Pond Treatment with Barley Straw & Barley Extract
Barley straw for ponds is an effective, fish safe and eco-friendly way to promote, maintain crystal clear water and establish pristine conditions in your pond. Here is something to consider regarding the usage of Barley. Actual straw of barley, takes 4-6 weeks to ferment into extract and become effective, so we have developed a concentrated EXTREME Liquid Barley Extract water treatment to help manage pristine pond water conditions. The Pond Digger Brand is PROFESSIONAL STRENGTH and for a fraction of the cost more than competing brands, The Pond Digger Brand Liquid Barley Extract is not diluted and in turn ten times as potent, increasing effectiveness in your pond, while saving you money! The Pond Digger Brand Barley Straw Extract Extreme Concentrate has been scientifically formulated to support a natural balance in water gardens, Koi ponds & lakes to help prevent unwanted floating debris and build up from forming on the ponds surface. Made from all natural, organic Barley, The Pond Digger Brand Barley Straw Extract is highly concentrated and put through a special stabilization process to ensure a fresh and potent product that reacts quickly to keep put your pond’s water quality immaculate. Use Barley Straw Extract in conjunction with The Pond Digger Brand Beneficial Bacteria as part of your routine maintenance to manage pond debris and sludge that may settle out on the bottom of your pond after using our concentrated product. We believe that Liquid Barley Extract & Beneficial Bacteria is the one of the quickest and most effective ways to balance your pond without putting your fish at risk with algaecides. Read on for Frequently Asked Questions on the routines and usage of Barley Bales & Barley Straw Extract.
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Liquid Barley Extract Extreme Concentrate
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The Pond Digger Brand Liquid Barley is a PROFESSIONAL STRENGTH concentrated product. Not watered down and diluted to compete with the ever increasing cost of marketing! This is the product that we use and stand behind in all of our day to day operations. We have put our trusted name behind a product that is powerful and fast acting. Only a fraction of the cost more than diluted brands, The Pond Digger Brand Barley Straw Extract is ten times more potent than most! Our brand of barley straw extract will deliver more effective results in your water quality, while saving you money! Use Barley Straw Extract in conjunction with The Pond Digger Brand Beneficial Bacteria as part of your routine maintenance. You will see the alliance between these two products work wonders, managing pond debris and sludge that may settle out in your pond after using our powerful extract. Don’t put your ecosystem at risk using algaecides! Use The Pond Digger Brand Barely Straw Extract as a quick and beneficial way to balance your pond.
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Question 1: How does liquid barley promote crystal clear water in my pond and create balance?
First of all let me start out by saying; Algae is not the bad guy here in your pond. In fact algae is actually a sign of a healthy pond. We just want to find a balance and not let algae run out of control. When you put barley or better yet barley straw extract in your pond, as it decomposes the straw actually ferments and produces a natural chemical reaction in your water that has been proven to promote crystal clear water conditions and help balance your pond problems. When you use Liquid Barley, you are skipping the fermenting process.
Question 2: Why use barley straw extract to balance my pond rather than an algaecide?
Liquid Barley Extract is a 100% natural, holistic and affordable way to deliver balance in your eco-system. There is no need to nuke your algae with harsh algaecide chemicals. Liquid Barley Extract, really works to balance your water quality without putting your fish, aquatic plants, beneficial bacteria and basically your entire aquatic eco-system at risk! In reality when you use a heavy algaecide, all it does is kill algae and leaves it to fall out to the bottom of the pond where it become a nutrient load for the next round of algae! Don’t make your pond chemically dependent.
The use of liquid barley has been used for decades in the European marketplace on extremely large lakes and smaller ornamental fish ponds. For many, many years locally here in America the use of barley straw extract has been used on large lakes, waterscapes and fish ponds. This naturally fish-safe method of balancing clear water in eco-systems has just recently has become popular in smaller ornamental fish ponds.
Algaecides can be extremely difficult on your! You will notice very specific WARNING directions on the labels of your more popular algaecides that say; Induce Vomiting if Ingested! I mean, come on, if you need to induce vomiting when ingested, think about your fish! It is very easy to overdose your pond with an algaecide and wipe out an entire eco-system.
