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Barley straw has
been used for hundreds of years to combat algae in ponds, lakes and
waterways. With warm, moving water and sunlight, it increases the
biological filtration of the pond, which in turn becomes an organic
algaecide in reducing string algae and plankton (the thick, pea green
soup looking water). It doesn't affect the growth of other aquatic
plants and is totally harmless to fish. It takes a while for barley
straw to become active, so start them early in the season and you'll
have better results. Barley straw takes about 3‑8 weeks to become
active. To apply, simply tie a string to each bale and attach a rock at
the other end and place it in your pond with the bale half way up in the
water so it can get good circulation. You can also add it to the top of
a water fall or anywhere where there is good water circulation. The bale
will slowly decompose and will be effective in combating algae for
approx. 6 months. For those who live in warm temperatures year round,
you can add another "dose" of barley straw bales to your pond after
about 5 months and remove the old ones about 2 months after that, thus
overlapping doses of barley straw. This will ensure you a continual
treatment of organic algaecide from your barley straw and you won't have
to wait the 3‑8 week period before the new bales become active (For
those who live where there are harsh winters, place your barley straw
bales in your pond once the ice melts so you can get a head start on
reducing the algae blooms.) Place your barley straw in your pond when
water temperatures are about 5 ‑ 1 OOC (or higher) so they can start to
become an active algaecide early. One thing you want to make sure of is
that the barley straw bales you buy are organically grown. This is very
important! What this means is, you want to make sure that the bales are
void of any harmful chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, etc. while the
barley straw was growing and before it was harvested or else you will be
putting all of those chemicals in your pond and your fish and other
aquatic life may die because of it!
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