Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations barley straw bales

In the most recent PB mag, there is a good article about algae control. In it, the use of barely straw is mentioned - with both the pros and cons. This got me to thinking...always a very dangerous activity for me.

Our pond is fed primarily by a stream and that stream is fed primarily by the natural drainage of the the upstream land as well as the outflow of the larger pond about a 1/4 mile above us. The mouth of our inlet is about 10 feet wide. I'm thinking about putting intact bales of barely straw across the stream inlet to do multiple beneficial things.
1) control algae a little bit
2) add micro organisms and invertebrates and such
3) act as a kind of filter for the silt that comes down the stream

What do y'all think about that?

I think it would be a really inexpensive experiment and easy to change if the results weren't satisfactory.

I should have also mentioned that just outside the inlet/creek channel, it immediately gets quite wide and shallow so, that is also the primary areas where my forage fish propogate - also a spawning area for almost all my fish. Lots of grass/weed beds, humps, stumps, blowdowns, channels - it's almost unfishable back in that area other than topwater baits.

There wouldn't be any danger of stopping the flow altogether because that whole area is low and swampy so, the water could easily bypass the bales if they clogged the main channel.

Great idea Al. Since reading this suggestion a month or so ago from one of Travis's posts, I've been planning on doing something like this in the shallows as well. Definitely let us know how it goes. With pics of course.

I'm going to have to wait a week or 2 before I get around to this so, I'm still soliciting opinions.

Just got back from another 2 hours labor clearing my drain box to get it ready for installing the shutters.

Weird how I have to keep dropping the water level in my pond to get ready to put in the shutters that will let me get it back up to where I want it. I've got it almost 4 feet below what I want right now. When I put in the shutters, I'll get it back. But, there was so much built up debris and mud, I can't install the shutters until I get it all cleared out.

Al, very little is really known about the barley straw.

An interesting couple of posts from a year or 2 back mentioned the effect on red algae. Texas and other areas have had quite a few fish kills in ponds and large lakes due to the red algae. Possum Kingdom Lake on the Brazos lake chain has been absolutely devastated by the stuff.

The guy that posted had a large ranch pond/lake somewhere around Wichita Falls Texas. All private ponds in the area had been clobbered. He tried barley straw and was the only one in the area that had no red algae. He credited it to the barley straw.

AL to sound like a pro they are flashboard risers- now your offical. Al did some research few yrs back on the barley for use in our ponds. Seems the effectiveness goes way down in "our" water. It works better when alakalnity is above say 40-60 ppm. We of course sturuggle with heavy lime apps to get above 20 ppm- most ponds less than 10 ppm. If your lake is low may not work as well on algae and regualr hay blaes are quite a bit less expensive to accomplish your other goals mentioned.

Barley straw is the ultimate "it depends" enigma for ponds.

Considering going with the Barley straw plan to reduce algae, so I'll revive this 10 year old thread.

Can anyone report their experience trying the method?
What were the conditions and results?

My wife has used barley straw in a 100 gallon watering trough that is exposed to a lot of sunlight for FA control. Some years it works, and some years it doesn't.

Thanks for the info Theo,
It's interesting this remedy seems to be hit or miss. Somewhat Understandable in between ponds, with so many variations in pond DNA.
But the water trough, it's well water on a float valve right? Fairly constant between years, with different results. Perhaps variations in the Barley straw. Can you verify if the bales were from the same source? Was it entire years, or maybe just during a certain weather periods?

Yes.


She uses small packets of barley straw sold just for troughs - maybe the size of a football. And they get reused, so that they might be 3 years old sometimes. (Can't verify source due to sporadic purchases.)

Last year it was a new one, and it didn't work real well. IIRC there has been some info that "moldy barley straw" controls FA - maybe that's why new straw last year was disappointing..

Dave Willis sent me some info on barley straw use being hit and miss. I will dig it out.

[/quote]
She uses small packets of barley straw sold just for troughs - maybe the size of a football. And they get reused, so that they might be 3 years old sometimes. (Can't verify source due to sporadic purchases.)

Last year it was a new one, and it didn't work real well. IIRC there has been some info that "moldy barley straw" controls FA - maybe that's why new straw last year was disappointing..[/quote]

This explains a few things.

From what I have come to understand of the little bit of reading about Barley controlling algae, there are lots of variables, but a few 'Must-haves', in order for it to work.

Among the must-haves are;
* Barley straw must be decomposing (can take weeks)
* Oxygen must be present for decomposition
* Water temperature must be above 50 degrees for decomposition
* Water must not have low alkalinity
* Must be submerged

Of the must-haves, I wonder if your water trough has low oxygen due to being well water. Is the fill valve raised high enough above the water line to help introduce air? Maybe that, or a small aerator would fix the problem.

Happy Birthday by the way!

Fill valve is at (trough full) or above (trough filling) the water level, so it "spritzes" while filling, and has enough O2 to keep 2-3 fish (mosquito control) alive.

Well I decided to go the Barley straw route and tossed it in a week ago.

Loosely packed in ten large onion sacks, 1.2 acre pond, spread out around edges, 4-5 feet deep, a cord attached to yank it out in the fall.

Filamentous algae is already showing early strong growth at the bottom near the edges.
Water temp is close to 50 degrees and not expected to rise for a while, temps below freezing at night this week.

We'll see how it goes as the water warms. I'll report back in a couple months.

Update:
It's been a couple months of soaking for the Barley straw now, and I'm happy to report that it seems to be working! At least in my pond! So far.

There are no algae mats at all right now! Very little algae visible.
Everyone is happy to swim now!

Key factors -
Beneficial bacteria and Muck pellets are added every 3-4 weeks.
PH=7.2 , Alk=150ppm, Secchi=30"
Aeration=24hrs a day, when high daytime temps under low 80s,
=14.5hrs a day when high daytime temps above low 80s