A backyard pond can effortlessly add a level of charm to a home landscape. The pond could serve as fish habitat and attract birds too. However, to ensure the pond maintain its beauty and health, you must maintain it well. Else, your backyard pond could develop an algae cover or an unattractive shade of green. This begs the question, “How to prevent algae in your backyard pond?” The answer lies in the following algae prevention tips.
Add Plants
Plants absorb nutrients that fish produce, leaving behind little to no nutrients for algae to feed on. When a pond doesn’t have enough plants for company, the excess nutrients produced to create a pro-algae environment. Therefore, add more plants to the mix. You can add submerged plants to the water, including hornwort, anacharis, and parrot’s feather. Most aquatic plants absorb nutrients too, starving algae in the process.
Keep Land-Based Creatures Away
Keep pets and livestock away from the pond using barriers such as fences, hedges, or trellises. Animal manure comprises nutrients that invariably facilitate rapid and extreme algae growth in a pond.
Use Plant Fertilizers Sparingly
Completely avoid or at least reduce plant fertilizer use around your backyard pond. For instance, if you’re growing a flower bed next to your pond, use wood berms or bricks to ensure the soil doesn’t meet the edge of your pond. Fertilizer runoffs comprise high levels of different nutrients, such as nitrogen and potassium, which shall encourage algae growth.
Use Shades
Shade the pond water. Sun exposure boosts the growth of green algae and pond weeds. Floating plants, such as lotus and lilies, would offer shade and decrease your pond’s exposure to direct sunlight, thereby controlling algae growth. A gazebo roof or any other physical cover over the pond would help too. If ongoing maintenance is an issue, pond dye is a solid option. The dye uses pigments to darken the water, thereby mitigating sunlight from penetrating the pond.
Using Filtration Is The Key
Having proper filtration and UV light will also help kill the algae and keep your pond in great condition.
Limit Fish Food Usage
If your pond develops the green algae cover easily, your fish feeding habits could be to blame. If your pond has fish varieties such as goldfish or carp, monitor the amount of food you give them. If there is leftover fish food in the bottom of the pond after 20 to 30 minutes of feeding, consider decreasing the food quantity next time. Overfeeding could lead to multiple issues. Excess food, for instance, fuels weed and algae growth and gives the water a murkier look.
If you need expert help with your pond’s algae woes, contact Get Wet Ponds for a holistic and long-term solution to the problem.