Thanks for the info. I take it you rake first? I like the idea of using beneficial bacteria. Do you have any grass carps in your pond? I have been looking for property in S.E. Ohio. Prices are insane now. Also looking in W. Virginia where prices are much lower. Your situation is just what I am looking for. A good sized pond, lot's of trees and no neighbors within at least a mile! LOL
I do try to rake the big stuff out first, but it can be a lot of work. Luckily my son loves to find the critters in the leaves and muck so we rake it a few times through the year, mostly at the end where the wind throughout the day pushes lots of leaves and debris. The bacteria is great but it's also hard to see the results but I know its helping just can't always quantify just how much. Yes, prices are insane in SE ohio at the moment. We luckily bought about 8 years ago and got in at pretty good rates. Jason had a place in Mineral Wells, WVa that he recently sold and was lucky enough to pick up 22 acres and a cabin across the road. We have a few neighbors on our 1.5 mile road but not too many and we have some nice buffer for sure. Good luck on your search! We have a playlist focused on tips for acquiring property. We've learned a lot over the years buying and selling some real estate and land... ru-vid.com/group/PL8BQp5z-QX0SiXByAdkCjPfUfBchKRGVV
My pond is 17 years old. About a half acre. It's filled from farm field runoff. I had a huge problem with weeds for a while until I put muck eater in. I think it was from Applied biochemist. Had a problem with cattails too. I read where once they're 18 inches above water you cut them off under water and they will die. It worked. I rigged up a thing that clamps to my tractor bucket and i can put a pipe in it. I bolted 2 tree pruner blades in a V shape and now have the cattails under control. I also made a 4 foot wide rake out of aluminum to rake out basically everything. Algae, the cattails I cut and weeds. I used 1 inch galvanized water pipe and rigged it where I had 20 foot of pipe. It's put away for the year but if you want I can send you a picture. I'm in MI.
Hi Steve, I have used a few different rakes, one from Midwest and one from Crystal Blue... both work well but my main concern is as you rake out the plants split and essentially propagate from the smaller cuttings. This definitely happened with my american pond weed. Shoot a photo when you get time, no rush, and you can send to hardy.brothers.outdoors@gmail.com Thanks for watching and commenting! - Josh
I have a 5.75 A pond spring fed, 35 feet deep at the dam. I got hydrilla in it in the last couple of years. I also use the water in a gravity fed system to water my cattle. Will algicides and herbicides used to control hydrilla affect the water quality for the cattle? Thanks great videos!
So i can't speak for all brands and all products but all of them will state on the label if any duration is required prior to swimming, drinking, irrigation, or watering livestock. Crystal Plex from Crystal Blue is an algaecide and it says safe for treating livestock water supplies. The key is to read the label and mix according to the specifications. I have a whole list of items I've used, but I don't have livestock... I do however swim in the pond and eat fish from it. Here is my Amazon link to the products I often use: www.amazon.com/shop/hardybrothersoutdoors/list/1OXKMJ98QJ6XX?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfhardybrothersoutdoors
Hi there! Thank you so much for this super helpful video. I'm in California, and we just moved to a property with a 2.5-acre pond. It's full now (about 12 feet in middle!), but it sometimes dries out (like last year). We don't have a sludge issue because of that, but with the recent heat, the algae exploded. It extends 3-10 feet out from the edges, depending on how shallow the shore is. Do I need to treat the algae before I add the black dye? Or can I do them at the same time? And what product(s) would you recommend to attack the problem if I don't have the muscle or tools to drag out some of the growth? Would they be different than the ones you used in the video? Thanks so much for your help! PS: We hope to swim and boat in it, so it's important that none of the products are harmful to pets or humans. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the note... A couple of things to consider regarding the sludge or absence of... This comes from a build up of decaying matter, so while it may dry solid you may have high nutrients stored in the mud that is left when it dries. I only mention this because those nutrients feed the algae... and when you kill this new algae it will sink to the bottom and the cycle continues... The bacteria products will help eat that waste so it doesn't continue feeding new algae and weeds. In terms of the improving water quality and presence of algae my #1 recommendation is to add aeration if you can... I'm about to install a low cost two head aerator ahead of repairing the more expensive model I've been running for 6 years... You can add dye anytime and it will slow or reduce algae growth but won't kill it all off or completely stop it. So same time is fine, after just allows you to see the algae better as you are treating. In terms of algaecide I have two primary products I alternate between the first being Cutrine Plus and the 2nd being Crystal Plex. If you are getting weeds you may need a product like Diquat to spray directly on the weeds as algaecides don't kill weeds. Cutrine does include some herbicide but i'm not clear on what all it controls. Treating the floating algae or submersed algae may need to be done every 2 weeks until it is under control and then check every 10-14 days and spot sprayed. You will need a backpack or handheld pump sprayer and you can spray from the bank... manual removal tends to be less effective to me as you break up the algae and weeds and it floats around. All of the products I recommend are listed as safe for swimming and livestock, just be sure to read the labels and follow accordingly. If you choose to use biological assistance to break down the decomposed dead algae (and also clean the water), I recommend getting a a few Kasco Muck blocks... Either break and half and toss in at either end or lob one into the middle. These really do help with reducing the returning algae... Not sure on your seasons but for my 4 acres I'll use 4 - 6 per year tossing two in at a time and split by about 30-40 days between treatments. now here is the only catch, CA may not allow some of these products to be shipped then you'll have to find products allowed in your state. Cutrine Plus - amzn.to/43eqCSx or Crystal Plex - amzn.to/3IAMO0F Diquat for aquatic weeds (Must be sprayed directly on the weeds or it won't work) - amzn.to/3Mu7MiL Muck Blocks - amzn.to/3Wrl18E (can buy 1 or 2 packs) or Pondworx Pond Bacteria - (less expensive but 1 gallon per acre) - amzn.to/43erw1n
How many do you have per acre? I had some large ones when I bought 9 years ago and then added about 12 the next year for 4 acres. Occasionally I see on now but I had been told they aren’t as effective when they get larger. Maybe it’s time to stock a few more.
