There’s been a recent surge in the popularity of PondBugs and other similar effluent treatments, and you may be wondering what all the hype is about. Is this just a fad? One of those new products that looks and sounds great, but you later realise you don’t actually need? In short, it’s not just the latest fad, and it’s something that’s been around for a while but is only just getting widely recognised. Here’s some more info…
What are PondBugs?
PondBugs are live organisms that when added to your effluent pond/storage work to promote biological activity. They are like a multi-vitamin for your pond, helping to digest the organic matter making the effluent more consistent, better for pumping, and providing a faster release of nutrients back into the soil when spread.
Who needs PondBugs?
Everybody needs biological activity in their effluent pond/storage. While PondBugs can be beneficial for any storage situation, typical signs your effluent could do with extra help would be an unpleasant smell and crust forming.
The popularity of PondBugs has increased of recent times as farmers experience the benefits and spread the word. The consistent trend is that farmers who have tried PondBugs continue to use it.
Why use it?
PondBugs are a simple way to keep your effluent pond clean and healthy, which in turn provides a smoother flow through your effluent system, and a quicker, more consistent release of nutrients out to pasture. Benefits include:
- Reduces pond crusting
- Maintains pond capacity
- Improves the nutrient value of pond effluent
- Reduces odour
- Approved for use on organic farms
- Enables cows to graze pasture sooner
- Improves soil biological health
- Helps reduce greenhouse emissions
When is the best time to use PondBugs?
One of the best times to start treating your effluent pond/storage is right after emptying. This way you’ll get everything working well as the pond starts to fill up, and the PondBugs will have more time to get going before you need to pump out again. However, you can start any time.
How should PondBugs be used?
They are a really simple application – it’s just one scoop per 50 cows, and you can tip them down the drain when you’re washing out. Just be aware as they are live organisms, use of severe washing chemicals can kill the bugs as well as decrease biological activity in your pond.
PondBugs are an organic product and work best with regular use – usually weekly to keep up with new effluent being consistently introduced into the storage. Regular stirring will help distribute the PondBugs throughout the effluent and assist in keeping solids in suspension. They are a slow-release treatment – so it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen!
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