Common Pond Problems

Common pond problems that you can expect out of your pond include weeds, algae mats, cattails, and oxygen level issues. A lot of people will let their pond go a whole season without any kind of pond treatment. This is not a good way to have a healthy pond. If you want a nice looking pond you have to take the time to make the treatments and learn more about your ponds ecosystem

A pond owner should put plenty of pond dye in the water as soon as the ice comes off. Right when that water 50-55 degrees is when you start putting in the beneficial pond bacteria to start consuming those micronutrients that weeds and algae feed off of. Once it starts getting warm enough outside that algae starts to form you’ll need to spot treat with an algaecide and kill off the algae as its forming so it won’t take over your pond. As soon as you start seeing weeds form, incorporate an herbicide in your maintenance treatments to knock back your aquatic weeds so they can’t take over an area of your pond. Cattails may be nice to have in a controlled manner but they will spread rapidly and can take over an entire shoreline. Sanco has a contact herbicide called Catt Plex that with only a few ounces per gallon will kill any cattails you spray.

Oxygen levels in your pond can be another concern. If you do not have some form of aeration in your pond and you have an algae bloom, than you have to be extremely careful not to kill off too much algae, or the chances of having a fish kill rise considerably. If you have the cash flow and the means of getting electricity out to your pond so you can run some form of an aerator than you should really consider it. If not, make sure you start treatments early in the season and stay on top of your maintenance treating so you don’t have to use as much chemicals in the long run.