I have set up a new pond and have heard of barley straw, but am not sure of the purpose of it. Please advise.
barley straw
Hi Lish...it's just me Jeanne. Wanted to answer your very first post. Too bad I don't know the answer to your question. Hopefully someone else can do that!!!
This website might help a bit. I feel it's based on a bit more hard science rather than just anecdotal information.
http://www.btny.purdue.edu/Pubs/APM/APM-1-W.pdf
Hope this helps.
By the way, search eBay for barley straw -- you can get it inexpensively that way from kids who sell for 4H. That's what my mom and I did, splitting a bound bale (I think we got a 3# bale, maybe?).
I have hair algae in my pond despite putting my barley straw in early this spring. It may have overwintered and been there already, though; the chemicals secreted by the decomposing straw don't kill what's there, but rather keep it from forming, right?
AliceMay, the purpose of using barley straw is that as the barley breaks down there is a chemical reaction that stops string algae from growing.
I've had a pond for 7 years and use barley straw, the string algae may start in the spring after the thaw, but getting barley into the pond will inhibit the growth. Just remember that to keep it going,exchange barley package every two months. I put the new package in two weeks before I pull the old one starting in late march and continuing thru the summer into the fall making sure I get a new one in before the pond starts to freeze over. I put mine under the waterfalls so the water can run through it, not totally submerged. There is a plus the frogs like to hide in the barley that sprouts.
Hope this helps
Ann