Barley straw

[solaria5505]

do any of you use it? It's supposed to help with algae. Where would I get it from?

[j.w]

do any of you use it? It's supposed to help with algae. Where would I get it from?

I have a huge garbage can full of it. I used it for a bit but all it seemed to do was muck up and dissolve through the netted bag I had it in and made the pond look gross! Maybe I will use it for mulch in the gardens? I got it from a farm supply place that sold hay etc. Was really cheap!

[brokensword]

do any of you use it? It's supposed to help with algae. Where would I get it from?

I used it early on; didn't see any effect, stopped wasting my money. There's basically just anecdotal evidence it does any good at all as it's supposed to break down and give off hydrogen peroxide, which DOES affect string algae, but I saw no difference, as I stated. It's easier to just swirl it out with a brush and spray the waterfalls down (after shutting them off for a bit) with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Cheaper, easier, more effective if you have string algae that way. Like most systems, if you get to that balance, you eliminate a lot of these issues but lots of peeps are impatient, overfeed, overstock (guilty! but am working on busting that myth!!) or under-filter. So, save your money. No chems is usually most problem-free.

[rubyduby]

do any of you use it? It's supposed to help with algae. Where would I get it from?

I used it in my big pond when I lived in Virginia and it didn't do a thing but muck up and look yucky.
They say you can get a faster reaction from the liquid barley straw though but I never tried it.

[j.w]

do any of you use it? It's supposed to help with algae. Where would I get it from?

I used it in my big pond when I lived in Virginia and it didn't do a thing but muck up and look yucky.
They say you can get a faster reaction from the liquid barley straw though but I never tried it.

Yep I think it's a waste of money.

[Gemma]

I used it in the beginning and I have to agree it's a waste of money cause I didn't see the benefit

[poconojoe]

I too tried it years ago. Both the straw and the concentrated extract.
I seemed to do nothing.

Don't waste your money.

Really.....the only thing that got rid of my constant green water (due to fish overpopulation) was a bog filter. I went from solid green water to crystal clear within a week of starting up my bog.

Get lots of plants, adequate filtration and have some patience. Springtime is the time for patience. It takes time for your pond's ecosystem and the plants to wake up.