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Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

So my irrigation pond had a ton of algae last yr. I need to get rid of it and keep it gone.

Any advice? I would prefer to do it organically if possible, but will listen to people who have gotten rid of it with chemicals.

4/25/2011 10:12:11 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I have heard of barley straw, would that work for surface or string algae?

4/25/2011 10:31:43 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Barley Straw.. Only Other thing is copper but that kills everything. There are some aquatic herbicides...that may work

4/25/2011 1:26:52 PM

beezr mountain CO

gardens alive has some pond products that might work

4/25/2011 2:12:54 PM

Dundee Michigan

barley straw works great. put a bale in a nylon net and tie it to a tire tube and the wind moves it around. The nylon net and rope lets you recover it at the end of the season. This method has cleaned up alot of ponds in my neck of the woods. Hope this helps

4/25/2011 8:18:20 PM

Bethlehem CT

Copper sulfate works really well, The chelated product called Cutrine works very well. (even in hard water) There are no restrictions on it and it is used on reservoirs. I don't know if it is considered organic or not. I know most copper fungicide are considered organic though. That has never made any sense to me.

4/27/2011 7:13:25 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Copper kills pumpkins..If it kills the algae it will hurt your pumpkin

4/27/2011 10:04:49 AM

Bethlehem CT

A fountain may help too. Get that water moving, get some air into it.

4/29/2011 4:55:09 PM

Zurich, Ontario Canada

Be careful with copper sulphate. It is TOXIC!!!!!

Phat Joe

5/31/2011 6:44:35 AM

Pataskala,OH

My uncle has a pond. He has a pump to keep the water moving. There has been no algae since he has started using the pump.

5/31/2011 8:58:41 AM

Mercersburg, PA

If you get the algae killed, try a few koi. They will keep the pond muddy so that light will not penetrate down very far and the algae will not grow. Copper sulfate works the best, but like others have said, I would think it would kill whatever you are irrigating. Cutrine does not work as well on filamentous algae in my experience.

6/27/2011 7:15:04 AM