Pond Algae

There’s More Than Just Water In Your Pond

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This amazing video shows a side of our ponds that we would rarely see, at least without the aid of a microscope. In truth, ponds are home to more than just fish, snails, turtles and the like. Much smaller and more inconspicuous are the many tiny animals that make up an aquatic kingdom. You’ll see … Read more

Can Every Pond Be Restored?

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Pond mountain

You know, we see a lot of pond problems around here.  Algae, weeds, muck, stench, stagnation, all kinds of colors too.

I’m not going to claim we’ve seen it all because nature is a creative force but we’ve seen quite a bit over the years.

And we’ve worked with a lot of ponds.  We’ve helped most, and been frustrated by some.

So we have a lot in common, you and me.

What this is all leading to, is a question that came up recently from a frustrated pond owner, and it’s time we covered it.

Is every pond recoverable?  Can every one be restored?

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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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Pond Muck Reduction And Cleaning

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Ponds, simply due to their structure of being a big depression in the ground, are catch-all’s for a lot of things. Unfortunately a lot of this accumulation is organic debris that will eventually break down into a messy muck or sludge.

It’s been said that one of the pond owner’s main goals, if not THE main goal is to slow this process of “filling in” down as much as possible. Once this muck starts to rot and stink, it’s built up to the point where the pond’s natural assimilation processes just aren’t able to keep up with it any longer.

What’s unfortunate is that this mucky compost doesn’t just affect the bottom of the pond. And while it’s true that it serves as a really easy place for weed seeds to get established and rooted, it also releases so many nutrients that algae will often form below and above the water’s surface.

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