algae bloom?  When does it makes sense, versus treating the entire pond? Or do you always have to treat all of the pond to get a good effect?

And my answer, definitive as it may be is…it depends.

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