The sudden and unexpected death of a Marietta, Georgia, couple’s beloved dog after swimming with its owners in Lake Allatoona has filled social media feeds since the incident on Aug. 10. The incident brings to light the dangers of toxic algae growth. In neighboring North Carolina, another couple lost three dogs in one day after an afternoon swim in a pond.

The cause has been identified as the blue-green algae species Microcystis aeruginosa, a cyanobacteria that produces a potent liver toxin.

Algae often grows in ponds and lakes during abnormally dry conditions such as those Georgia is currently experiencing. Toxin-producing algae can be lethal to livestock who use farm ponds as their water source, but common toxins like microcystins can also impact larger bodies of water, said Gary Burtle, University of Georgia water quality and fisheries expert.

While Georgia isn’t officially in a drought, areas of the state have been hotter and drier than normal, Burtle said.

Conditions like these can cause more algae to grow and bloom in bodies of water as a result of the increased nutrient load in ponds and lakes, he said. In ponds used to water cattle and horses, this might lead to problems with toxic algae and unsightly water.

Color changes in a pond can be a clue that algae are blooming. Blooms of algae and cyanobacteria often look like green, blue-green or reddish-brown paint floating on the surface of small bodies of water, usually near the shoreline. This scum formed by algae is an indicator that the pond may be unsafe, Burtle said.

“Humans should not swim in this water and animals should not be allowed access to it until the bloom returns to normal by dilution from rainfall or treatment with algaecide,” said Burtle, who has fielded numerous calls from UGA Cooperative Extension agents this week as questions have poured in from the public. “You know a pond is headed for trouble when the algae bloom is so thick that visibility is less than 12 inches into the water column.”

In 2012, Georgia experienced serious drought conditions and some Gwinnett County cattle died as a result of a cyanobacteria bloom. Animals affected often appear weak, exhibit muscle tremors and convulsions, and have bloody diarrhea.

Farm animals should be kept away from the water source and provided with an alternative source of clean water until the pond has been tested and is declared free of toxins, Burtle said.

“If you have a fear about the water, move your animals to a safe water source,” Burtle said. “Install a water tank and fill it up every day or so. And use common sense. If there’s a scum on the pond and you think there might be a problem, exclude your animals and have the water tested.”

UGA Extension agents can help Georgians test their pond or lake water for the presence of toxins from algae blooms through UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences laboratories.

Cyanobacteria blooms in ponds and lakes are difficult to control, Burtle said. Using chemicals releases more toxins into the pond, rendering it useless as a water source for weeks or months. High daytime temperatures can also force the cyanobacteria blooms to the bottom of the pond, where toxins are released.

Harmful algal blooms need nutrients, sunlight, and warm, stagnant water to develop.

To help prevent blooms, UGA Extension urges pond owners to leave vegetated buffers around ponds, to limit livestock access and to avoid over-fertilizing surrounding areas. Pond owners who would like to learn more about controlling algae should read UGA Extension Bulletin 1445, “Managing Algal Blooms and the Potential for Algal Toxins in Pond Water.”

Recent dry weather encouraged the use, and possible overuse, of irrigation systems. Followed by tropical conditions characterized by heavy rainfall and humidity, there have been reports of a jelly-like substance growing in turf.

The jelly-like matter is Nostoc, a genus of cyanobacterium formerly classified as blue-green algae. The algae — commonly known as star jelly and witch’s butter, among other names — may appear suddenly in lawns and other turf areas in warm temperatures following a period of rain, and the algae can also be an indication of overwatering.

In turf, Nostoc generally emerges on a site where the grass is growing poorly due to severe compaction, overwatering or both. It does not cause the turf to decline or die, but it does colonize areas where it has favorable growing conditions and the grass was already thin.

Poor drainage and compacted soils create a favorable environment for Nostoc. It dries out when moisture or rainfall diminishes, but it has only gone into dormancy. With enough moisture, it will come back to “life.”

In its hydrated, gelatinous, green state, it can be a safety hazard because it’s slippery — so be careful walking on it.

