Last few years have been having a lot of algae & weed troubles with my ponds. much more so than previous years. See this annotated picture:



The ponds are fully excavated, on very flat land. There is really no watershed due to the flatness of the land, so the ponds fill up in the springtime with field snow melt from the east. What looks like a runoff ditch is actually slightly pitched towards the small pond, not away from it.

The only time my ponds gain water is the couple months the snows is melting + rain. When the ponds get as full as I think they will get, I put a plug into the 12" culvert that leads into the small pond. The plug stays in until the fall. When I dug the ponds there was no real clay in sight, only some very silty grey clay, I lined the banks the best I could, but my pond level is at the mercy of the water table. Last year the water level fell 5 ft from spring to fall, as there was a terrible drought last spring.

Ever since I finished these ponds in 2009, the larger pond has always had very clear water, the smaller pond not as clear. However, the small pond always seems to get algae right away, almost like there is some under the ice even.

So far this spring, the algae cover looks like what is depicted in that annotated picture. The large pond does have a very thin patch of algae along the perimeter at the moment, but the small pond is already quite terrible.

The algae is bright green when it's under the water, but the part that floats turns brown, gets thick and matted.

Also, last year the weeds in the pond were the worst I have ever seen, it was pretty impossible to fish the pond. I bought a weed razor and a weed rake, and only got about 1/3 my way around the large pond before I gave up. I had filled the FEL on my backhoe many times with weeds that I yanked out.

I'd like it to be different this year so the ponds can actually be fished by my 85 year old father without him complaining about weeds.

What can be done? I've never added chemicals or pond dye because I didn't "believe" in that, but now I think I make be considering that...

I've been adding grass carp every 2-3 years, whatever the NYS DEC allows. I just added 18 more this past Friday.

I can go today and take pictures of the algae if that helps. However, I know some ppl say you can't identify from pictures on the internet...

I'd really like minimal weeds and algae this year if it's possible.

Some years the weeds/algae were not a problem at all...

Here are a few select images of the algae:






Here's a link to an album with many more pics:

imgur

After reading many threads here, I've decided to give aquashade a try. I have seen ponds that use it, and I must say I dislike the color, it looks very unnatural. But I guess I'll take a blue pond over an algae choked pond...

Did you read the article by Bob L. in the last issue of PBM on pond dye? Pretty much, he warned about using pond dye this time of year if your goal is a good fishing pond with reproducing fish..

I think top priority for me at this point in time is less algae & weeds.

But I'll certainly read the article, thanks. If I can find it...

I have the same stuff in my ponds and it makes summertime fishing (from the bank) very difficult. I'm about to decide the cheapest long term solution for me is to build a dock that goes out past the junk. But, I'm trying chemicals for the first time this yr so maybe I'll find a different solution...

What chemicals are you trying?

Do you get any geese or ducks in your pond?

Grass carp do nothing for the algea. the more carp will make it worse.

Your pond is out of balance. Take a water sample and have tested. you will probably find high phosphate levels in water and nitrogen.

this is my opinion and what i would recommend you try.

I used some of copper algaecide that I picked up at the local farm store. It seems to have made a dent in the stuff but I need to try another application.

I know that grass carp don't eat the algae, I don't buy them for the algae problem... I also have a lot of weeds, last year was quite terrible.

And yes, there are 25-30 geese there pretty much all spring/summer long.

A single goose poops a pound of waste per day. Think of that as fertilizer.... A pound of phosphorous, when combined with Nitrogen can grow 500 pounds of algae.

If you don't manage your nutrients, you will never get any sort of control over the weeds and algae.

Remove the geese. That should have a noticeable effect on the green stuff.

And continue with the physical removal of what you can close to shore. Rake it out. Some of it is good cover for aquatic life but pull at least 75% out.

So how do I do that?

I'm not allowed to shoot the geese, and I don't live there so a goose chasing dog is not an option atm.

Has anyone ever tried these?

Solar Deterant

Cutrine Plus granules work pretty well on algae for me, but it is an ongoing year to year issue with many pond owners.

Many like me never really "solve it". And many of the chemicals are not exactly cheap.

I use Cutrine Plus for algae and Navigate for vegetation. Navigate works pretty well too, but again not cheap. I just wear gloves and a mask and throw the granules of both products out by hand. The Cutrine lands on top of the algae and appears to burn it. In a week or so it is greatly diminished, but it may need re-treatment and will certainly need it again next year. Not sure if your state allows Tilapia, but they can be one piece of the puzzle too.

