LAWN MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS -
August 31, 2010
Did you know…
- Well-cared-for lawns can significantly increase your property values.
- A healthy lawn is of utmost importance to our environment. A 50-foot by 50-foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four!
- Lawns cool the atmosphere. Eight healthy front lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning, which is enough for 16 average homes.
- Grass converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, a process that helps clear the air.
- Dense, healthy grass slows water runoff, removing contaminants and trapping soil. Fresh, filtered water returns to the underground water supply.
Be proactive this Fall and ask about GORDON’S LANDSCAPES LLC lawn care programs that ensure both a healthy and beautiful lawn throughout the year.
The experts at GORDON’S LANDSCAPES LLC’s Turf Maitenance Division want you to enjoy the pleasure that a thicker, greener, more healthy lawn will bring to your whole family. A well-maintained turf grass will provide a comfortable, safe setting for your leisure activities, games and sports. You may also choose a “country lawn” for a less manicured look and in keeping with environmental concerns and lower use of fertilizers and chemicals. GORDON’S LANDSCAPES LLC is proud of its commitment to caring for the environment.
Our trained, knowledgeable staff are licenced by the State of Oklahoma and are insured. Taking care of the environment begins in our own back yards…
De-thatching, slice seeding, core aeration – Renews your lawn areas by the removal of dead grass build-up, insertion of grass seeds directly into soil layer, or removal of small plugs of grass for complete rejuvenation.
Fertilization & Lime Application – Spring, early and late summer, and fall programs to add pre-emergent weed control, balanced, complete fertilizers, broadleaf weed control, grub control and applications of lime as needed for proper acid/alkalinity balance.
Inspections & Soil Testing – Periodic inspections of lawn for insects or diseases and sampling of soil to determine nutrient needs.
Organic Applications Program – You may choose our organic fertilizer/weed and pest control program in keeping with an ever-increasing awareness of environmental stewardship. If you live within 250’ of a water body, new regulations limit the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
Problems with algae in your Pond? Two choices: Kill the algae or get rid of its food source!
August 4, 2010
Kill the “algae”
If you can kill the algae faster than it is growing even if there are high nutrient levels in the water or if you can remove the nutrient source then the water must remain clear because the algae population cannot build up to levels which cloud the water. Under normal conditions it is difficult to remove the nitrates and as such there is always food on which the algae thrive. Plants to some extent help in removing nitrates but never reduce the nitrate to zero levels otherwise the plants would die.
The UV light has one single function. It is designed to kill algae. The action of an UV light is to kill the algae faster than it forms … it does not eradicate algae! This is an important point to understand. Suspended algae in water, is pumped through the UV unit. The living algae is irradiated and killed. If there is enough power in the UV unit to completely suppress algae growth then the water will remain clear. If the power or irradiating effect of the UV is insufficient then water will remain cloudy.
If a UV unit is not clearing the pond water then there are 3 possible reasons.
1.) The lamp has gone beyond its active period (max 8000 hours or approx 1 year running 24/7) after which it must be changed. After a period in use the capacity to irradiate is completely lost. Lamps do not always last 8000 hours.
2.) UV may not have enough power ( Watts ) for your specific situation. You have very warm water and your pond is probably overstocked with fish. Remember also your fish have grown over the last year and thus produce more nitrate nutrients. This might mean that what worked last year will no longer be sufficient. However without knowing dimensions of your pond or volume and your existing UV wattage I cannot really comment. Suffice to say UV works every time if correctly sized and maintained for prevailing conditions. Send me this information and I can comment further.
3.) If your UV contains a quartz tube (and most do) there is a possibility that it is “fogged up” thereby reducing light transmission. In this case it needs cleaning since this also results in reduced irradiation levels. Irradiation capacity is expressed as Watts … thus an UV is specified as 8 watts, 15 Watts and so on.If I have to guess I would say your UV is undersized for the prevailing pond conditions.
It is true to say that most UV claims are overstated since the specification is provided for a low fish stock in ponds of lower temperature and in a partial shade situation. These conditions rarely exist in climates like yours. In practice this means if you see a specification based upon your pond volume then by virtue of your location/climate you probably need double that specified wattage.
Don’t feed the “algae”
All living creatures need nutrients (food) to grow. Deprive the organism of nutrients and the organism dies. Certain types of bacteria in an anaerobic environment consume nitrates and produce nitrogen gas in the process. The nitrogen gas escapes from the water surface and the nitrate levels drop.
By introducing these bacteria and providing areas where anaerobic conditions exist (as is the case in boundary surface layers in all ponds and all biofilters) the nitrate levels will ultimately be reduced to zero. Under this condition algae cannot survive for any length of time and water remains clear.
