Why Pond Pads?

Pond Pads and Pond Strip have been developed to provide a natural, chemical free solution for algae in ponds. They are made from a matting of barley (and lavender) straw and natural cotton netting. Pond Pads have a large surface area allowing easy access of water and oxygen to the straw and free release of natural compounds. Since they are cut from a wide sheet of matting, there are many open ends of straw all round the edges of each Pond Pad which allows water to penetrate into the hollow stems, greatly speeding the breakdown process.

Soluble carbohydrates released from the surface of the straw act on the unicellular green water algae causing them to clump together and sink to the bottom of the pond. In this way green water is often cleared in just a few days.

Making the best use of the oxygen in the water, safe, aerobic decomposition is assured and the natural compounds which inhibit the growth of algae are released into the pond water. The process continues for about six months giving long term protection from all algae including green water and blanket weeds.

Through many years of use it has been shown that barley straw treatment, in aerobic conditions, is quite harmless to plants, fish and animals. To build on this record of safety, Green Ways use only natural fully biodegradable materials in the manufacture of Pond Pads. Also the knitted cotton netting which holds the pads together has been specially designed by Newbury Engineered Textiles to prevent risk of trapping fish or other creatures. Pond Pads may therefore be put into your pond in safety and be left to rot away completely. Don't disturb your pond life by trying to remove them - they will have become part of the natural food chain.

Structure of Pond Pad

Click for larger image of Pond PadStructure