What a tough year!

The weather has been odd this year which has caused many issues for pond owners. Normal treatment patterns were thrown off by heavy rains and then by none! Algae has appeared out of almost no where with no signs of letting up.

Well short of chemical assistance it will be hard to recover from any heavy blooms this year but the long term care of your pond will still need to be the main focus. Dye can only go so far in assisting with this process alone. Lack of rain has exposed more parts of the pond that used to be just out of reach of U/V rays and has caused additional growth.

Another possible way to help with this would be addition of aeration devices or fountains that help to keep the oxygen levels up and water moving.

Be very careful if you are trying to kill large amounts of algae. Doing so to quickly could be bad for the fish in your pond. Killing of portions of it will take longer and be less attractive but will keep your life in the pond from having major issues ajusting.

As we approach fall, nature will assist most of us in bring the pond back to a more stable setting. Warmer areas will still require more treatment and different approaches. However, all ponds that have algae may be suffering from large amounts of detrious and debris that algae and other unwanted plant life may be using for food. Adding a biological product to your pond will help break down and remove this from your pond. However, if you are using large amounts of copper or have recently treated with copper it is suggested you wait a few days before adding bacteria since the copper can destroy these beneficial bacteria.

If you have any questions related to your pond please contact us via email at support@pondcaredirect.com. Even if you do not end up buying anything from use we are glad to assist you in caring for your pond.

You have a pond care related question?

Well I may have the answer but more importantly I will do my best to assist you in finding an answer to your pond problems. Even if you do not need products I supply or you end up purchasing the product from another company, please feel free to ask me any pond care related questions. In the end the goal for us all is to take better care of our own little (or not so little) bodies of water.

A couple quick spring tips... Get dye in early and remember to watch for water turn over in order to keep dye levels high enough to be effective. Biological treatments are most effective in cooler water and before copper can be used. These products will help break down debris as well as remove muck. Copper should not be added until pond water is consistantly above 55 degrees.

I hope everyone has low algae growth, clean shores and blue water this season! Happy boating, fishing and swimming!

Lets make a deal!

Times are tight and pond care can be expensive. Contact us via email or through facebook to talk with us about best pricing for larger orders, new customer or repeat customers. We are looking to increase our turn over and we can't do it without meeting your needs and offering the best possible prices on our products.

A note for Ebay members that purchase from us: Starting in May our prices will be going up from 1 to 3% to cover new a new fee structure from Ebay. Ebay is going to be taking a 11% fee off of shipping charges. Since we attempt to price all of our products with shipping in mind or with "at cost" shipping prices, we will have to raise our prices so that we are not taking a loss on the cost to ship. This is not by choice and we feel this is very unfair of Ebay to charge a fee on shipping charges that are based on the shipping calculator they supply but we are bound by the rules they set.

For better overall pricing you can also buy directly from www.pondcaredirect.com.

Spring cleaning time...

Spring is the best time to get a jump start on your pond care for the year. Try to think a head and order what you need before it is a problem so you are ready.

Remember that any organic material in your pond will turn into food for algae if it is left untreated. Biological treatments go a long way to helping to break down muck and other organica materials on the pond bottom. However, do not forget to remove any left over algae, dead stems and other plants from last year that may turn into decaying items later this year.

Lastly, removing those unwanted stems will make your pond look better while allowing easier treatment of any new unwanted plants that pop up.

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.