Beneficial Bacteria For Ponds: When Is It Needed?

Beneficial bacteria for ponds can prevent or reduce the likelihood of incurring several pond water clarity issues. One of the most common questions we are asked is how often do need to treat your pond water and how much? Here’s a quick look at when we recommend using our all-natural pond products.

Preventative Treatment Is Crucial

It’s not uncommon for customers to come to us when they already have a stagnant pond, or their pond is starting to get covered with a layer of floating green organic matter. While we can help resolve these issues, we highly recommended that you consider taking some preventative steps to stop these issues from occurring.

Using AquaSpherePRO® is an easy way to prevent many common pond issues, including the buildup of floating organic matter and the buildup of a sludge layer. This all-natural product contains beneficial bacteria for ponds. You simply toss in enough spheres to accommodate the approximate number of gallons of water in your pond and the biodegradable spheres immediately begin releasing beneficial bacteria.

Each sphere releases bacteria for up to 30 days and then you simply add more spheres. When combined with a proper aeration system and some seasonal cleaning, this may be all the pond maintenance needed to keep your pond in great shape. However, if your pond has had issues with water clarity or floating green organic matter in the past, we do recommend that you add Natural BLAST® to the pond at the start of your warm season to give the water a healthy boost of beneficial bacteria.

Natural BLAST® is also an all-natural product containing a propriety mix of beneficial bacteria for ponds. Natural BLAST® should be used in conjunction with AquaSpherePRO®, and it’s just as easy to apply. You simply toss the water-soluble bags into your water (near aeration if possible) and the bags will degrade and release beneficial bacteria into your pond.

Your Geography Is A Factor

If you live in an area with mild winters, such as Southern California, Florida and the southern United States, the water in your pond typically never gets cold enough to stop using beneficial bacteria for ponds. We recommend monthly treatment for any pond with water that consistently remains above 45 degrees.

If you live in an area where freezing temperatures are the norm, monthly treatment might not be needed during these cold months. But, again, it all depends on your water temperature and the winter weather you are experiencing. After all, some winters are colder than others, so we recommend that you test your water temperature often, especially if you are experiencing a milder than usual winter.

As a side note, once your temperatures do start to drop, we recommend tossing in one of our AquaSpherePRO® beneficial bacteria spheres into the water as this can give your water a boost of helpful bacteria and keep the water in good shape until your warm season officially begins.

Extra Treatment May Be Needed

While AquaSpherePRO® and aeration can prevent many pond issues, when the temperatures spike or you experience a large rain event, your pond water may need additional treatment. After heavy rains or when water temperatures climb into the 70s, you may need to consider adding a dose of Natural BLAST® to the pond, especially if you begin to see any signs of floating green organic matter forming in your pond.

Once your pond water is back to a healthy state, we also recommend adding pond dye to the water. Not only will this improve the aesthetics of your pond, but it also can help keep water temperatures a bit lower as the dye can block some of the sun’s rays.

How Beneficial Bacteria Works

While there are many types of bacteria, not all of them qualify as beneficial bacteria for ponds. The bacteria in our AquaSpherePRO® and Natural BLAST® products contain a propriety mix of bacteria that consume excess nutrients in your pond water. These excess nutrients are what cause many problems, including the buildup of a sludge layer, a drop in oxygen levels, smelly odors and the rapid accumulation of floating green organic matter.

The beneficial bacteria are released into the pond and begin consuming these nutrients and release the waste as a harmless gas, leaving nothing behind in your pond. You cannot overtreat with beneficial bacteria, so it’s best to add a bit more of our product than you actually need rather than undertreat, which might not produce the desired effects.

Our beneficial bacteria products contain no chemicals, and they are veterinarian-approved and safe for fish, wildlife, pets, livestock and people. Our pond dye also is veterinarian-approved, as well, and is eco-friendly with no added sulfates.

Our beneficial bacteria for ponds and pond dye can be used on a wide range of water features including:

• Residential Ponds
• Golf Course & Community Ponds (and Small Lakes)
• Farm Ponds
• Small Decorative Ponds
• Koi Ponds
• Small Water Features (Fountains, Birdbaths, Rain Barrels & More)

For smaller water features, up to about 5,000 gallons, we recommend using our All-Purpose Water Cleaner, which contains the same safe beneficial bacteria as AquaSpherePRO®. Whether you have a small water feature or a large pond, you can determine the number of gallons of water you need to treat by heading to our handy pond calculator at https://healthyponds.com/pond-calculator/.

To wrap it up, here’s a handy graphic that gives you a general idea of when to treat your water:

If you have any questions about any of our products or how beneficial bacteria for ponds can help you improve and maintain the water quality in your pond, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Healthy Ponds at any time. If you aren’t sure which products are the best fit for your pond, we do offer free personalized water treatment plans for any size water feature at https://healthyponds.com/free-pond-plan/.