There are so many benefits to a backyard water garden--the sound of the water, beautiful blooms and graceful movement of fish. But then there's the nightmare of stringy, slimy algae--every gardener's worst nightmare.
One of the things you can do to help prevent growth of algae is to cover 60 percent of the water surface with plants such as water lilies, water hyacinth or water lettuce. The plants help block out the sunlight, which prevents the water from warming up. If the pond is small, however, the sun really heats up the water and the algae comes on strong.
The solution: products called pond pads, which are nothing more than barley straw. Natural cotton holds the straw in place and it's completely organic and natural. You can either float the pond pad on top of the water or submerge it. Just make sure it's not laying at the bottom of the pond. One option is to place the barley pad under some lily stems in shallow water.
The barley straw contains microorganisms which inhibit algae bloom and other water weeds. The best part is that the pads are safe for fish, pets and flowering plants.
It takes a couple of weeks before the pads actually start working. Keep in mind that they are 100% natural, so they decompose into the water. The natural enzyme in the barley straw will help level out the oxygen, bringing back a natural balance to the water. It is important that you change the pads every four months. In no time, the pond water should be clean as a whistle.
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