A New Tool For Pond Managers Breaking The Nutrient Cycle

Nuisance aquatic vegetation and algae are symptoms of high nutrient levels in the pond water and muck.  Muck is composed of nutrient-rich organic materials that accumulate on the pond floor primarily from decaying vegetation that had grown in the pond such as algae or aquatic plants.  Tree leaves, grass clippings, and waterfowl droppings can also contribute significantly to the fertile growing environment in ponds.  High nutrient levels fuel the cycles of excessive green plant and algae growth that can produce aesthetic or water quality issues.  At the peak, or “bloom” stage of algae growth, most of the plant available nutrients in the water are consumed and the population rapidly crashes. The algae die-off adds organic material and nutrients to the pond re-setting the stage for new growth.  This is a continuous cycle, which builds up or “traps” nutrients in ponds. 

How do we stop this cycle?

Managing green plant and algae growth traditionally involves pond dye/colorants and copper-based algae control products.  Colorants limit the sunlight penetration to the pond floor where weeds and algae start growing.  Copper-based algaecides are used to knock down growths and keep it off the surface.  While either or a combination of these pond management tools may be adequate for your short term needs, neither one functionally addresses the driving cause of excessive growth: excessive nutrients.

What else can we do?

There is a new tool available for pond managers, a product with a direct approach to the source of most common problems: high nutrient levels.  Precise Pond is a biological product combining naturally occurring enzymes and select bacteria, which feed on and metabolize phosphates and nitrates in pond water and muck.   The microscopic organisms in Precise Pond consume and out-compete algae for the “food” nutrients they both need to survive.   Reduced nutrient levels mean less plant and algae growth and a more manageable pond for you.

If you have struggled in the past to get the results you are looking for with a traditional “color and copper” pond program, consider adding the right biological product to your arsenal of pond management tools this year.  Please feel free to contact a company representative for more information about Precise Pond, or other ATS products.

Ted Vonderwell
BS Fisheries Management/Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
ATS Sales Representative