Green Growth From The Bottom Of The Pond

When you see green growth that appears somewhat like spinach, which may spread along the bottom of the pond and also shoot upwards to the surface it's very likely to be a form of string algae.

In many cases the initial growth may start at the bottom and extend up in columns or strands, and then spread along the surface of the water as well. Usually this is due to a high amount of organic muck or material sitting at the bottom of the pond. This could come in the form of decaying leaves, dead algae or weeds, or anything organic in nature that may acculate in the pond.

If the growth you see has actual leaves then you're likely looking at some form of pond weed and you'll want to learn more about pond weed problems.

Dealing With String Algae

To deal with string algae in an eco-friendly way, it's best to target the root causes of algae first. To do this we attempt to reduce the organic build up at the bottom of the pond and also work to lower nutrients that feed the algae as well.

Beneficial bacteria is well suited to this work and you can click the following link to learn more about our bacteria products. There is a product to fit nearly any size of pond and you'll want to use the gallon size of your pond to select the appropriate treatment.

It should be noted as well that in ponds that have a heavy organic load at the bottom it's often best to use more than what the pond gallon volume may indicate. We often suggest using as much as 2 times the dosage for ponds with heavy organic influence.

The Bio-Blast is a supplement to our biological products that targets the muck and build up at the bottom in a concentrated way. Blast will speed up the decomposition of this muck and help improve the pond's overall condtion. We have Bio-Blast for both small and large ponds.

If your pond is shallow or get's a lot of sun exposure you may want to consider using an aquatic dye to help lessen the sun's influence on algae growth. Like any plant, algae thrives with sunlight and adequate nutrients so pond dye can be useful for algae control. For small backyard ponds and water gardens, the 16 oz bottle is recommended, for larger ponds use the one quart option in either blue or blue/black color or the Aquashade dye packets. Visit the following link for our pond dye products.

Manual removal may be possible if the algae isn't too wide spread or heavy. We use various designs of weed or algae rakes for this and they can make the job a bit easier.

And finally, it may be possible to spot treat some algae with a product called Algae-Off which is an EPA registered algaecide. Algae-Off can kill most algae on contact. Simply sprinkle the product on the algae when it's wet and it can effectively remove unwanted growth from waterfall areas, rocks, pond edges, and more.

In using Algae-Off, or any quick kill product, be sure to have adequate or abundant aeration running and treat large algae masses in smaller sections over a period of time. Killing a large amount of algae off quickly can pull oxygen from the water and cause harm to fish. Extra care should be taken during the hottest times of summer as water tends to hold less oxygen once the temperature rises above 78 degrees.

If you have additional questions about dealing with your string algae problem please contact us and we'll assist you further.

Or if you'd like to post your questions about string algae in the comments section below we'd be happy to answer them here to and share this Q & A with other pond owners.