Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Muddy Water

I have a new pond about 1/2 acre in size. Its 1yr old this month and its been very muddy since it began to fill up. I have put 175 HBG and 5 lbs of flathead minoews last april. My pond is full. I am still trying to get grass to grow around the edges to stop getting the clay run off. I have not done any water test at all. I did try the jar trick to see if the particales would settle and they didnt, so I know I have suspending clay particles. My questions are: If I treat my pond with ALUM will i be wasting time and money due to lack of grass on my banks to filter the water coming in? Also when adding ALUM to my pond how do I mix it?? Desolve in water first and then pour off bank?? I dont have any type of water feed comin in other than rain. Also Hydrated lime mixing instructions as well? I could put my boat in and tie off to bank and maybe pour it behind motor like a prop wash methond.
Any feed back on this would be great

Welcome to the forum. Getting grass started around the banks will definately help a couple of ways.

It will help minimize erosion.

It will act as a filter strip for the surface water headed towards the pond.

It will allow you to walk around the pond when the ground is wet and not have tons of clay build up on your feet.

This thread might have some of the answers you are looking for.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=124005#Post124005

Something that helped my ponds a lot is putting about a 3' wide strip of rock around the water line. About a foot above full pool and a couple feet below (to take care of water level change).

I used a combination of different rock sizes over the course of a year. I put some 2-3" lateral rock (like used for septic drain field use) in places, some AB3 (mixed sizes up to about an inch in diameter, and some smaller stuff and even crushed limestone ag lime. All of it was crushed limestone rock.

This keeps the wave action from stirring up the banks and eroding them out into the pond. I experimented with different sizes, some of it put down before the pond filled and some of it after it was full.

I think about the best combination I came up with was putting down a single layer of the larger lateral rock then covering it with the AB3 (1" all the way down to lime). The fines partially wash out into the water helping the ph with the rest holding the larger rocks in place, and the larger rocks are big enough to keep the waves from eroding the bank.

There is a fair amount of cost to it, but I think once weeds and grass grow up in it, it will keep the banks from eroding. I did it on my larger pond and liked the results so well also did it on an older refurbished pond.

If your pond is protected from the wind, wave action may not be an issue for you. We have wind here a fair amount of the time.

Essup, Thanks for the link. I will continue to read and learn from everyone else. I hope to post the before and after pics by spring time.

Snrub, you do make a great point. Would be costly but very affective, money well spent I'd say!

if your grass isn't growing well, why not fertilize the edge more? and maybe try some wetland grasses like sedges?

Clay banks are exceptionally difficult to grow grass on. If possible, disc in some gypsum and ag lime to amend the clay, break it down some and seed heavily with grass seeds. Better yet, disc some topsoil in as wide an area as possible.

If you have large exposed area of clay bank, the pond may never clear for long, even with a heavy alum application, as each rain event washes a lot more colloidal clay into the pond. The smallest particles wash in first.

Granular gypsum is also good for amending clay soils. Adding organics is also beneficial. Work it is as Rainman suggested.

Also, adding an erosion blanket on top of the seeds will help keep them and the upper layer of soil from drying out. Clay, when dry, can form a hard enough crust to keep individual seeds from breaking through after they germinate.

Mudd, clay can be a bear to get seed started on. One thing that has worked for me is to tow one of those cheap pull behind soil aerators parallel to the bank, sow the seed, and then give it all a lite rake.

Lot's of seeds like rye are notorious floaters, and just being in a small 1" deep trench seems to help them germinate, and stay in place. Also, any watering will keep the seeds wet just a little longer than just sitting on the top of the soil.

Good advice. I've had problems with fescue floating off site down the hill after a hard rain even though it was harrowed in.