A blue in any season!

Well, I was impressed that after a year of rain and dry period, warm to cold, lawn mowing and leaves falling that the products used to treat the pond near my home were working wonderfully well. The pond still has a nice blue color, the bacteria products were keeping the leaves that blew in from becoming algae food and the last shots of shoreline treatments was keeping the shore looking like a winner.

In the end the actual brands you purchase means little as compared with the use of the right products at the right time. Prevention in ponds will actually save you money and keep your pond ahead of the problem curves. Dye can be added at any time, even in the north, to prepare for spring weather and so when the ice melts you have good color and protection. Bacteria can be added if your water is still above freezing to help break down the waste that has gathered through the year. If you are in colder areas of the country, wait and apply it early in the spring. Lastly, PLEASE DO NOT add copper products if your water is below 60 degrees as it's just not effective and kills bacteria that help to break down the waste in your pond.

If you are in warmer parts of the country or if you want to buy at last years pricing, please visit us at www.pondcaredirect.com today. We look forward to your business and should you have any questions on our products, pricing or special orders contact us.

Version 2.0

We would like to inform all of our customers of the changes coming soon to PCD.

We have a couple new suppliers lined up to help us increase the products we can offer at great prices. New items that will be available starting next year include fountains, pond lighting, aeration units and even pontoon boats.

In addition to those changes we are happy to announce our first retail location will open on January first of 2011. Visit us at the "Shops on the Square" in downtown Auburn, Indiana.

Lastly, we have started a facebook page and hope to be able to network with our customers in order to gain a good name as well as be able to assist others with pond care questions. In the future we'll offer special products or listings on facebook as well!

More information to come on the blog as well as the facebook page and website. We look forward to a new and exciting season next year. As always, we appreciate your business.

Treating anything takes time...

This is just a friendly reminder to make sure you allow products you use on your pond time to work. Rushing things along by adding additional chemicals can be risky to your pond and the life in and around it. Remember that sometimes slower is better anyway. Like with almost anything a slow change over time to anything tends to be better than a rapid change. When it comes to any form of plant/algae in a pond, killing all of it and in a quick manner can cause unsafe oxygen levels.

So the best methods to treatment are usually have lapses in time and variation of area that is treated. Some products, such as White Cap, have a built in chemical reaction that releases slowly over time and automatically kills off the problem weeds slowly.

One last note is that weeds and algae are normally a sign of a larger issues that are causing the growth. It could be from springs feeding nutrients to your pond, run off water carrying waste or chemicals and even debris that have built up on your ponds bottom. The first two issues may require some changes to your pond or land. The last one can be handled by use of bacteria products. These products contain high doses of bacteria that help to break down the debris that are decaying in your pond that feed algae and weeds.

Treat that algae and more options to buy!

While an copper is a great start to killing off algae in most any pond it is not by any means the best way to take care of algae issues.

Always start with a good dye used at the proper level. This will lower sunlight penetration and will keep down the amount of algae that forms. However, dye has no active ingredient and does not kill or stop algae growth.

Bacterial products are made to help lower algae counts by eating/destroying the waste found in ponds which lowers the food the algae has to feed on. Note that you should never treat with this product right before using any copper based product. It's always best to apply this a day or two after copper is applied.

The third product that should be used is a copper based product that can be used to help lower and kill algae over time. There are several copper based products in liquid and dry form that can do this. In general these products will be effective for about a month and will need to be reapplied in a timely manner to help.

The last part of the mix should be dry products like copper sulfate or other similiar products that are great for spot treatment or to help aid the other treatments when issues occur. Another reason to limit the use of this product as a primary solution is that it kills off beneficial bacteria in your pond which help to keep waste levels down as well as the bottom of the pond cleaner.

Following the steps above will keep algae down, the pond cleaner and nicer to look at all the time. It will also limit the amount of copper sulfate or other simliar products from being used which can be costly and time consuming to apply.

Visit us today and see the new product variations we've created. Many of our most popular products are now available in options other than by the case. As always, you can contact us by email at with any questions, to suggest new products or inquire on special pricing.

Do you Ebay?

So why do many companies sell on the web, locally and on Ebay? Like any business it's all about reaching your customers. This is not just the ones you know but even more so the ones you have not yet had an opportunity to serve.

However, keep in mind that many companies, especially my own would gladly work to give you a better price outside Ebay to avoid the high fees Ebay charges for auction purchases.

If you are in the market for pond care goods, please contact our company directly over the phone or through email and we will try our best to give you a very good price.

Remember to stay in front of pond problems as that is much easier than trying to catch up. I can state this from my own ponds treatment this year which was at the bottom of my to do list and now is being treated to fix problems with both algae and duck weed.

Don't waste that copper!

Well it should be common knowledge for pond owners that copper is not effective in ponds that are below 55 degrees. I've been told and followed 60 myself. There is more than one reason for this. Not only does it waste money but it is also more likely to cause issues of contamination and contact with other things that may not be able to handle contact with copper. This can be a real problem with invertabrates in your pond such as snails. When algae is heavy or using up the copper then it breaks down more before coming in contact with other things or before it can leave your pond.

Copper is a great help in controlling algae but if we keep wasting it and using it improperly then all states will follow the ones that have banned the use of copper products in ponds. It will also continue to drive prices up due to higher demands and larger use of a commodity.

Algae Control without state restrictions!

If you live in California, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Yord, Rhode Island, Washington or Vermont I'm sure you've heard that you can't have this or that product delivered due to state law. I'd like to let you know that we now have an option for those states that do not require most algaecides to be delivered or used there. Diversified Waterscapes F-30 Algae Control is an algaecide available in all states!

