One of the most useful tools for dealing with a number of pond water quality and unwanted plant growth problems is beneficial bacteria. We talk about it a lot on this site and have long been amazed at what it can do for the overall health of a pond.
We get emails quite often on it’s “magical” qualities, but really, it’s not magic at all, it’s just good biology put into practice.
There’s no question about it. A pond is not a static creature by any means. When you have fish and plants, the pond literally comes noticeably alive.
These notable critters, and even many that you can’t see create a dynamic in a pond that’s ever changing.
We’ve had an odd summer here in Iowa with very moderate and comfortable temperatures in the 70’s and low 80’s interspersed with some really hot and humid days. And we’ve had some nice sunny days, mixed with some heavy rains. Ya gotta love the variety!
And as they say, if you don’t like the weather in Iowa, just wait a minute, it will change.
Mother Nature can add another dimension to the equation as well and she’s the topic of this week’s video.
I wanted to share a part of an email I received from a pond owner recently. He passed along some suggestions he received from an extension service in his area. Many of you probably know that overall I’m very fond of and highly recommend the use of your local extension since they often are a very good source of “local knowledge”.
In Steve’s case…uh, maybe not so much.
Knowing the size of your pond in terms of how many gallons it holds will come in very handy when you need to treat it with something or to ensure that you’re not overstocked with fish. Here’s a simple formula for estimating how many gallons of water your pond holds. Multiply the length in feet … Read more
In recent weeks we’ve talked a lot about the use of ultrasound for pond algae control.
It’s showing tremendous promise in a number of installations and more and more pond owners are asking about it.
In the video below, I’ve compiled some of the most frequent questions we get about the device and provided some answers to those questions. You’ll learn how ultrasound actually works to control various types of algae. What type of monthly operating costs are involved and if the technology is safe for fish, among other things.
It may come as a shock to some but pond algae isn’t the only plant that can take over a pond and make life miserable for the frustrated pond owner.
Of the free-floating plants that show up a lot in the summer, duckweed has to be near the top of the list. This particular growth is not an algae at all but a rooted plant that floats on the surface of a pond and often get’s blown from end to end as the wind dictates.
Many people attempt to treat duckweed with a typical algae control like a copper sulphate based algaecide and find out pretty quickly that the stuff won’t make a dent in the growth. What’s often needed is a form of aquatic herbicide. Even with these it’s best to treat really early in the growth cycle and not wait too long. It get’s harder to control as it goes along.