Spring is here and, if you’re lucky enough to enjoy a landscape design with a pond, so is the algae. As temperatures rise and the days get longer, these organisms sprout with full force. Pond maintenance professionals understand the frustration you feel and are quick to remind you there’s a reason for this sudden appearance and there are some techniques you can employ to discourage algae growth. Specialty Water Garden and Landscapes of Columbia, Missouri, explains the causes of algae growth and offers a few tricks for prevention. 

Read on to learn why algae shows up in Spring and how to work with a pond maintenance expert to prevent it from overtaking your pond. 

Why Algae Grows in the Spring and Summer 

As winter temperatures leave for the year and warmer weather settles in, a few things happen to your pond’s water. Temperatures and available sunlight increases and nutrients from decaying plants increases. All of these works together to create the perfect breeding ground for algae. An experienced landscaping maintenance provider can walk you through the exact reasons algae is growing in your pond. 

How You Can Prevent Algae Growth in Your Pond 

Not only does this growth look unsightly, but it can also be the cause of an increase in disease among your koi pond’s fish life. Therefore, working to prevent the growth in before it starts is key to the appearance and overall health of your pond. Preventing algae growth relies on a few tricks. Add shade to your pond area. This will lessen the amount of sunlight to directly hit your pond, giving the algae the nutrients they need to thrive. Check water chemistry frequently and decrease the amount of nitrates and phosphates entering the water and serving as food for algae. One of the best ways to reduce the nitrates in your pond is to add some aeration, such as a fountain. Add UV sterilizers to your pond’s filtration system to use the light energy to penetrate the cells of these organisms to prevent them from being able to reproduce. 

If you’re in the are of Columbia, Missouri, and in the midst of an algae problem or are looking to consult with a pond maintenance expert about how to prevent your pond from the annoyances of excessive algae growth, call (573)819-9025 or visit the Specialty Water Gardens and Landscape website to learn more.