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Should I add pond dye to my pond?
The Uses of Pond Dye Many who have ponds have used pond dye for a variety of reasons. Those who are new to having a pond may wonder about the various ways you can use pond dye. What is pond dye? Well, this type of dye is made to give a pond or water feature an artificial color. However, rest assured that pond dyes are safe to use around ponds or even reflecting pools. They are environmentally friendly and can be helpful for ponds that experience an overgrowth of algae bloom. Let’s go over the ins and outs of pond dyes. When to Use Pond Dye You may be wondering when it would be a good time to use pond dye. If you are having trouble with algae, you may consider pond dye as an alternative. However, remember to have an aeration system to get the most out of the pond dye. Using an aeration system would circulate the pond dye much more efficiently throughout the pond. The color would also be evenly distributed as the aeration takes place. How Much Pond Dye Should You Use? The amount of dye used in a pond will depend on its size. You can figure out the amount of dye you need by doing some calculations. By multiplying the acreage and depth of the pond, you can get an idea of how much water you have in your pond. Depending on your final numbers, you can calculate how much pond dye you will need to use. On average, a bottle of dye may be able to cover about 4 to 6 acres feet of water per bottle. You can try one bottle and make adjustments as needed. If you notice the transparency of the pond coming back, you can always add more. A Surprising Result Our pond dye comes in three different colors: blue, dark blue, and black. No matter the aesthetic you are going for, we have you covered. When you use pond dye for the first time, you will be surprised at the results. The surface of the water itself will automatically turn a different color, such as blue. If you want to control algae bloom in your pond, you can estimate if you need more dye by looking if you can see to the bottom of the pond. You can test this by looking into your pond from about two feet in depth. It is suggested that you add small amounts of dye over time. Once you get the pond color and transparency just as you want, you can stop adding more dye. The color can complement an exterior layout with a natural ambiance. You may even start to notice your pond clearing a bit because of the pond dye. In the end, if you want to emphasize the overall natural adornment of your pond’s layout, a pond dye would be the ideal choice.
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How do you Improve a Pond the Natural Way?
Improving Pond Water Quality the Natural Way Together with a team of seasoned biologists and water quality experts, OWS has created a simple, easy to use Pond Care System. The three products included in the Pond Pack work together to help to prevent problems before they start! Today, many pond owners rely on the use of algaecides and herbicides to keep their pond looking nice. While these products work well, they are primarily curative in nature. That means they fix the problem after it is already a problem – like algae and weeds. They do not fix the underlying issue which is a buildup of nutrients and a lack of aeration and water circulation. These “excess” nutrients and lack of oxygen is really what causes too much algae and too many weeds. Other potential problems with traditional solutions: Pond Turnover – without proper aeration, most ponds will physically turn over once or twice a year. This is due to the water stratifying into different layers with the colder, oxygen depleted water on the bottom. As the seasons change, a pond can invert or turn over, which brings the colder, low oxygen water to the surface where fish will often die due to lack of oxygen. Pond Algae – with a lack of oxygen and a build up of nutrients, pond algae can thrive in a pond. Algaecides are effective in killing the algae that’s there, but do not prevent it from coming back as they do not fix the real problem. Pond Muck – with a lack of oxygen, beneficial bacteria, and enzymes on the bottom of a pond, the decomposition process of leaves, fish waste, grass clippings, etc. cannot occur. The bottom of the pond soon starts to build up with a black layer of muck that cannot decompose and instead continues to accumulate and release excess nutrients into the water further feeding algae and other weed problems. Pond care is really evolving as the industry itself becomes more environmentally conscious and pond owners start to consider alternatives to using potentially harmful chemicals to treat their pond water. Just like any problem that needs to be solved, the best way to approach it is to look at the underlying issues or symptoms of the problem. An excess of nutrients and a lack of aeration and water circulation are usually the underlying problems that cause algae and excess vegetation in a pond. As a more environmentally sound alternative, pond care can be achieved by using a combination of biological products and aeration. The Pond Pack from Outdoor Water Solutions combines three different natural products that work together to help prevent future problems. To further improve your pond environment, aeration provided by an Outdoor Water Solutions solar, wind or electric