"animaux" wrote in message
...

I agree, but it is never used in fish tanks.


Of course it is. It is the best sterilant of diseased tanks before you put
fish in them.


On Sun, 29 Jun 2003 18:53:03 GMT, "Cereoid-UR12yo"
wrote:

Cow's milk? Don't do it. Do you want the rancid smell of sour milk
throughout your garden?

Use dilute chlorine bleach. It is the cheapest and most efficient thing
you
can use. Its what's used for swimming pools and fish tanks.

Ahhh. Like I said I had read this. Never tried it. Good thing too it seems.
This was a tip offered by 2 "organic" gardening sites I came across awhile
back. It was offered as a tip for someone having trouble with fungal growth
in her garden, becuase of eccessively wet weather. They had diluted it very
heavily. I believe it was like 1 tablespoon per quart of water.

"Shelly" wrote in message ...

"Mike Stevenson" wrote...
I have read that ordinary cow's milk, diluted into the water supply,
has
anti-fungal and anti-algae properties. If you have some way of
introducing
this into your tubing it could help retard the growth of future
algae
build-up.

I had a friend who used this solution on several houseplants that
she'd overwatered and had algae growing on the soil... One died, and
she had to cut back the other two and wash a lot of the soil off the
roots so she could repot with as much 'fresh' potting soil as
possible. Seemed the milk soured and introduced even more problems to
her plants. Eventually the two survivors recovered fully, but you
might want to think twice before using milk around your plants.

Shelly

Thanks everyone for your input. I bought the smallest container of swimming
pool algaecide I could find. It still has enough chemical to clean my tubing
several thousand times. Maybe I'll also use it in my landscape pond.

Plain chlorine bleach would work just as well and is a lot cheaper.


Dave Gower wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your input. I bought the smallest container of
swimming
pool algaecide I could find. It still has enough chemical to clean my
tubing
several thousand times. Maybe I'll also use it in my landscape pond.

Came in late on this conversation, but I have a similar question. My problem
is a heavily shaded brick sidewalk that gets VERY slippery with algae, and
thus literally unsafe to walk on at times. It's lined with arborvitae and
some kind of holly bush, so yes, I'm not interested in harming them. We also
have pets and don't want them harmed either! We prefer some kind of "home"
remedy, too, vs harsh commercial chemicals, if possible.

I realize that as long as the sidewalk is shaded that this problem will not
disappear forever, but what's the consensus on the best way to deal with
algae on a sidewalk? My husband thinks that renting a power washer will
remove it (temporarily, of course) but I'm not so sure about that.

Thanks!
--
Elaine Pack, Web Analyst
Charlottesville, VA


"Dwight Sipler" wrote in message
...
Dave Gower wrote:
Any home remedies?
Anything that kills a naturally occuring plant or animal is not really
earth-friendly. I assume that you really mean "non-injurious to your
chosen plants".

You might try a mild mix of detergent and bleach and scub with a stiff
broom. The mix should be fairly well diluted with water (1/2 c. bleach and
1/2 c. soap to a 2 gallons water). Rinse it well with a pressure washer or
nozzle. Or go to your plant store and ask about stuff to remove moss from
roofs and lawns.
--
Jayel
"EPPack" wrote in message
...
Came in late on this conversation, but I have a similar question. My
problem
is a heavily shaded brick sidewalk that gets VERY slippery with algae, and
thus literally unsafe to walk on at times. It's lined with arborvitae and
some kind of holly bush, so yes, I'm not interested in harming them. We
also
have pets and don't want them harmed either! We prefer some kind of "home"
remedy, too, vs harsh commercial chemicals, if possible.

I realize that as long as the sidewalk is shaded that this problem will
not
disappear forever, but what's the consensus on the best way to deal with
algae on a sidewalk? My husband thinks that renting a power washer will
remove it (temporarily, of course) but I'm not so sure about that.

Thanks!
--
Elaine Pack, Web Analyst
Charlottesville, VA


"Dwight Sipler" wrote in message
...
Dave Gower wrote:
Any home remedies?
Anything that kills a naturally occuring plant or animal is not really
earth-friendly. I assume that you really mean "non-injurious to your
chosen plants".

EPPack wrote:

Came in late on this conversation, but I have a similar question. My problem
is a heavily shaded brick sidewalk that gets VERY slippery with algae, and
thus literally unsafe to walk on at times. It's lined with arborvitae and
some kind of holly bush, so yes, I'm not interested in harming them. We also
have pets and don't want them harmed either! We prefer some kind of "home"
remedy, too, vs harsh commercial chemicals, if possible.

I realize that as long as the sidewalk is shaded that this problem will not
disappear forever, but what's the consensus on the best way to deal with
algae on a sidewalk? My husband thinks that renting a power washer will
remove it (temporarily, of course) but I'm not so sure about that.

Thanks!


How about Bourdeux mixture (copper sulfate and lime) It's cheap and
relatively nontoxic, but it may stain the sidewalk light blue.

Bob