Physical Removal

• Large dip nets work well to scoop out the mats of floating blanket weed onto the shoreline. Since it is actually growing up from the bottom of the pond, its important to remove it as close to the bottom as possible. Any raked organic material must be discarded and disposed away from your pond in a waste bin. This is the most permanent form of algae control since you physically remove the phosphorus from the pond, preventing it from re-suspending nutrients and allowing the growth cycle to repeat.
  
  

Non Copper-Based Algaecide

• Copper kills koi fish.contented koi image by Geoff Hobbs from Fotolia.com
  
  If copper-sensitive fish like carp, trout, koi or goldfish live in your pond, a non-copper based algaecide/water solution must be used since copper can kill these sensitive fish. A liquid solution is most easily applied with a hand or backpack sprayer per the label rate listed on the side of bottle. Granular algaecides also exist to attack blanket weed that is still forming on the bottom.
  
  

Copper-Based Algaecide

• If copper-sensitive fish are not present, more conventional and effective copper-based algaecides should be used. The same treatment method applies. Use a fan spray tip to lightly mist the floating mats and ensure an even distribution of chemical. Copper-based granular forms are also available.
  
  

Pond Dye

• Adding pond dye to the water column is the simplest and cheapest method of blanket weed prevention. Dyes come in blue, blue/black and black, are non-toxic to all aquatic organisms and provide a filter to sunlight entering the pond, preventing blanket weed from using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into organic fuel.
  
  

Bottom-Based Aeration

• Bottom based aeration creates an oxygen rich environment at the sediment-water interface, which binds up phosphorus with naturally occurring iron. This effectively renders it unavailable for blanket weed to use as a food source. Aeration systems consist of a shoreline mounted air compressor housed inside a ventilated, weatherproof enclosure. Using weighted air tubing, compressed air is pumped out to a porous air stone diffuser manifold located in the deepest part of the pond. As thousands of tiny bubbles are expelled through the diffuser, low oxygen bottom water is lifted up to the surface where it takes in atmospheric oxygen.