Control Algae & Enhance The Appearance of Lakes & Ponds With Black Onyx

Murky, algae-covered water spoils the aesthetic appeal of ponds, lakes and decorative water features.

New Black Onyx from Scotts Professional is a concentrated black colourant which visually enhances water features whilst preventing the growth of algae when combined with a biological algae control programme.

Pond treated with Black Onyx at Aurora GC, Ohio, USA.

Used successfully across the USA, the product contains a concentrated blend of dry flowable colourants in a liquid or easy to use, water soluble packets.

Visually, it instantly transforms off-coloured water to a dark black colour, enhancing the reflective properties of ornamental lakes and ponds with stunning results.

It can also be a useful tool in the reduction of algae when used in conjunction with Scotts’ aquatic algicide, ProCrystal, as part of an aquatic integrated pest management programme. The black pigment in Black Onxy creates a shading barrier in the top metre of water creating unfavourable conditions for the formation of algae by limiting UV light and reducing photosynthesis. This then allows for the improved competition of introduced bacteria from ProCrystal for successful biological control.

	The Oxfordshire Golf Club at dusk. Black Onyx enhances the reflective properties of the water.

Sean Wilson, Course Manager at The Oxfordshire Golf Club used the combination of ProCrystal and Black Onyx in the four lakes on his course prior to the Ladies English Open last year.

“We have a problem with algae on all our lakes and ponds”, he explains. “Our technical advisor, Nia Frost, suggested that we use Black Onyx with ProCrystal in the lakes to reduce the amount of UV light entering the water. We used the water soluble packets at a rate of 4-5 per hectare and were pleased with the results. The lakes looked dark, shiny and deep and there was a substantial reduction in the amount of algae present. We’ll be treating the water with the products again this summer.”