Is it too cold to use bacteria? If so, is there anything else I should continue to use now?
Susan – Cincinnati, OH

Like lots of living creatures, beneficial bacteria appreciate a cozy, comfortable environment. And from their bacterial perspectives, water temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit are no longer cozy at all. That’s why we recommend against the use of bacteria when the water falls below that threshold.

Regardless of the temperature, many pond owners enhance the beauty of their water feature with the use of our Pond Logic® Pond Dyes. These dyes are available in Nature’s Blue™, Twilight Blue™ or Black Dyemond™ colors, and are completely safe for people, pets, and aquatic life. And whether you choose to add them during winter months – or all year ‘round – they add a touch of elegance to any backyard pond.

In addition to our Pond Dyes, it’s wise to consider the use of our Pond Logic® EcoBoost™ Bacteria Enhancer. With its unique, safe formulation, EcoBoost binds with phosphates and other harmful toxins that can be harmful to fish and plants, and introduces more than 80 helpful trace minerals to keep water clear and healthy. While EcoBoost doesn’t contain bacteria, its formulation helps to make pond water safe for beneficial bacteria to thrive. We recommend its continued use until your pond freezes over – which will help to ensure a good head start when the ice goes out, and preparations begin for a new season.

Pond Talk: What maintenance do you continue to do throughout the winter months?

It’s been cold where I live. Should I stop with my bacteria now?
Kevin – Saugatuck, MI

In bacteria paradise, the temperature in your backyard pond would never fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When water temperatures drop below 50 for any sustained period of time, the bacteria call it quits for the season.

But just because you’ve been feeling the cold for a few days, remember: it takes water longer to respond to changing temperatures. Thus, when it’s below 50 degrees outside for a lengthy stretch, your pond water may not have fallen as far – and your bacteria may be doing just fine. To get the most accurate reading you can, consider buying our Pond Logic® Floating Pond Thermometer. It’ll give you up-to-the minute readings, making it easy to monitor the health of – and the need for – your favorite bacteria.

When your pond is still in the above-50 degree range, we strongly recommend the continued use of Pond Logic® PondClear™ Beneficial Bacteria, and Pond Logic® MuckAway™ Pond Muck Reducer. These two products help to maintain healthy bacteria levels in your pond, which will help to reduce organics, excess nutrients and noxious odors, while breaking down muck and keeping your pond water clear.

Once your pond water drops below 50 degrees, you can safely suspend bacteria treatments. But when the temperatures start to rise again in the spring, be prepared to start back up – and get your pond water in great shape for another season.

Pond Talk: Do you monitor your pond’s water temperature for optimum bacteria use?

Can I swim in the pond if I add pond dye?
Sarah – Reno, NV

For a lot of good reasons – beyond the fact that blue skin isn’t terribly flattering on anyone – this is a question that begs for an answer. We’ll start with the basics. At the Pond Guy, we sell a variety of pond dyes – including Pond Logic Nature’s Blue, Twilight Blue and Black Dyemond, and Pond Logic Nature’s Blue PLUS and Twilight Blue PLUS which both include bacteria. For the sake of safety, all of the pond dyes we carry are food grade – which ensures that they’re safe for recreational use, including swimming. Because our dyes are food grade, even an accidental slurp of dyed pond water is no cause for concern.

Since our dyes pose no health risks to people or pets, the second line of inquiry about pond dyes usually involves the potential for staining. In its concentrated form, pond dyes will stain pretty much anything. Clothes, skin, pets, rocks – you name it. When you put a lot of dye in one place, it’s bound to leave a mark. But when applied properly in a pond, and permitted to disperse for 24 to 48 hours, dyes pose little to no risk of staining.

In the event that you or your pet come into contact with concentrated dye, there’s no need to worry. Food grade dyes pose no threat to health whatsoever – even in concentrated forms. On the downside, however, it may take a while for you to shed your new hue. Over time, dyes will fade, and your skin – or Rover’s fur – will be back to its natural tint.

Pond Talk: Do you use dye in your pond?

What is the difference between Pond Dye and Pond Dye Plus?
Emma – Racine, WI

Adding pond dye to your pond maintenance regimen is a great way to keep your pond looking great all year long. The additional shade gives your pond the unique color of your choosing whether it be a decorative blue tint or a mirror like reflective surface while discouraging unwanted plant and weed growth. Pond Logic makes a new dye called Pond Logic Pond Dye Plus leaving pond owners everywhere wondering what all the “Plus” is about.