Question 3: When is the best time to introduce barley or the extract from barley to my pond?
If you are going to actually use the straw of barley or Barley Straw Pellets, the best time to treat your pond is in the springtime between March 15th and April 30th and again in the fall between September 15th and October 30th even if your pond looks amazing. Remember the straw will need time to decompose & ferment. Expect four to six weeks before barely becomes effective and a little less time for the barley pellets! The usage of the pellets have been extremely effective for pond owners that have steep slopes around the perimeters of their large ponds. These pellets are very easy to broadcast into the pond from steep slopes above the pond’s edge without climbing down next to the pond.
The barley straw extract does not kill pond algae! However, the extract from barley will help maintain a harmonious balance in your pond. If you have an existing algae problem in your pond and want to find a balance quickly, then the concentrated liquid barley is what the doctor ordered. If you add straw, you can’t expect miracles to happen over night. However, you can expect fast acting results when applying a concentrated barley straw extract!
When using the straw method, your Barley bales should last about 6 months, but may decline it’s effectiveness after 3 months in hot weather when decomposition is occurring more rapidly. Since the straw will ferment much faster in warmer water temperatures, depending what region you are in, you may want to consider adding another bale of straw to your pond approximately halfway through the summer.
If you are going to use the straw method rather than a concentrated extract in your waterscape, the best thing for you to do is to follow the simple routine of introducing the barley bales in the early spring, halfway through the summer, and again in the fall. A concentrated Barley Straw Extract is the easiest way to treat you pond with the fastest results and can be added bi-monthly as part of your routine maintenance or as needed when your water conditions and seem out of whack!
Question 4: If I plan to use the barley bales, how much straw will I need?
A standard rule of thumb is an 8 ounce barley bale per 1000 gallons of pond water. Use an 8 ounce bale for smaller fish ponds up to about 1000 gallons and a 16 ounce Barley bale for ponds up to about 2000 gallons and so on.
Question 5: Where is the best place to apply the liquid extract or install bales of straw in my pond?
When using our professional strength liquid barley extract you have a couple of different options. On smaller ornamental ponds with good circulation, say 10,000 gallons and smaller you can pour the recommended dosage of liquid barley into the waterfalls, skimmers or streams and get fantastic results. It’s quick and easy especially with our easy to dispense dosage bottles. On larger ponds and lakes we would advise putting our concentrated liquid barley into a small sprayer filled with water. Then walk the perimeter of the pond while broadcast spraying the product all around the edges of the pond. On larger bodies of water it is recommended to apply more of the product where the prevailing winds push blown debris. Once the perimeter has been sprayed pour the remaining product into the waterfalls, streams or an area of circulation.
For optimum results when using straw, have it floating in the waterscape exposed to the sun in an area of circulation. The straw bale will float for several weeks with no additional flotation device. If and when the straw sinks, add a small piece of foam or closed plastic bottle inside the mesh bag to help the straw continue to float.
We have still seen effectiveness in water quality on ponds that hide their barley bales, out of the sun, in filter boxes and such. If there is room, place the straw bale in your filter box as close to the out flow side as possible as you will want clear, clean water to pass over the barley bale.
Do not place the straw bale on the input side of you filter box, because sediment will only clog up the pores of the straw and reduce its usefulness also potentially clogging the filtration system. Be careful not let the barley bale block your water flow from your filer box as that may very well damn up your waterfall spillway and start a leak.
Question 6: If Barley Straw Extract is so amazing why would I use Barley Bales?
That is the million dollar question! One, you have already spent money on some barley bales and you may as well use them before you make the switch to The Pond Digger Brand Barley Straw Extract! Two, you own a barley farm! Three, you like to do things the hard way and the most serious reason, Four. During the fermentation process of barley straw in a pond environment, microbial activity goes into over drive and tiny beneficial organisms like infusorian are teaming with life next to the barley in your pond. Fish fry (baby fish) do very well in ponds that have that kind of fish food availability.