Hi Pondmeisters,

The ice is leaving here in NW Ohio but I already have a good growth of FA around the edges where the ice is open. Has anyone had a good experience to report when treating FA with cold water condition? The surface temperature is reading 50F with mid 40sF at 1 foot depth. From what I've been able to find it's too cold for optimal chemical treatment and way too cold to introduce microbes yet. That leaves the rake as my first plan of action unless anyone can offer a better idea.

Thanks for any ideas,

Chip

great pics of FA chip, that you probably didnt really want huh?

i see theo archived them, congrats.

from a non-chemical and non-manual labor stanpoint.......i hate to keep harping on aeration, but man it really worked for me. my pond was nearly 50% covered in that crap until i started aerating...this year less than 10%..FWIW..

a small scale example of what it used to look like in early spring:



now the bullfrogs just line the sides of a relatively clean pond.

D.I.E.D.,

Yep, that's not exacly the kind of pictures I like to be known for. We have two aerators installed but ran neither over the winter. This year and last we had early FA, prior to that I ran one airstation over the winter and the FA wasn't as bad.

My neighbor and I share the pond and he was convinced that we ran a grave risk of supercooling the pond if we aerated over the winter; the open ice with pet dogs was a big worry also.

So for the time being I'm going with the rake and starting aeration with 1 station.

Nice bullfrog pic; it looks fat and happy!

Chip

Chip - I have the same problem but the FA extends too far from shore, and covers too much surface area to practically rake it out. I'm pretty sure this is last years growth that has been preserved in the super cooled water (and under the ice) all winter. I'm wondering if it is dead or alive, and if it will sink to the bottom when the water warms up. I hope some of the experts have suggestions.

For you guys location I would strongly suggest a good wetsuit,not snowsuit!!

I was thinking about investing in some insulated waders :-)

We are in the same boat Chip, lots FA at ice out. Urrrrgggg...

FA esp the cold tolerant species are a very common problem in spring before the phytoplankton bloom or the rooted submerged plants get growing. FA for some can be a problem during the entire open water season. Unused dissolved nutrients feed FA.

I think I'll put BZ's rope drag to use and gather as much as I can until it's warm enough to treat with Cutrine Plus. Any preference to the liquid or granular? I was thinking of going with the granular since I'll be taking off the FA that's floating on the top. Seems that the granular would help me more by staying in contact longer with the leftovers that are clinging to the bottom.
Thanks,
Chip

I used standard liquid Cutrine on a heavy FA bloom probably three weeks ago on a small pond that was recently drained and regraded. There was still ice on the edges - I wasn't expecting much until the pond warmed a bit but the owner was insistent on trying something. It worked great, pretty much kiling most within a week.

I have used GreenClean with success on FA under cool/cold water conditions, in water less than 55 degrees. I've found it to be very effective with FA. The downside is it's rather expensive -- but fortunately, you never have to use too much at once.

A plus is that it is nor copper-based, but uses a granular form of hydrogen peroxide. It's safe for fish -- but the human applicator should read the directions carefully for handling and use! -- MLS

Thanks for the suggestions,
Right now it looks better; the water level is rising too fast for the FA to keep up, lots of new water from rain and snow melt. As it warms up we'll get a chance to really get after it.
Chip