Aquatic weeds and algae utilize decomposing organic materials like waste, runoff, dead leaves or plant decay along with sunlight as fuel to grow and overtake your pond. Pond Logic Pond Dye Plus combines the Nature’s Blue or Twilight Blue Pond Dye you’ve grown to love with their powerful PondClear Liquid Bacteria.

The bacteria added to Pond Dye Plus actually digest the mucky organic debris that has built up in your pond. This not only discourages future weed growth but also improves water clarity by removing organic floating debris that cloud up your water. By combining both dye and bacteria in one product you can effectively reduce the time you spend treating your pond, and spend more time enjoying it. PondClear is a natural product and is safe for your fish, pets, birds, wildlife, and of course yourself. The beneficial bacteria in Pond Dye Plus is most effective when your pond can maintain a water temperature of around 50 degrees or higher. If it is still a bit chilly where you live, continue to use just your Pond Dye until later in the season.

If you are new to beneficial bacteria treatments or your pond needs a little help breaking down excessive organic debris, making the upgrade to Pond Logic Pond Dye Plus is a logical choice. If your muck situation is getting entirely out of hand or you are not a fan of using dye in your pond, Pond Logic also offers bacteria treatments without the dye in the form of Pond Logic PondClear and MuckAway.

Pond Talk: Have you tried Pond Dye Plus yet? Share your experience!

How early can you start planning for your pond?
Leo – Exira, IA

If you were one of the many pond owners plagued by algae, pond muck, excessive weeds or green water last year one of your New Year resolutions may have revolved around your pond or water garden.

The beginning of the new pond season is the perfect time to evaluate and tweak your pond maintenance practices and take inventory of leftover pond care products from last year. Since your pond maintenance begins once the ice thaws from your pond, there is no better time to start planning for the upcoming season.

First, before you buy new pond maintenance products, recall your pond issues from last season. Whether you have an earth bottom pond or water garden, aeration is always a great way to keep your pond water balanced and healthy. Installing an aeration system in your pond will infuse the water column with oxygen and circulate the entire water column. Aeration systems help reduce pond muck formation and weed growth while keeping your fish safe and comfortable. If your pond receives constant sunlight consider shading the water with pond dye. To keep your pond water clear and remove accumulated pond muck treat your pond with beneficial bacteria. Airmax® can help you eliminate the guesswork when choosing the appropriate pond maintenance products by providing the most effective pond care products in one kit. Use the Pond Logic® ClearPAC™ to treat earth bottom ponds and lakes or the DefensePAC™ for water gardens.

When purchasing your pond care products keep in mind you may receive discounts for buying items in multiple quantities. Pond Logic® Pond Dye Plus, for example, is discounted when you purchase 4 or more bottles at a time. Simply look for the red or blue “2+, 3+ or 4+” price next to qualifying products in The Pond Guy® catalog or on our website. Creating a list of desired products for the season and purchasing them in one order can also save you money on shipping costs. If you are having trouble calculating how much product you will need for season long treatment or have any questions on a particular product you can always call a Pond Guy or Gal toll free at 866-766-3710 or chat with us live from our website by clicking the Live Chat Icon.

If you don’t have a pond, water garden or water feature yet you can start researching and designing the pond of your dreams now. There is a wide variety of informational books available and online blogs that explain the differences between various water features and ponds. Pond kits are available for purchase that contain all of the items you need to build a water garden. If you prefer something less time consuming, maybe you would like to consider a pondless water fall. Whichever the case early planning will help make your pond project a success.

Pond Talk: Are you planning to change how you maintain your pond this season? What would you do differently?

If I can’t use bacteria, how can I defend my pond while the water is cold?
Mary – Hudson, CO

It is not uncommon for ponds to get a little out of control as the temperatures begin to drop in the late fall and early spring. As water temperatures decrease, your pond crosses a balancing point where your bacteria and algaecides can no longer remain effective enough to fight off excess nutrients and cold temperature plant growth. Customers tend to let their guard down at the end of the season as they venture indoors for the winter.

