Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Too early for algae control?

Was at the pond today and noticed where the ice is off that there is algae starting to show on the bottom and actually a couple clumps of floating algae. Is it too early to spray for it? The water is clear to about 36" visibility I was surprised to see it, I thought it was too early for it to start showing up.

Positive note the pond is as full as it can get.

Trials, you may have some spirogyra (google it)which has adapted from a cool water to a cold water type here in Ohio.I found over the weekend while doing some DO checks that where I kept an ice clearing that I have some spirogyra in those areas. Wait until you have water temps around 60F to get a good knock back on it, cooler water treatments has lesser affect on FA's

pretty common aroudn here even in Jan. Ted is right not much you can do until water temp is 60. We have had ok success at 55 on a nice sunny day with use of liquid copper 2% solution.

I've got one watering trough that has the healthiest looking FA in it every Winter, with a temp that is supposed to stay at 40 deg. Sounds like Ted's mutant Spirogyra.

Thanks, I will Google it!

Trialsguy,

I was out earlier today doing some bid work and noticed algae growing in both ponds. In both cases it was Spirogyra. After your battle with duckweed and watermeal, you'll find this plant very easy to kill.

WHEW!!! thats a relief! But still I wont be letting my guard down now. I was down at the pond at lunch time today and noticed my green surface scum is back already but it goes away after a rain for a few days. I figured to have to battle the weeds and algaes hard for the next couple years until I can get the pond balanced out.

I visited the pond at my mothers house this weekend and noticed lots of mats of FA floating already. We have only had a few days over 50F and only a couple weeks removed from ice on the pond. I have noticed this on a few other local ponds and I don't remember having this much floating FA (if any) so early in the year before. Could this be because of the very dry year we had in this area last year? I was thinking that maybe it has a higher nutrient load as we didn't get as much flow through last year. The pond is full now and over flowed a few times since last fall. Is it typical to see more algae growth the year after a unusually dry summer?

Up until last fall the most FA I ever had in the past 4 years was confined to about a 5' x 5' area. Then in the fall it spread at an alarming rate, within a month it covered 30-50% of the pond bottom/top. Now the pond seems to be completely overrun. I was really hoping it would die back over the winter but no such luck, the bubbler just keeps bringing mats of it up and I can see it through some of the clearer ice. ; ( I am deeply saddened by this turn of events.

DJT I don't believe your FA is caused by a dry year.We had ample rain at my pond last year,yet I too have had more than the usual early FA for the past two yrs.Working a jig or grub near the bottom is an exercise in futility.

I had a bunch of FA last week. Today, the rain has pretty well sunk it.

Hey Chris Potts. Where have you been and how are you? It's been awhile.

Our pond is three years old and has never really had a significant FA (green, strigy mats) bloom, until this spring. It is going wild and rapidly expanding on the water surface. I would appreciate a beginner's course on control. A few details: the pond is 0.6 acres, 11 feet deep at the deepest part, stocked with large mouth bass and blue gill, it is run off fed, it is in Western New York State. We have an aeration system as well. Any advise about treatment and prevention would be greatly appreciated.

Well, simply explained algae grows where nutrients are available combined to where sunlight reaches bottom. Once started, the mats rise to surface where they can get more sun to reproduce. The mats eventually die, creating organic muck and more nutrients. They will grow as long as nutrient and light is available.
If you already aerate, all you are missing is friendly bacteria. They will feed on the nutrients and starve off the algae. Without aeration, certain specific bacteria will still remove nutrients but not as efficiently.

If the algae are already everywhere, then bacteria treatment will work on the decomposing mats and help you manage your pond for the next generation of algae.

Remember: 1 ounce of nutrient can fuel up to 25 lbs of algae growth...
Once the bacteria eat the nutrients and muck, they become food for micro-organisms which in turn feeds insects, more insects more food for minnows and more food for your fish.

A lot of the ponds we treat with bacteria see an increase in the rate of growth of their population of fish� simple we turn algae into fish food naturally with friendly invisible bacteria!