aerator can make a big difference by adding beneficial oxygen to the water. This begins breaking down excess nutrients, both in the water and on the bottom of the pond. Combining additional oxygen in your pond with a mixture of beneficial bacteria, water clarifiers, and natural pond dye gives your pond the care it needs to stay healthy and clean. Pond Care Packs Provide: An Easy and Safe to Use Pond Cleaning System No FDA or EPA Approval Required No Need to take Courses and go through a Licensing Application All Natural Solution to Help Keep Your Pond Clean and Healthy For Use in Ponds, Lakes, Fisheries and Ornamental Bodies of Water Each Pond Pack contains three different products which work together to help people clean up their ponds and maintain them in good condition 365 days a year. These three natural products are proven and tested to help tie up nutrients in the water body and provide the simplest and most cost effective solution available on the market. Recommended Solution Each Pond Pack box will treat ¼ acre pond with an average depth of 4' - 6 feet. For a ½ acre pond 4-6 ft deep, you would use two boxes for season long performance. Each Pond Pack Box contains three all natural products designed to help keep your pond clean and healthy all season long. Lake & Pond Water Clarifier is a non-toxic granular product commonly used in the water treatment industry to improve water clarity. It also reduces the amount of phosphorous in the water and helps clean up murky pond water. Lake & Pond Bacteria is a non-toxic natural blend of beneficial microbes in a barley straw base. Lake & Pond Bacteria helps break down organic matter, diminishes nutrient overload, helps reduce odor, and creates a clean, clear pond ecosystem. Lake & Pond Dye is a proprietary blend of environmentally friendly, non-toxic, water-soluble dyes formulated to reduce sunlight penetration and impart a natural blue color when applied to ponds, lakes and fountains. For ponds that have a lot of algae present, you may need to treat with a copper based product. For ponds larger than ¼ acre, you may need to purchase multiple Pond Packs to get season long performance. Aeration systems are not required, but extremely helpful in increasing the performance of these products. NOTE: The use of these products can improve water quality in ponds and small lakes, especially when combined with aeration. For the most environmentally sound system, combine these products with an Outdoor Water Solutions aeration system.
Winterizing Your Pond or Lake
Well, it’s that time of year when fall is soon upon us, then the short cold days of winter. If you own or manage a pond or lake, then you’re probably not thinking too much about “winterizing” it. Nature will take just take its course until spring arrives. However there are a few things that you can do proactively if you want to get a head start on next year. 1. Keep aeration in place thru the winter months. Bottom diffused pond aeration helps to keep the water circulating eliminating fall turnover and fish kills. It can also help to prevent fish from dying under the ice if you live in areas where you have complete freeze over. Lastly aeration will give you a head start on algae control next spring by circulating oxygen rich water thru the whole pond which will increase the amount of beneficial aerobic bacteria present.If you don’t already have aeration in place, now would be a great time to install it, before the ground freezes up. There’s still ample time to build a windmill for energy efficient wind aeration or to set up an electric aerator with bottom diffused aeration. If you don’t already have aeration in place, now would be a great time to install it, before the ground freezes up. There’s still ample time to build a windmill for energy efficient wind aeration or to set up an electric aerator with bottom diffused aeration. 2. Use a pond dye or colorant – even over the winter months. Pond with Colorant and Aeration Most algae can grow on the bottom of a pond year around. Come February or March, it can really take off. Using a pond dye adds a nice color but also filters the sunlight, keeping it off of the bottom where most algae live and grow. Aquashade is a good choice as well as any of the other pond dye’s we carry. 3. Continue using beneficial aerobic bacteria until the water temperature drops to 50 degrees. In some parts of the country, you might use supplemental bacteria year around. In the Northern climates, it might be from April through November. The biggest benefit of adding supplemental bacteria is in breaking down the organic matter on the bottom and in reducing the amount of nutrients available to feed bacteria and aquatic vegetation. They are much more effective than anaerobic bacteria and really go to work if you have supplemental aeration. Pond with Aeration Keeping the Ice Open 4. Fall is the best time of the year to kill aquatic weeds like cattails. Why? Because they are actively taking sugars to the roots to store up energy for the winter. When you treat them in the fall, they take the herbicide directly to the roots giving you better control. Treating after a frost is fine as long as you have > 50% of the leaf surface that is still green. Shoreklear Plus is the product to use as it has an aquatic registration, so is safe to use around fish and ponds. SaveSave SaveSave