Has anyone used this?

[pondlover]

I have noticed a small amount of string algae in my pond and it's making me nervous. I have pulled out what I've seen. I think I may have gotten it from the plants I purchased from Craigslist. Grrrrrrrrrrr......

I purchased some Algae-Off. Has anyone used this product. I have two bales of barley straw, clay litter that lilies are potted in and some additional that I've put in nylons and are in the skippy filter.

I don't want the string algae to take over like I've read that has happened to some ponders. My bog plants are really taking off and my water lilies have covered a good portion of my pond surface area. Water hyacinths in the skippy are looking much better and starting to multiply.

Appreciate any and all comments.

 

[addy1]

I would think your plants will compete well with the algae, if it was my pond I would just keep an eye on it, get the clump out with the toilet brush.

 

[sissy]

Most algae stuff has cancer causing agents in it and some states well not even allow it to be sold or shipped to those states .I would rather use peroxide spray a little mixed with water .i never had any luck with barley as it just became a mucky mess .

 

[addy1]

I like peroxide too, used it in arizona, around june always had a horrendous string algae bloom. This pond none, so far lol

 

[pondlover]

Thanks ladies. I will do as you both suggested. Sissy I am sending product back. It says very clearly for use in California is only! Wonder why Drs foster & smith even shipped to Tennessee makes me wonder?

 

[callingcolleen1]

If you don't have sedges in your pond you should get some. Sedges are the most powerful for phyto-filtration. Sedges are plants with a spear shaped leaf, such as cat-tails, iris', rushes, and water grasses. Lillys are nice to look at but very poor at photo-filtration. It will take a two or three years to get a good size clump of sedges going. Once you have a established sedge, you have much less string alage in the pond. Keep your filters cleaned so that the pumps are running at Max speed, that will help too. Sedges are awesome cleaners and no pond is truly complete without some.

 

[sissy]

I put the strawberries and cream plant in my waterfall this year and since it is a grass I guess it is doing the same thing as I notice how clear the water is as it runs from the filter to the fall .I can't really describe it but the water just looks better and it is growing much better up in the waterfall than it is on the edge of the pond away from running water .I checked it today and they have gotten a lot more leaves on the one's in the waterfall area than the other one .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Good job sissy, just be warned that if the grass gets too overgrown it might push the water in the falls out another direction , like out of the pond, just keep an eye on it and as it grows your can transplant snips to other areas of you pond

 

[sissy]

The waterfall is almost 2 feet deep and I will be keeping a close eye on it .I just wanted to see how it would work and even cut a piece of to try in a pot in the filter tank

when I first built it it was around a foot deep when it was full and then decided when the neighbors dog ripped my liner last year to go a little deep so it would not have a chance to get up to the top of the rocks no matter what and had to protect my koi aggie and bert from getting stuck when they ventured into the fall area .I could not make a stream so deciding on this

 

[pondlover]

I do have some sedge, or what I think is sedge in my bog and iris, cattails, taro and some other stuff I don't know the name of. lol This picture was taken a month ago and now things in the bog have filled in alot more.
Is this sage?
So hopefully all of this will help control the string algae. In my pond there is lots of fuzzy looking algae, which I'm thinking is the good stuff.

 

[j.w]

No but it's sedge

 

[pondlover]

JW ... you are right it is sedge!! Darn fingers.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Sissy, the plant that you have in your waterfall is not a grass or sedge, it is a Houttuynia cordata "Variegata" I used to grow that too but it is zone 5 and I'm here in zone 2 and 3, and I think it died off for me one cold hard winter a couple years back. This plant has a very unusual smell. If you rub gently the leaf and then smell your fingers, you will notice this smell, it's almost floral smelling but not quite. This plant will not rapidly takeover the waterway any time soon, so not to worry. Your stream is very nice and I like the top bucket with the landscaping ties. You could put floaters in the top bucket too. I used to have a bucket like that years ago but the plastic bust when it froze real hard one cold long dark winter. You have lots of room in your stream, you could take a cuttings from that Houttuynia and stick it in the rocks and it will spread nicely that way too.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Ha ha ha, you guys are funny, is this "sage"! We got lots of sage here on the bone dry prairie, but I have "sedges" in my pond. Pondlover your stream is very nice, I see a yellow iris and what appears to be some type of grass, both are sedges. They appear to be in your stream and will do good there as the flow of water will bring more nutrients to the plants

 

[sissy]

that pic was taken last year and that plant has not gone back in the pond yet .Yes it does have a strong scent to it and I have been propagating it to get more so that is why it has not gone back into the pond .I got a piece of it from a neighbor last year in trade for my passion flower plants