It’s time to prepare your irrigation ponds for the spring. There are three key things I recommend doing this winter to ensure your ponds are aesthetically pleasing and ready to go next season.
1. Control Pond Weeds
You’ll want to keep weeds in check, and I recommend applying Sonar One at 10 pounds per acre after you’ve blown out your irrigation system for the season.
It attacks low-lying pond weeds and cleans things up so you don’t have to worry about treating pond weeds in-season, when watering restrictions and time constraints are at play.
Sonar One needs to be put out at least 75 days before your first irrigation cycle, so my customers commonly make their application in November or December.
2. Handle Algae With Pond Dye
People often assume that since the water is cold, nothing is growing. If you take a look in your ponds in January or February, however, you’ll see low-lying algae beginning to bloom.
If you attack algae in the winter, you’ll get a lot less throughout the summer. I’m a proponent of using Jet Black EZ, which is a black dye, at one packet per acre.
A lot of clubs like blue dye, but since any kind of sunlight allows algae to grow, black is the better choice. This is because black dyes are more reflective and keep as much shade in the pond as possible (especially beneficial for shallow ponds).
3. Keep Runoff in Check
While we’re on the topic of algae, it’s important to talk about phosphorus. Phosphorus encourages algae growth, and runoff of nutrients is a big risk factor on courses.
If you have a pond next to a field or that gets a lot of runoff, I recommend Eutrosorb WC, which ties up the phosphorus and prevents algae growth.
We also carry Eutrasorb filters, which you can place at the spot where runoff is entering the pond. They lower the amount of phosphorus entering the pond, thus leading to less algae growth.
For additional winter tips and to learn more about the products I mentioned, reach out to your ATS rep today!
