Hey all.

I'm sure the information is here somewhere, but time is tight for me now and I have some general questions that might have quick answers.

The pond was finished a few days ago and will be about 7 acres when full and about 6-7 deep on average. The opportunity to spread lime easily will last anywhere from a few weeks or until the next big rain. I know there are tests that indicate if lime is needed and how much, but I thought maybe that some general information could streamline the decision for me.

First off, regardless of how much lime is recommended the budget will only support buying about 20 tons max.

Another consideration is that almost all agricultural land in our area is treated with ag lime. I'm guessing that this is an indicator that almost all of the soils here benefit from liming.

Most of the watershed for this pond is marginal pasture land that gets fertilized occasionally, including lime. There is also about 20 acres of cotton, peanuts and pecan orchard in the watershed. The soil in the pond site, and around here in general, is sandy with large clay deposits.

There is a few feet of water just in front of the dam and I have a very basic alkalinity test kit. If necessary I can always test that water. I would love to have the soil tested but realistically I might not get to it before the bottom gets wet.

Is it very likely that 20 tons of lime will benefit this pond in a noticeable way?

Thanks.