Excessive algae growth in your pond can push out vegetation and reduce the water sensitivity, that affects light penetration into aquatic plants and organisms. Algae also give your pond an unpleasant musky odor. Organic corn meal is a natural alternative for immediate control of algae in your pond that doesn’t add excessive nutrients into the water or harm other plants and aquatic life how chemical fertilizers and herbicides may.
Organic Corn Meal or Corn Gluten Meal
There are two types of corn meal goods out there for horticultural usage: corn gluten meal and organic corn meal. Corn gluten meal is a by-product of corn oil production, and has been used as animal feed and as a natural weed-control alternative for lawns and gardens. It’s an effective pre-emergent herbicide that prevents the germination of grass and grass seeds, but isn’t intended to be used on your own pond. Organic corn meal is similar to the product you’d see in grocery stores, but it is fabricated in granular or pelletized forms to reduce or eliminate algae growth in your pond.
Benefits
The cellulose in organic corn meal helps bind excess phosphorus in water and also balances the water chemistry, which kills off algae. The carbon dioxide available from the corn meal allows beneficial bacteria to thrive, which also kills algae. The decaying of the algae in turn benefits the bacteria by providing another source of carbon. A couple of treatments of corn meal can often control algae problems for many months.
Disadvantages
Should you employ corn meal too often, or at elevated levels, algae may die off rapidly. When algae die off too fast, oxygen levels in your pond have been temporarily diminished, which is fatal to fish and other aquatic life. Use corn meal only within an organic pond care program. When you use chemical products in combination with corn meal, then the favorable impacts of the corn meal are lost. Corn meal doesn’t offer long-term algae management, and has to be reapplied when new development occurs.
Application
To control algae using natural corn meal, apply at a rate of 5 lbs per 1,000 square foot of surface, or even 140 lbs of corn meal per surface acre. The program of corn meal is best when it reaches the base of the water. You can put the corn meal into a burlap or mesh bag sized with a stone, or use pelletized corn meal, that will sink rather than floating on the top.