However, when it dries out, it can restrict turfgrass growth. Nostoc dries into a black crust that can prevent stolons from rooting, or “tacking,” into the soil. This delays the growth and spread of turfgrass.

Nostoc can be difficult to control. To discourage its growth, encourage the growth of the grass. Algae is less of an issue with an actively growing turfgrass canopy.

The first step is to check the irrigation system to make sure it is watering properly (i.e., not too often or too much). The turfgrass species grown in Georgia perform better when grown on the slightly dry side, so scaling back irrigation and adjusting the irrigation schedule will benefit the grass and can discourage algae.

The second step is to improve the internal soil and surface drainage. Core aeration opens the soil, allows oxygen into the root system and reduces compaction.

Allow the soil surface to dry out, then break up the Nostoc “crust” by cutting the upper ¼- to ½-inch. Breaking the algae into pieces will encourage it to spread. This also permits the turfgrass stolons to root into thin areas and outcompete the Nostoc.

With proper irrigation and core aerification, the grass can cover, and eventually predominate, the area where the Nostoc was present.

For more information about turfgrass in Georgia, go to www.GeorgiaTurf.com.

Georgia temperatures are rising, and the weather is only going to get hotter with little rain in the forecast. That’s not good news for Georgia’s cotton producers who are in the middle of planting this year’s crop, says Jared Whitaker, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton agronomist.

According to the UGA Weather Network at www.georgiaweather.net, temperatures eclipsed 90 degrees Fahrenheit in most of south Georgia this past weekend and are expected to reach 100 F by the middle of next week.

“Cotton is going to be the most sensitive crop to these types of conditions just because of the relatively poor vigor of cotton seedlings compared to other crops Georgia producers plant,” Whitaker said. “Cotton seed is very small and conditions need to be near perfect for several days after planting to ensure we get a suitable stand. When soils dry and temperatures rise, it becomes increasingly difficult for producers, especially in nonirrigated fields.”

Whitaker says that an informal survey he conducted last week revealed that around 50% of the state’s farmable fields had been planted. Progress was a little further along than usual because of good planting conditions in late April. Also, producers are trying to minimize their risk from losses that could occur at harvest by planting some cotton earlier than usual.

He is concerned that poor conditions could delay planting to the point that yields are affected.

“We really need to have a good stand established before the end of the first week of June to ensure that we have enough time to make an entire crop,” Whitaker said. Growers need rainfall within the next couple of weeks to get this crop started in the right direction.

“We’re always a week away from a drought,” Whitaker said. “And that’s certainly the case this year.”

The last substantial rainfall was recorded during the weekend of May 10 through May 12. Three days of rain yielded 1.5 inches in Tifton, Georgia; 0.81 inches in Alma, Georgia; 1.2 inches in Griffin, Georgia; and 1.52 inches in Vienna, Georgia.

But since much of the state’s crops are grown in south Georgia’s sandy soils, any moisture that region receives is soaked up quickly.

UGA Extension peanut agronomist Scott Monfort says that approximately 65% of Georgia’s peanut crop has been planted. But like the state’s cotton farmers, Georgia’s peanut producers will need to monitor their crop’swater needs during this extremely hot and dry period.

“To have high temperatures this early is pretty tough. It means these plants are going to go through heat stress earlier than normal this year and farmers are going to have stay on top of it as far as irrigating,” Monfort said. “While we normally wouldn’t irrigate this early, we might have to start if we lose too much moisture.”

Growers also need to be careful planting in fields with marginal moisture.

Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 21. Pam Knox, UGA Extension agricultural climatologist, believes that temperatures in June, July and August will depend largely on how much rainfall Georgia gets.

“There is not much correlation between early season heat waves and the rest of the summer. However, if it stays dry, then hotter-than-normal conditions are likelier just because all of the sun’s heat goes to warming the air instead of evaporating water from the soil and plants,” she said.

For more information about what weather to expect this summer, read Knox’s climate outlook on her blog at https://t.uga.edu/4YB.