Instructions
Decide how much koi pond barley straw you need. An 8 ounce bundle of barley straw will treat 1000 gallons of water. Buy the mesh barley bags to hold the barley straw in place.
Buy enough barley straw to last through the early spring and into the fall. Place one bag of barley straw in the desired area, then add a second in two weeks. Two weeks later, replace the first bag to ensure that you always have the barley bacteria in your pond.
Purchase the koi pond barley straw in large bales if you are treating a quarter acre koi pond or larger. A 25 pound bale will treat a quarter acre pond. You will not need mesh bags for the barley straw bales as you can secure it to the shore without it floating away.
Consider buying the barley straw pellets if your pond has flowing water and is less than three feet deep. A 2 pound bag of pellets can treat a 400 gallon pond for up to 8 months.
Think about using barley straw extract if you are bothered by the messy residual of barley straw bales. One bottle of barley straw extract is equivalent to 2 bales of barley straw. An 8 ounce bottle will treat a 200 gallon koi pond for 2.5 months.
How to Buy Koi Pond Barley Straw
Barley straw has been used for centuries to naturally improve the water quality in koi ponds. When the barley straw decomposes, its byproducts prevent unwanted growth of algae without harming the koi or other plant and animal life.