BEFORE CUTRINE PLUS:


AFTER CUTRINE PLUS:

Wow, all that stuff is really expensive. And if I'm dumping all kinds of chemicals in my ponds, is it safe to eat the fish anymore?

The price and continued maintenance is why I say I may just build build a longer dock to get past the stuff. I don't mind doing things but I sure don't want to spend the rest of my life buying and dumping chemicals in my pond all summer.

With that said; Zep's before and after pics motivate me to try chemicals a little harder. Those are good results!

Don't buy into the "grass carp don't eat algae" old wives tale. Plenty of hatcheries use grass carp in their rearing ponds just to control the FA. They swear by them (just ask).

GC will eat almost anything plant, especially if favorites like coontail and sago pondweed are not available....including FA.

Use the GC....5 per surface acre to start. The first year you won't see great results but after that you will.

Chemicals to use are a diquat/Cutrine Plus combo. A gallon of each in 10-15 gallons of water works great. Make smaller batches to spot treat after hammering the FA as soon as the water temp hits 48-50 degrees in the spring (I use copper sulfate for the spring dose at 10 lbs. per acre).

You will be a happy pondmeister with GC and the chemical combo above. Best of luck. BM61.

Thanks for the info. To date, I have stocked 42 GC since 2011. I've only ever seen 1 dead.

I've always resisted dumping in chemicals, but I think it's time.

The Geese are still a problem however, need to find a solution for them. Every year the local flock gets bigger and bigger.

If they're breeding/nesting at your pond each year - try finding and disposing of their eggs. They usually lay and leave. This way you will cut down on the population increases. If there are several generations of geese using the pond you'll have a very hard time getting rid of them with non lethal means

It's definitely several generations. The last 6-7 years there have been no less than 5 geese hatched and brought to adulthood anually.

Yep and it looks like you have a lot to treat, but you could buy a bag of Cutrine Plus Granules and just try it in a couple of high traffic areas to determine how well it may work for you.
Cutrine Plus Granular on Amazon

How large are your two ponds?

Another thing that can make algae worse is very gradual shallow shorelines. Shallow gradual sloping shorelines are great for wading and safety concerns but can really encourage algae growth. That's one reason you don't see as much algae out on the middle.

I wish at least some of my shorelines were a bit more drop-off type that would discourage algae growth. It would be expensive for me to try and go back after the fact and make my shoreline more steep.

My large pond is 1 acre, the small pond is 1/3 acre.

The slope of the banks is not ideal, it's 4:1 slope, in some places even less steep. I dug the ponds with a bit steeper slope, but all the soil I was working with was sandy loam, ultimately it just slid down and formed whatever slope it wanted to...

Oh ok I assumed from the pics they were larger. You should be able to relatively easy control the algae with Cutrine Plus. Remember don't treat the entire pond all at once...can cause a fish-kill. Treat 25%-50% and then wait and treat the other part a few weeks later.

So the Cutrine-Granular just gets tossed onto the floating algae? Or is it supposed to be tossed in the water and sink on algae that has not lifted from the bottom yet? I can rake away the floating stuff first...

I put it in a burlap sack, tied a rope to it, then drug it around where I wanted to kill the algae. It seemed more efficient than throwing granules around.

To tell ya the truth I am not 100% sure how the recommended way to use it is....I see people posting about all the "sinking to the bottom" stuff....but I've just tossed it out on to the top of the floating algae and it works for me. As far as "by the book" you'll have to ask some of the engineer/technocrat types on here.

The "word" here and in my experience is to use the liquid on the floating stuff. I have had really good luck in the last few years using the granular cutrine plus before it floats to the top. I use a hand held spreader for the granular from shore to get about 12 feet out and, if very bad, will get in the flatboat to get the next 12 feet.

Have you guys been able to buy Cutrine locally, or is it something you order?

I go to the Tractor Supply website and it says my store has it in stock, went to my local store yesterday and they said they don't carry it...

I buy it on-line. I have a site I use for most my pest control stuff. Their prices seem good and they offer free shipping. I just checked and there are a few states they will not ship Cutrine to and New York is one of them. Cutrine may not be legal in New York.

I think I've always purchased my Cutrine Plus Granular online
from various sources...e-bay, Amazon, etc...

Ah, good ol New York State...

someone knows what's best for you....carry on

lol

I buy cutrine at my local Tractor Supply. Catch it on sale for $29.99 a gallon every so often, usually runs around $35. Cheap, and readily available, no shipping needed. They also have the granular in the 12(?) lb units.

Sparky,
do you ever see the granules at TSC?