Pond dye is an effective year-round treatment that works flawlessly in the winter giving your pond a unique look even as it ices over. Algae and plants can still grow at the bottom of the pond in cold temperatures and they are continually exposed to sunlight even if there is a layer of ice on the pond. There are multiple shades of dye available to pond owners. Pond Logic® offers pond dye in a decorative Nature’s Blue™, natural blue-green Twilight Blue™, or reflective Black DyeMond™, so you can achieve a unique color that fits your particular setting. You can learn more about choosing the best pond color in our Pond Dye Blog.

Organic matter will continue to decay during the winter, and run off from melting snow and rain will contribute to an increase in phosphate levels which encourages algae growth. Using a water conditioner like Pond Logic® EcoBoost™ will continue to bind these phosphates rendering them useless to weeds and algae as well as introduce trace minerals into the water column which promote a healthier fish population. EcoBoost™ also enhances the natural bacteria found in your pond increasing their productivity when they are active.

Both EcoBoost™ and pond dye are considered “proactive” pond care treatments as they are designed to create a balanced ecosystem and prevent problems like algae growth or turbid water. You can save yourself a lot of work and money on difficult spring start ups or late season algae blooms by continuing to use these types of pond care products throughout the year even after your bacteria and herbicides are packed away for the winter.

POND TALK: Pond owners sometimes use pond dye in the winter to create unique ice colorations. Share your winter pond art pictures and stories with other pond guys and gals.

When do the bacteria say it’s too cold to eat? Farrah – Rockport, KY

You’ve counted on your bacteria to keep your pond clear and muck free throughout the summer but they may soon be taking a breather as winter approaches and water temperatures drop. Although you will see a dip in muck eradicating productivity rest assured that your microbial mates are not saying goodbye for good.

Bacteria products like Pond Logic™ Pond Clear™ and MuckAway™ advertise that you should apply treatments whenever your water temperature is above 50°F. This is more of a target area than a temperature cutoff and lets you know you are approaching conditions that are less than optimal for your bacteria to work. Once your water temperatures frequently stay at or below the 50° mark you will want to stop applying bacteria treatments.

To monitor this target area, you can install a floating pond thermometer in your pond to take regular temperature readings. To get accurate readings push the thermometer beneath the surface of the water and closer to the bottom where the water is less affected by ambient air temperatures. Be sure to remove the thermometer before your pond ices over to avoid damaging the unit.

Your bacteria may not be too enthusiastic about the cold weather, but your other pond care products like pond dye are ready to go no matter what the forecast says. As some plants can still grow in colder temperatures while your bacteria and herbicides are out of commission, dye can be one of the cheaper and easier applications to help maintain your pond even as it ices over.

POND TALK: What time of the year do you stop using your bacteria?

Are there any tips for treating my pond in the hot summer months? George – Horace, ND

A lot of our summer activities revolve around our pond. The warm sunny seasons see us hosting parties, swimming, fishing, or just unwinding at the end of the day lounging around outside. Regardless of how you enjoy your down time, you expect your pond to be in pristine condition when having guests at your home or before you decide jump in for a swim. Frustratingly enough, it is the warmer seasons that encourage weed and algae growth that can throw the proverbial wrench in the works. By laying out a few key points on pond maintenance you should be able to keep your pond in excellent condition by knowing what to expect when things go a bit south.

Know It’s Role
When you start to notice growth in your pond, properly identifying it will be the first step to effective treatment. We offer a great Weed ID Guide online that can help you pinpoint exactly what is trying to invade your space. If you are still unsure you can always e-mail pictures to us at mrwig@thepondguy.com or mail us a sample of the weed.

Plan Ahead
Having a party? Keep in mind that it may take up to a week or more to receive full results from a pond treatment depending on what you are treating. Waiting until the day before could result in swimming restrictions or floating growth that has yet to die off. Always read the labels on aquatic algaecides and herbicides for application instructions, dosage rates, and any water use restrictions that they may carry. You don’t want to buy a product that carries a 30 day irrigation restriction of you plan on watering your garden and lawn with your pond water.

Use Aeration Ahead of Time and Keep it Going
Customers who use Bottom Plate Aeration Systems typically run them all day every day to keep the pond circulating and infused with oxygen. Those of you who use a fountain or surface aerator may only run it when you are home and leave it off at night or when you are away. When treating with algaecides and herbicides make sure you keep your aeration running continuously for at least a few days after application regardless. This allows an influx of oxygen during this crucial time when the kill off process robs the water column of the majority of its dissolved oxygen. No aeration yet? If you are going to install an aeration system you will want to introduce it at least a week before you treat, running it in gradually extended increments as to avoid manually turning over your pond by rapidly mixing the bottom oxygen deficient water with the upper oxygen rich layers.

