Sarasota oak pollen and your pool: a 2-month survival guide

If you’ve lived in Sarasota for more than one spring, you already know about the oak pollen. For about eight weeks every March and April, every horizontal surface in town turns yellow-green — patios, cars, screened cages, and pool surfaces especially.

What pollen does to a pool

A few days of unattended oak pollen on the surface and the water turns hazy. Pollen is fine and floats long enough to slip past the skimmer and settle on the floor or stick to the tile line. It also stresses the chemistry: the organic load eats chlorine, and the suspended particles cling to your filter media.

What we do during pollen season

On the route, pollen weeks get longer skim time and a closer look at the filter PSI. We empty skimmer baskets twice when needed. We watch chlorine demand more carefully — a pool that wants 2 ppm in January might want 3 in April. And the tile line gets extra brush time.

What you can do between visits

Run the pump a little longer during pollen weeks if the pool is heavily exposed. Skim with a leaf rake when you can — even a quick pass cuts a lot of the load before it sinks. Don’t backwash unnecessarily; modern filters can handle a lot of pollen if you give them a chance.

When to call

If the pool turns hazy and chlorine isn’t holding even after a shock, that’s a chemistry problem caught too late — usually low stabilizer, high CYA, or a filter that needs media. Send a photo and we’ll tell you what’s going on.