How to use barley straw pellets
How to use
Barley straw pellets are the convenient way to store and use barley straw. A 2kg bag of Silver Springs barley straw pellets are equivalent in weight to approx 3 x medium barley straw bags.
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When deciding how much to use the most important factor to consider is the surface area of the pond. It is not really necessary to work out the volume of water in the pond and in any case this can be misleading.
The consensus of expert opinion favours a dosage rate of 25-50g per square metre. Hence for various pond sizes we arrive at the following
20 sq mtrs 500-1,000g every 3 mths
40 sq mtrs 1,000-2,000g every 3 mths
80 sq mtrs 2,000-4,000g every 3 mths
Instructions for use
1. Put up to 500g of barley straw pellets in a fine gauge nylon mesh bag (see below for our suggestions of which bags to use). For larger quantities use several bags arranged in suitable locations around the pond rather than stuffing the existing with more pellets.
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2. Secure the filled mesh bag to a pole or add a flotation device so that it is held near the surface of the pond where it will be most effective.
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3. Alternatively if using a pond filtration system anchor the bag close to the filter unit to achieve the maximum benefits.
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Lift out the bag and give the barley straw mulch a stir round every few weeks and replace the spent pellets every 3 months with fresh pellets to ensure a continuous presence of activated potent barley straw.
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A 2kg bag of Silver Springs barley straw pellets should be sufficient to treat a 20 square metres pond for between 6 to 12 months.
Mesh bags
There are a number of mesh bags on the market. Our own preferences are for either;
UEETEK 25cm x 30cm drawstring bag
PROREZULT 20cm x 30cm zip bag
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These sizes are ideal for dosing with up to 500g of pellets. Just make sure your chosen bag has a very fine mesh and does not decompose in water.
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