Treat in Sections
In the hot summer months as the water column warms up it will naturally hold less oxygen. In addition to water temperature, dying algae and weeds will also reduce oxygen content. This could potentially add stress to your fish. Treat the pond in quarter sections and wait 10 to 14 days in between sections to allow the pond time to maintain an adequate oxygen level.

Keeping your pond properly maintained with Dye, Beneficial Bacteria and Aeration will give you the upper hand at keeping unwanted growth out of your pond and will drastically reduce the time, effort, and cost of combating weeds when they do decide to make an appearance. With this extra bit of knowledge you can skip out on some stress and effectively treat your pond by choosing the correct products and having a better understanding of the conditions you want to work within.

POND TALK: Are there any other tips you’ve found to help out when treating your pond?

Killing Algae – Liquid v.s. Granular

Those of you with at least a couple years of ponding under your belt know that beautiful summer sunshine comes as a package deal with algae and green water. While it can be painful to look at for even a couple days, when your pond is being properly maintained it can be a quick and simple process to whip your pond back into shape.

Before you select which type of algaecide you want to use you will want to identify what type of algae you have. Algae typically come in 3 great flavors, Planktonic (green water), Filamentous (floating mats or string algae), and Chara (a smelly bottom growing plant-like algae). If you are not too sure on which type you have or you think you may have a submerged weed instead, take a look at our Weed ID Guide.

It is important to know what type of algae you are dealing with because it will help you select the proper algaecide for the job. Liquid algaecides like Algae Defense are best used to contact spray floating algae mats, planktonic algae outbreaks, or to treat algae submerged in relatively shallow water usually 3 feet deep or shallower. Liquid algaecides are mixed with water and a Surfactant which is then applied using a Tank Sprayer. When dealing with bottom growing algae in greater depths you will want to use a granular algaecide like Cutrine Plus Granular or Hydrothol 191 Granular. Granular applications are great for getting rid of Chara and, by using a Hand Spreader, are very easy to apply. If you have Koi, Trout, or Goldfish in your pond or lake you will want to use Hydrothol 191 as it is not copper based. You can also benefit from the fact that Hydrothol works not only on weeds by on a variety of submerged weeds as well.

While both liquid and granular algaecides are great for killing existing algae, they will not prevent future growth. Properly maintaining your pond using Dye, Beneficial Bacteria, or Subsurface Aeration will help keep your pond healthy and reduce the chances of algae in the first place. Remember to always read product labels before doing any treatment.

Pond Talk: How successful has your fight with algae been?

Stink or Swim

With summer quickly approaching pond guys and gals everywhere are getting ready to take the plunge into their ponds to beat the heat. Now that your water temps are on the rise it is a great time to whip your pond into shape for the swimming season to make sure you’re not stuck in the muck all season long.

Fans of our blogs already know, the best way to keep your pond clear and healthy all season long is to use beneficial bacteria like PondClear, Pond Dye, and EcoBoost in tandem with an Aeration System. If you are a new pond owner, or have just found our blog page, click HERE to learn more about these products and how they improve the quality of your pond.

There is nothing worse than diving into your pond only to land in a layer of muck. If you have an accumulation of muck around your beach areas or by your dock, use some MuckAway bacteria tablets to spot treat these troublesome areas. Keeping your pond clean not only prevents you from turning into a human lawn dart, it will help prevent unflattering skin irritations and illnesses. Conditions, like swimmer’s itch, are caused by flatworms larvae typically introduced into your pond by waterfowl. Swimmer’s ear is an irritation of the inner ear that occurs when water gets trapped inside your ear. While these conditions occasionally occur, they are avoidable. Keep the number of ducks and birds that frequent your pond to a minimum by using Decoys, especially when it gets closer to swimming season and try to rinse off thoroughly after a nice swim in your pond.

If you are worried about the overall quality of your pond water, you can get it tested through your local health department, where they can check for e-coli and other contaminants. There is no reason to feel uncomfortable in your own pond. While regular maintenance typically results in a perfectly swim-able pond, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Regardless, use your bacteria, aerate the pond, and enjoy another great summer at home in your back yard.

Pond Talk: Which products do you use to keep your pond clean and clear throughout the summer? Have you ever tested your pond water?