Plan Your Spring Pond Treatments in Late Winter

Winter weather is hard to predict, and a colder-than-forecast season can delay pond work. Whatever the winter brings, the pond owners who plan early are the ones who start spring ahead of nuisance weeds and algae.

Start with a plan, not a product

The right treatment depends on what is feeding your pond. Before spring, take stock of three things:

• Phosphorus. Often the limiting nutrient in fresh water, so reducing it goes straight at the cause of many algae problems.
• Nitrogen and bottom muck. Decaying organic material on the bottom keeps releasing nutrients into the water.
• Oxygen. Low dissolved oxygen slows every natural cleanup process in the pond.

Our overview of how we clean water shows how each of these is addressed.

February: use the warm spells

Temperature swings in late winter can open windows for treatment. Whenever the water is not frozen, nutrient reduction can continue, including monthly applications of a diatom promoter such as Aquaritin.

March: watch for nuisance weeds

Weeds begin growing early in the spring. The sooner they are treated, the less labor and the less selective herbicide are needed to control them, so a plan made in winter saves effort and cost later.

Build a diatom bloom before weeds take hold

Diatoms are beneficial, oxygen-producing microorganisms that consume nitrogen and phosphorus more efficiently than nuisance algae. A healthy diatom bloom helps keep weeds such as watermeal, duckweed and pondweeds from taking hold. Aquaritin’s spring start-up schedule is weekly applications for the first four weeks, which is ideal for spring start-up or algae-prone systems, then every two weeks as diatoms begin to dominate the nutrient cycle.

Get your plan and dosing in place

We provide the guidance, supplies and dosages you need for Aquaritin and beneficial bacteria. Contact us to work out your plan now, so you are not behind the curve this spring.