GardenBanter.co.uk - Barley Straw

Its gonna take much more than barley straw.
Does this pond have any type of aeration? Is it stocked with fish and
if so what kind......
Do yo have any guess on capacity in gallons?
HOw is it filled and replenished?
If surface runoff your gonna always be plagued with nutrients getting
into the pond.......Same for dusty areas if it blows in thw water it
adds nutrients.

I have a pond 3.5 -4 acres in size as my largest, but so far its too
new to worry about alage as of yet, but my other two 1+ and 2.5+ acres
I dose 2 x a year with potassium permanganate to oxidize any nutrients
and organics in it, which drastically reduces alge growth and in this
region I can get clear clean water down to 4 or 5 feet with
ease.........just from a good PP treatment.....PP will not hurt
anything if its dosed right. I can keep ,y ponds algae free all year
long with regular doses of Baraclear P-80 which is nothing more than
sodium bentonite and alum mixed and formed into pellets. They do not
hurt the environment in any way nor will they hurt any inhabitants in
any waters. Sodium bentonite is used to clarify water and alum is
found naturally in soils all around the world. In the case of
Baraclear, the sodium bentonite is used as a carrier to disperse the
alum in and slowly allow it to dissolve and release alum particles. I
used to dose baracler every other week and now that I use PP initially
I have been able to just about cut my recomended dose of baraclear in
half as well as double the time between does, and my water remains
nice alal year round. Once fall rolls around I no longer add
baraclear, and when the waters hit upwards of 65-70 deg is when I
start adding baraclear.

BTW Reel McKoi doe snot have the foggiest idea on what she is tlaking
about in regards to anyhting over a kiddie pool sized pond......so
just beaware she is known for giving out erroneous info, that costs
the person $$$$$ or major problems down the road......

If you have a major city around yu shoul dbe able to find an
industrial chemical supply house to buy Potassium Permanganate at. It
will be a fraction of what aquatic dealers will charge. You may have
to open an account but its wellworth it. I get a 55 pound pail for
under $50........which gives me 2+ doses in the 1+ acre (1.68 million
gal) which takes 19.5 pounds of PP per dose........

If your handy you can also buy sodium bentonite and powdered alum
(aluminum sulphate) and mix your own baraclear up and broadcast it
over the pond and it too works just fine. Powered alum (aluminum
sulphate) is dirt cheap to buy as is sodium bentonite......about $5
or 6 bucks for a 100 pound sack....Its pretty well impossible to
overdose alum but it does need to be mixed with bentonite so it sinks
and stays on the bottom and the bentonite acts a clarifier and buffer
as well....

I just have to think for less than the price you mention for barley
straw you can easily get more than enough PP, Alum and Bentonite to
last all year or more......A good oxidizing of the pond now with PP
is going to make a big difference later on in the year and probably
into next year too, depending on how its filled up.......

Have fun

On 5 Mar 2007 16:12:35 -0800, wrote:

Has anyone with a rec pond ever tried barley straw for algae control?
I have a 6 acre pond and I am ready to deploy but it'll cost me around
$800 to do it.

Want to see the pond?

http://www.wildlifereserve.org

Thanks,

Sam

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I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!