Ecotreat Barley Straw Plus for water quality algae green water and blanketweed

PRODUCT INFORMATION
EcoTreat Barley Straw Plus is a natural product that consists of loosely packed barley straw in net bags with dissolving sachets containing bacteria which enhance the barley straw activation process. The loose packing of barley straw is essential to allow the free flow of oxygenated water through straw, an essential part of the treatment process. In addition, the activating bacteria in the dissolving sachets help to decrease the time taken for the barley straw to start decomposing and release essential algae-inhibiting compounds in to the water. EcoTreat Barley Straw Plus can be used to improve water quality in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, canals, streams & rivers, and is especially useful in controlling excess levels of algae.

HOW THE PRODUCT WORKS
Although the exact mechanisms of how barley straw works are still being ascertained, the basic steps are described below.

Step 1
Once the barley straw is placed in water, the soluble components immediately start leaching in to the water. Bacteria start the decomposition process, and this process is enhanced through the addition of EcoTreat’s specially selected bacteria which are contained in dissolvable sachets.

Step 2
After approximately 2 to 4 weeks, fungi on the barley straw become active and start the process of decomposition of the cell wall components, which then leach in to the water.

Step 3
The leached cell wall components are degraded further by bacterial & fungal enzyme activity in to smaller molecules, which react with sunlight to produce reactive molecules which are thought to directly inhibit the growth of algae.

Step 4
As the algae are inhibited, and their numbers decrease, other beneficial water quality processes start to occur. If the algal problem is severe, then as the algae die back and the water becomes clearer this allows the growth of more flowering plants to occur. In addition, the barely straw becomes a home for many species of invertebrates which are a source of food for fish.

The speed with which the barley straw treatment works is temperature dependent, but generally the time taken from Step 1 to Step 3 is about 2 to 4 weeks if the temperature is above 10ºC. It then takes a further 4 to 6 weeks for inhibitory effects to substantially reduce the levels of algae. If the barley straw is added after the algae growth has started, then it may take more than one season to completely control the problem. This is particularly true for filamentous algae (blanketweed).

PRODUCT USE
EcoTreat Barley Straw Plus is best applied in spring, before algae growth has started and thereafter every 4 to 6 months. For large ponds & lakes, a typical application rate schedule is an initial dose rate of 5 kg for every 100 square metres (125 sq yd), followed by 2.5 kg per 100 square metres thereafter. EcoTreat Ltd supplies Barley Straw Plus in 2 kg nets complete with the activating bacteria through aquatic centres. For small ponds up to 6000 litres (1350 gallons), the product is supplied in disposable nets which are replaced regularly every 4 months.