So here is my take on the beneficial bacteria. I do believe it speeds up decomposition of muck and dying debris like leaves and dead algae. I have seen the effects of that. I also see clearer waters when using the bacteria. All that said, with the age of my pond, I have muck up to my knees at the edges in some places. I do not believe it will ever completely eliminate the existing muck but I do feel it is helping in slowing the increase of more muck and I’d like to believe it is helping slowly erode some of the existing. So my take, I will keep using it but I don’t expect miracles from it. I asked a manufacturer of this stuff once if he sent me a truckload could I remove all the muck vs dredging and he said no, it would not eliminate it all.
I'm checking with a few experts to make sure I get you the best recommendation... My gut says something like Pondworx ( amzn.to/3prCRJa ) would help benefit your pond in the long term but may not make the algae disappear in the short term as it is simply attacking nutrients that feed or lead to algal blooms. Are you currently using any sort of dye in your pond? That would help too and there is a combined dye and bacteria option from Pondworx ( amzn.to/3bZwp8W ) but I want to verify that the dye is okay... it is safe for fish for sure, but want to make sure it is for Koi... You'd likely be good with 1 gallon for your one acre pond... Stay tuned, I'll get back to you hopefully within 24 hours.
@@HardyBrothersOutdoors thanks so much for your response. We do alternate between a dye that is purely a dye but another that does include beneficial bacteria. Unfortunately I prefer the black pond dye but I haven’t been able to locate a brand that incorporates beneficial bacteria. I’m not a fan of twilight or deep blue dyes as they seem to turn unnatural colors in the summer. We also use the 6 pound muck blocks (pond boss), aerator, and muck away. We cleaned up a bunch of old bushes and weeds around the pond to help. At this point we have a floating green powder/film like substance (I’m guessing it’s pollen) that we just can’t get rid of. We’ve had the property for 5 years now and I feel we progress each year with the pond. Our major consideration factor for product use is the 20 big koi that take residence in the pond
@@alleybell1085 sounds like you have a great set of products and I agree on the black dye vs. blue... that is my preference as well. I get a lot of pollen too and the only thing that I have found that helps is my aeration which pushes it to the sides or the wind... Some days it looks amazing and then the wind dyes and its back to covered in pollen. I spoke to the guys at Sanco Industries and they used to sell a product that would clean that up but it was a temporary result so they discontinued it as it was pricey to just get a 1-2 day clearing... I'm also using the Kasco 6lb blocks and just got some 5lb Pond Boss blocks as they were a better price... I'll let you know one way or another if I've got a safe and effective algaecide to recommended to me by my pond biologist contacts.
@@alleybell1085 so I should have checked my email before replying earlier... I received a recommendation for this product here - www.sancoind.com/en/green-x which comes in a granular or liquid version and was told you can spot treat your algae the same we would do with copper in a pond that doesn't have KOI... Haven't used it before but was told this would be safe in your use case. Hope that helps!
I suppose the same way dye is found in much of our foods. I’m not a scientist and make no claims on behalf of the manufacturer but all the dye labels claim to not harm wildlife, fish or people. What it does do is inhibits the light rays which reduces algal growth which probably also reduces micro organisms that are at the low end of the food chain so a possible reduction of fish growth but I’ve not seen this. For me it’s a decision on whether I have a pond that is pleasing to look at, fishable and enjoyable vs a swamp filled with floating agal mats and weeds so thick we cannot enjoy the pond. My pond is over 50 years old and filled with organic waste from leaves and debris. So the shallows are not as deep and the choice to negate algae and weeds naturally isn’t really an option any more. If I ever choose to drain and dredge I hope to be able to slope the banks a bit more to reduce the algae build up.
Yes we swim in it all summer long. I'm trusting the labels, and governing laws, that all of these treatments are safe if you follow the instructions. Disclaimer: :-) Just make sure to follow the label for application amounts and to comply with all laws.
