by Keith Klamer
Just the thought of it makes backyard water gardeners shudder: "green water," "blanket weed," or "pond scum," it's known to scientists as thallophytes and to calmed-down pond-owners as green algae.
Algae live just about anywhere you have light and water: in puddles, soil, even in your bathroom shower. It should come as no surprise that algae can grow like crazy in water gardens. Algae spores can enter your pond by wind, rain, on the sides of fish and on water plants you introduce into the pond. Single-celled green algae may form "pea soup" blooms, taking over your pond and overwhelming fish and submerged plants.
Can algae be defeated by backyard gardeners? No - and it shouldn't be, at least not completely. That's because algae is an essential part of the natural food chain in all water gardens. Algae keeps the pond "in balance," helping to maintain a healthy environment for fish and other pond creatures. But there's another reason why you shouldn't try to eradicate green algae completely - it's impossible.
Why so? All backyard ponds have too many fish and plants for the amount of water they contain. While it's common for us to think our water gardens are "natural," they are very artificial when it comes to biological processes and chemical properties. That's because of the imbalance of fish and plants to the space they're in, which make them a perfect home for algae.
So what's a backyard water gardener to do when it comes to staring down algae?
1. Avoid too many fish in your water garden; more fish mean more poop which breaks down and provides nutrients like phosphates and nitrates for algae to eat.
2. Put a good number of aquatic plants in your pond. Aquatic plants soak up nutrients that otherwise would be eaten by algae. Cover half your pond with floating plants like water lilies, hyacinths and underwater plants like Cabomba.
3. Snails and tadpoles eat "pond scum" algae. Add a few Japanese trapdoor snails and tadpoles.
Sometimes all efforts of "natural" methods don't seem to work, or you've run out of time and patience. In that case, an algaecide can be your answer. Biological filtration can also help; it's designed to remove harmful ammonia released by fish, decomposing plants and algae, and uneaten fish food.
Once again, the ideal way to get rid of excess algae in a natural way is to lower the amount of nitrates and phosphates in your water garden. You can accomplish this by limiting fish, their food and maximizing the number of water plants.
Algae live just about anywhere you have light and water: in puddles, soil, even in your bathroom shower. It should come as no surprise that algae can grow like crazy in water gardens. Algae spores can enter your pond by wind, rain, on the sides of fish and on water plants you introduce into the pond. Single-celled green algae may form "pea soup" blooms, taking over your pond and overwhelming fish and submerged plants.
Can algae be defeated by backyard gardeners? No - and it shouldn't be, at least not completely. That's because algae is an essential part of the natural food chain in all water gardens. Algae keeps the pond "in balance," helping to maintain a healthy environment for fish and other pond creatures. But there's another reason why you shouldn't try to eradicate green algae completely - it's impossible.
Why so? All backyard ponds have too many fish and plants for the amount of water they contain. While it's common for us to think our water gardens are "natural," they are very artificial when it comes to biological processes and chemical properties. That's because of the imbalance of fish and plants to the space they're in, which make them a perfect home for algae.
So what's a backyard water gardener to do when it comes to staring down algae?
1. Avoid too many fish in your water garden; more fish mean more poop which breaks down and provides nutrients like phosphates and nitrates for algae to eat.
2. Put a good number of aquatic plants in your pond. Aquatic plants soak up nutrients that otherwise would be eaten by algae. Cover half your pond with floating plants like water lilies, hyacinths and underwater plants like Cabomba.
3. Snails and tadpoles eat "pond scum" algae. Add a few Japanese trapdoor snails and tadpoles.
Sometimes all efforts of "natural" methods don't seem to work, or you've run out of time and patience. In that case, an algaecide can be your answer. Biological filtration can also help; it's designed to remove harmful ammonia released by fish, decomposing plants and algae, and uneaten fish food.
Once again, the ideal way to get rid of excess algae in a natural way is to lower the amount of nitrates and phosphates in your water garden. You can accomplish this by limiting fish, their food and maximizing the number of water plants.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about backyard ponds in St. Louis? Then visit MPR Supply's website to learn more about water gardens.