This product uses a double chleated copper which allows it to control algae at levels so low it currently has no restriction. Controls all types of algae including planktonic, filamentous, hydrilla, chara and nitella. Does not leave behind sediment, toxins or pollutants.

1 gallon of this product treats 1 acre of water at 1 foot of depth. Like most chleated copper solutions it has a longer effect than standard copper and may last 30-60 days depending on the conditions and rate of water loss. Like any copper product the water should be 55-60 degrees before using and the product should never be allowed to freeze.

If you are interested in this product, please visit us today at www.pondcaredirect.com or email us at info@pondcaredirect.com

Dye Revisited...

With spring quickly approaching I get one question more than almost any other... "What color dye is better?" ...which is easier to answer than it seems.
First, keep in mind that a dye itself is not specifically an active ingredient or able to treat anything. Dye does serve a major purpose in preventing algae but it's not due to some additive or active ingredient. Dye works a preventative product by attempting to lower sunlight penetration. There are 3 primary methods of doing this. One way is clouding the water to make it hard for light to penetrate, a second is reflective properties that allow less sun light to penetrate and 3) lastly some dyes have color combinations that are known to absorb certain light spectrums that are commonly thought to feed algae.

Each of these methods is well accepted. Some people will say they prefer one and I suggest that if you have a brand or type that you stick with what you know and like. The key is to find what works for you and is effective based on the amount of time and money you plan to spend on maintaining your pond.

So as far as color you should select more based on your personal taste on how you think it looks rather than the requirement to use a certain color or brand. Dyes come in various colors starting with blue/green, to light and dark blue and even black. Most dyes and even brands can be mixed to create even more custom colors for those that want to try combinations.

It is probably more important to make sure you dose your pond with the correct amount of dye. Since the dyes work by creating some form of sunlight dampening it’s important not to under apply dye. You can apply some larger amount of dye without any affect to your pond to obtain deeper color if you like. However, it’s still important not to put in so much you cause a die off of plant life.

Well, mostly correct...

Ok, in todays market there is a lot of competition. This extends to all product types, including herbicides. This post will not assume to even attempt to name them all or the brands that use different types. When it comes to selecting the proper herbicide it will likely depend on how you deal with your pond that makes the most difference.

Any good herbicide is going to cover most weeds and other undesired plants in your pond. One thing to make sure of is that your selection is safe for water use. Doing so will help you in a couple different ways. Not only will this remove possible death of your livestock but it will also mean it may not harm water plants that are desired.

So now that we have some of the minor things covered how do you know what you should buy? This is the hard part. There are really two things you need to know. First and foremost you need to have identified what you are wanting the herbicide for. Secondly, how much do you want to spend and how do you intend to apply treatments.

When making your selection, keep in mind that there are many water safe herbicides that are not intended to kill plants that are below the water surface. So if you identify submerged problems then you'll want to stick with a treatment that is made to be effective like Weed Plex Pro, Reward, White Cap or any product based off the same main additive. The same can be said about dealing with plants that are growing out of the water line or on the shore. While you could use Weed Plex Pro on this type of plant to kill it, it may be cheaper and faster to use a product like Catt Plex or Avocet.

That other thing to think of is how you want to treat your pond. Some products allow ease of maintenance by lasting for long durations like Whitecap. However, this product will cost a little more up front, but tends to equal out in the long run. Also, unlike some other chemicals, dosing will be much more important than when using a sprayed on application since the chemical is left to treat the entire pond not just the spots you spray it. Dosing is important with all herbicides but you may need a small amount to mix with a couple gallons of water that you can treat all your visible problems with when doing it by spray. You will have to do this often to keep up with weeds as they regrow or new ones show up.

The last thing I would like to suggest is checking to see if you can find a mixture that works for your overall pond. If you do use a spray then you may be able to get the best overall affect by finding herbicides that allow mixing with other herbicides. This can become a powerful spray that is effective against shoreline growth as well as having attributes safe for your water than can help to kill off unwanted plants in and below the water line. Be careful to make sure that you are mixing products that will not react poorly. It is a good idea to check and make sure you are using different active herbices as well, becuase two brands may actually be based on the same active ingrediant. Lastly, some herbicides, such as Whitecap are not a good mixing product. Floridone products are great but are only effective in proper dosing of an entire pond.

Many of the products out there list how and on what they can be used. It is important to take the time to check the product you are purchasing to ensure you are not wasting your time and your money. If you have questions, just ask.

The algae season is coming quickly...

While most of the country is able to take a break from normal monthly maintenance of their ponds during the winter months that gives you a moment to reflect and plan for next year. Did the products you use provide the performance you hoped for? Did you use those products properly as far as dosing, timing and quantities?

The great thing about pond products is that there are many choices to select from. There are generally multiple ways to get from A to Z. One thing to note is that some chemicals seem more expensive but that isn’t always the case. It is important to pay attention to how much of a product you have to use for it to be truly effective. Some products last longer and may be more expensive to purchase but will free up more of your time and needing added less often. Some products may treat different ranges of problems in the pond as others may require the purchase of multiple products to treat the same range.

In the end, do not take any of this as good or bad/right or wrong. Again, there is always more than 1 way to do anything. Each person must take the time to determine what they like, how much time they are willing to spend, how much money they are willing to spend and the end look of their pond.

At www.pondcaredirect.com, we sell many different product brands and types. While we would love your business, it is more important that you are happy with your pond. If you have a brand or supplier you work with and it works for you then think before you change it. If we offer the product you want at a better price then we’d love you to make a purchase. If you have questions, please feel free to ask. If you use a product we do not carry, please inform us and we’ll see if we can add it and give you a price quote.

Our next post will be related to the differences in herbicides available on the market today.