PONTZ LANDSCAPE SERVICE, INC.
|
813 ROHRER RD. LANCASTER, PA 17603
|
717-285-3510 / FAX 717-394-6485
|
By far, the most frustrating maintenance issue for pond owners is how to
control algae. It’s important to realize that algae is naturally occurring
and you will find some in almost every pond. There are literally hundreds
of types of algae found throughout the world however, the two types that
are the most prevalent in our area are string algae (looks similar to grass
and grows in thick mats, usually found growing off of rocks, aquatic
plants, etc.) and suspended algae (microscopic algae that float in the
water and turns the water “pea soup” green). Of these, suspended algae
is the easiest to control.
Controlling Algae: What You Need to Know
|
A VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL RIGHT HERE IN
LANCASTER:
|
Seventeen years ago, Pontz Landscape
Service was asked by the owner of
Greenwood Cemetery to design a
memorial to honor our local servicemen
who fought and died during the Vietnam
Conflict. Land for the memorial was
donated by the cemetery. Local
businesses donated the materials and
helped build the memorial, which was
designed by our designer at the time,
Mark Dennis.
We have found, over the years that many
Lancaster residents are not even aware
that there is a memorial honoring those
local servicemen who fought and died in
Vietnam right here in Lancaster County.
We would encourage all of our readers to
take the time to stop by the memorial and
pause for a moment to remember those
who sacrificed their lives to protect our
freedom.
Lancaster’s Vietnam War Memorial is
located just inside the entrance of
Greenwood Cemetery on Highland Ave. in
Lancaster
If your water is green, it is a sign that not enough bacteria is present in
the pond. Bacteria grows naturally in all ponds. Bacteria is nothing more
that microscopic organisms that live in the water and they survive by
eating the impurities in the water, such as decaying plant matter, excess
fish food, fish waste, etc. These nutrients are the same food that
sustains algae and when enough bacteria is present in the water, they
eliminate the nutrients in the water thus denying the algae the food that it
needs to survive.
It’s also important to note that the presence of some string algae is not
necessarily a bad thing either. String algae benefits a pond in several
ways. First of all, some fish, in particular, Koi and Butterfly Koi, eat string
algae and it also provides food for snails and tadpoles. It provides a great
place for fish to hide when threatened and it also provides a place for fish
to lay their eggs as they too are protected from predators.
Although algae can and will grow in a pond throughout the year, spring is
the time of the year that algae is the most difficult to control. When algae
appears in a pond in the spring, it is often referred to as a spring algae
bloom. There are several reasons for the annual spring algae bloom.
First of all, in the spring, water temperatures are still low and therefore
fish are not yet actively feeding. Also, the aquatic plants in the pond, in
particular, those that cover over the surface of the pond, such as Water
Lilies and Lotus, are net yet growing and therefore the pond is exposed to
full sun which, in turn, stimulates and permits algae growth.
Over the years, many products have been introduced to control algae.
Here at Pontz Landscape Service, we have tried many of these products
and we’ve experienced moderately favorable results with some of them.
S.A.B., or String Algae Buster is a product we have found that seems to
work the best at eliminating string algae. There are many different barley
products being sold and they too work reasonably well at eliminating
algae. You can buy barley as small “bales” and it’s also sold in pellet
form. In addition to these two natural products, there are many
algaecides being sold to control algae. We never use algaecides in the
ponds we build as they can be dangerous if not used properly. We once
had a customer who used an algaecide in her pond but misread the
directions and ended up killing all of her fish. Yet another way some folks
try to control algae is by using UV lights. We don’t use UV lights because
we consider them to be a short term solution to a long term problem. UV
lights do kill algae, however, they kill the beneficial bacteria in the pond as
well so when using a UV light, the algae will die but in a short amount of
time, it will return because there is not enough bacteria present to
eliminate the algae. One side note too is that UV light bulbs are expensive
and usually only last about a year or so.
The bottom line is, if you have some algae present in your pond, don’t fret.
Taking the proper, simple measures will eliminate the algae and you’ll be
able to enjoy an algae free pond with crystal clear water.
This article is presented as a supplement to the Water
Garden Maintenance Page of our web site. This page
contains information we think pond owners will find useful
such as winter care, opening the pond in the Spring as well
as controlling algae with many more topics to be added.
|
To visit our Water Garden Maintenance Page
Click Here
|
Pontz Landscape Service, Inc. is pleased
to announce that the winner of the 2005,
Chester E. Pontz Memorial Scholarship is
Miss Jennifer Buffington of Lancaster.
Miss Buffington is a graduate of Lampeter
– Strasburg High School and will be
attending Delaware Valley College where
she will study Ornamental Horticulture
and Environmental Design with a
specialization in Floraculture. Jennifer is
the daughter of Kimberly Buffington,
Lancaster.
Jennifer, from all of us at Pontz
Landscape Service, Inc., congratulations,
good luck and best wishes to you as you
begin your college career
|
Scholarship Winner Announced
|
Learn more about the Chester E. Pontz
Memorial Scholarship on the
Scholarship page of our website.
|
Fiber Optic Lighting As Arrived.
|
Are you looking for a way to add
something to your pond to make it even
more beautiful than before? Well, now
you can. Consider adding fiber optic
lighting to your pond. The beauty of fiber
optic lighting has to be seen to be
appreciated and it offers many
advantages over the traditional low
voltage lighting generally used in water
features.
Multiple “end points” of light are
illuminated by just one light bulb and that
bulb is located outside of the pond. No
heat or electricity travels through the
fibers making it safe for many
environments and friendly towards fish
and other aquatic life. The single light
source can be positioned in a remote
location away from the pond allowing
easy access to the source for lamp
changes. Finally, a four color (white, blue,
green and magenta) color wheel can be
placed between the light source and the
fiber to create colored light.
We use IlluminFx Fiber Optic Lighting
which is manufactured by Unitrac Energy
Management Co. of North Chili, New York.
Our fiber optic lighting is available in four,
eight, twelve and sixteen light kits. If you
would like to receive a free brochure and
estimate for adding fiber optic lighting to
your pond, please give us a call.
|
The twenty seventh annual Longs Park Art and Craft Festival will once again
be held over the Labor Day weekend, Friday, September 2 through Monday,
September 5 and once again, Pontz Landscape Service, Inc. will be
participating.
Look for our display at the main entrance to the Festival. As always, we will
have a small operating pond, complete with fish, included in our display.
If you appreciate the arts and you never attended this show, you really
should check it out. The diversity and quality of the arts and crafts displayed
at this show is absolutely amazing which is why the show is consistently
rated as one of the top five shows of its type in the United States. We hope
to see you there.
|
Longs Park Arts and Crafts Festival Coming in September
|