Pond Algae Solutions Blog

algae control

Question: Should Beneficial Pond Bacteria Be Used In The Winter?

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One question I get asked a lot in the fall of every year is, “should I continue to use beneficial bacteria in my pond even though it’s getting cold?”

It’s a great question and one that I’ll cover in the video below as well as the short article a bit farther down the page.

There’s absolutely no question that beneficial bacteria is great for a pond’s health. And for most bacteria products, it’s safe to assume you could use them in at least 2 out of the 4 seasons that many of us experience.

But as the weather cools off in the fall, and particular into the winter, you’ll want to make note of the blend of bacteria you’re using and make sure it’s an “all season” or cold temperature bacteria. If it isn’t it simply won’t work very well and you’ll be wasting your time and money.

Most bacterial formulas on the pond market today will work adequately down to about 50 degrees. Some will slow down a bit higher than this, but 50 degrees is usually the cut off line for standard bacteria.

Cold water formulas on the other hand will continue to work down to about freezing or just above it. And this gives you the opportunity to continue keeping the pond in balance, and it helps to insure that good water quality is maintained.

For our purposes, at least in most cases, algae will go away when the weather cools, and ideally fish show should down on their eating (you should stop feeding them altogether at around 45 to 50 degrees F. by the way) so the bacteria use, wouldn’t be used to help with algae problems…but it’s still useful for keeping ammonia and nitrites in check, and it will help keep any organic nutrients down as well.

All in all, as good bacteria always does, it will help to keep a pond’s system more in balance and clean, and in many cases, for those ponds that remain active through the winter, it will help get a bit of start as the weather warms up in the spring.

Note: Our PondBiotix products, other than the polar blend bacteria and mdc formula, are warm water formulas. In contrast, our Biosphere Pro bacteria as well as the 2500 system are all season products that will work down to 34 degrees F.

Pond Shading Options For Limiting Green Water Algae

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I have to admit, sunny days make me happier.

But everything comes with a price they say, and sometimes the price you pay for ample sunlight is pond algae.

In the case of green water, which is caused by numerous single cell algae, the sun can play a major role in it’s growth.

After visiting with many pond owners over the years, when we get calls about green water, one of the common questions we’ll ask is, “does the pond get a lot of sun exposure?” The inevitable answer is almost always, “yes”. Other pond owners that had several ponds were often quick to point out that the ponds in some shade, were often clearer, and the pond’s in the sun were quite green.

Now don’t get me wrong, you want your pond to be exposed to a bit of sun…that’s just a good thing for desirable plants and your fish too, but too much of a good thing can often cause some problems.
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Should Beneficial Bacteria Be Used In The Fall?

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It may seem a bit early to say this for some folks around the country but summer is coming to a close. Where did it go?!?

I’ll be right up front. I enjoy summertime. Yes we’re kept incredibly busy and it gets to be crazy around here sometimes, but I’m not sure I would have it any other way.

When I was a younger man, I enjoyed (or seemed to enjoy) winter more. And I realize it’s mostly a perspective, but in recent years, I’ve tried to hang onto summer as long as I can.

Hence the wardrobe change in the most recent video:)

The shirt somehow eases the discomfort I have in talking about colder weather but it’s important to cover some topics concerning fall and winter pond preparation so the next few videos will do just that.

Today, I discuss one of the more common questions we get coming into the fall. And that is, should one continue to use beneficial bacteria even though the weather is cooling off and a lot of algae is going away?

It’s a good question.

I’ll let the video cover much of this topic, but I do want to mention something relating to algae control.

If you use chemicals to deal with algae issues ( 🙁 ), it’s certainly true that you shouldn’t need to use them much longer. Most algae types and other unwanted growth will subside when the weather cools off.

Bacteria however isn’t and shouldn’t be considered an algae control perse’. It, more than anything, is a pond cleanser or a rejuvenator that helps keep organic loads in check, or brings them into line if they are overloaded.

A by-product of all of this good work is a cleaner pond in general, and one that will more likely not have as much of an issue with unwanted growths.

It should always be remembered that bacteria does so much more than simply help keep algae at bay. Contrary to some emails we get, it’s not a chemical and should never be confused with an algaecide or herbicide. We tend to suggest limiting the use of both of these things whenever possible.

Watch the video below to get my take on bacteria for fall prep.

[youtube width=”425″ height=”355″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG375GjoHQI[/youtube]