23 July 2026
New Straw Bales put into both lakes today
Many thanks to the four volunteers who gave up two hours of their late afternoon, the weather was fabulous again giving us plenty of time to carryout the task of replacing the straw cones, with fresh barley straw.
The Straw only lasts between four and six weeks before becoming saturated and contaminated itself so its important that its replaced as required and not just left in the water fully submerged to rot and contaminate the water.
The Barley Straw had to be purchased out of our immediate area as no local farms had any for sale at the moment, a fifteen mile round trip and two bales purchased later and the club had the filling needed for the task. We had previously bought in the netting to hold the straw so it was just a case of organising and completing the work.
Why Barley Straw..
Anyone reading the previous post when we originally carried out this task will know this but for anyone who doesn't know or has ever wondered..
Barley straw is used in ponds as a natural, chemical-free way to prevent and control the growth of green water and single-celled algae. It works best as a preventative measure rather than an instant cure for existing heavy algae blooms.
How It Works
- Decomposition: As microorganisms break down the submerged straw in the presence of sunlight and dissolved oxygen, it releases humic acids.
- Oxidation: This reaction creates low levels of natural hydrogen peroxide, which stunts the rapid cell division and explosive growth of algae without harming fish, frogs, or higher aquatic plants.
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