Big South Fork, Tennessee is horse country and when you have horses, you have a seasonal struggle to keep algae at bay. It thrives in the heat of the summer and even when you scrub it away, it reappears days later.
The key conditions for algae growth are nutrients, warmth and moisture. Warmth can be provided by the heat of the sun which is why algae in troughs out in a pasture grows faster than in a bucket in the barn. Nutrients can come from horse droppings in the water as well as hay, feed or leaves left in the water. Horses on pasture will also frequently come to a water trough with pieces of grass in their mouths. Nutrients from these plant parts are then released into the water.
Another ideal condition that buckets and troughs offer is that the water is stagnant. Algae grows better in stagnant than fast moving water.
If you have a pond, installing an aerator in the form of a bubbler will help to reduce an algae bloom. When algae first begins to grow, it isn’t a problem. Horses can drink the water without any adverse effects. But all algae goes through a cycle, first of growing, and then dying and decomposing. As the algae decomposes, it gives off harmful toxins that may cause a horse to colic.
People who use large tubs frequently just top them off because it is time-consuming and messy to empty them. My house is right on the trail and I ran a spur from my water line to a hydrant so I could keep a trough filled to offer passing horses a drink (and also, if the truth be told, to allow passing riders an opportunity to pick up listing fliers which I have co-located) It is imperative that I scrub it and re-fill it with clear, clean water frequently…a task I detest!
Glugging in some household bleach is effective in retarding the growth of algae and I go through a good bit of it in Tennessee's temperate climate!
For information about Big South Fork real estate or horse properties in Jamestown, Tennessee, go to www.trailridersrealestate.com
There's also a lot of information about the area on Tennessee Recreational Properties' website.
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