use of barley extract treatment...

[mailman62]

got hair algea going on in pond this yr. ,its not too bad at moment but if it get out of control has anyone used the barley extraact treatment ? i would rather not use but have to wait and see how bad it gets , thanks

 

[taherrmann4]

Yes I have used it at the beginning of the year for the first few months and then I find I no longer need it.

 

[fishin4cars]

I've used it with some results, I would start by using the extract but for better results also add a bale or two of actual barley straw to help maintain. For some reason the actual barley straw breaking down slowly seems to work better for me than the extract but it does take a few weeks for the barley straw to actually start breaking down. The extract really helps start things off until the breakdown of the straw starts to work.

 

[HARO]

We sell the pellet version at the garden centre, and most of my customers come back every spring for more, so apparently it works for THEM! In the six or seven years I've been there, I've met maybe four people who told me it didn't work for them, so it's not a miracle cure for all situations. Every pond is different!
John

 

[mailman62]

so it sounds like using the extract and the straw would work , whats the best way to use the straw? what to put it in ? etc....

 

[HARO]

The Laguna pellets come with a fine-mesh bag; with straw, you'd need some kind of mesh container, since it breaks down over time and the bag makes it easier to remove the resulting mess at the end of the season.
John

 

[koiguy1969]

pellets brown the water worse than extract and bales...and extract already contains humic acids...
that said... the "problem" is harder to treat than prevent. dont wait til the algea is a problem and treat early to help prevent it.

 

[HARO]

Should have added that any of the barley products will NOT kill existing algae, they simply prevent it from multiplying, so the pond should be treated as early as possible in the spring.
John

 

[pondlover]

Has anyone used the Barley Straw treatment that is carried by Tractor Supply? I already have the algae problem and am trying to stop future growth.

 

[JenH]

I've been using barley bales that I picked up from Pet Smart. I have it in my waterfall filter so that the water is running through them. This is all in my little "temporary pond" on my patio while we are expanding where it was before. But right now with 22 goldfish and maybe somewhere around 200 gallons of water it seems to be working very well. My filter seems to be getting a pretty decent growth of bacteria as well, funny since I didn't add any to it this year and replaced the media. But the barley definitely seems to be doing its job.

 

[j.w]

I bought a bale of the barley straw last year and put some in the pond. I don't have algae is all I can say. I put about a qt or 2 in my 2500gal pond in a net bag and set it on the pond shelf. It's prolly all rotted by not and will have to add more this year. I do it as a preventative and don't wait till I get algae. I also have kitty litter in netted bag also so maybe they both help together for different kinds of algae. I'm no scientist so can only go by what is working for me. Before I was using either of these I did get algae tho every Spring.

 

[pondlover]

Go to Petsmart after work to get some barley. Thanks Jen & JW.