Just curious as my latest water samples are showing my ph is dropping alkalinity is 30 and hardness keeps reading 0. Ph is 6.2-6.4. A friend told me he has heard of people throwing old sheetrock into their pond to help with ph. I have access to a lot of old sheetrock from construction sites. Would it harm the pond? I guess its just gypsum and some thin paper. Has anyone heard of this? Has anyone ever done it? To do any good would I have to have a dumptruck full of broken sheetrock?

There is fiberglass fibers in sheetrock that I wouldn't want in my pond. Might not hurt anything, but ag lime is too cheap to take the risk

Just FYI I have 12 tons of ag lime delivered and spread for about $425.

Brian, was this spread before or after the pond filled? My estimates are much, much higher!

Among other questionable chemicals.

I spread mine after. I had truck back up about 5 different locations, then drive around the dam. I put maybe 6 -8 tons in the water, rest on the watershed. There was a 12 ton minimum purchase.

Don't forget the asbestos that's in Sheetrock

Well, as usual you guys answered that question! Thanks, Brian where did you get your lime? If you need to you can pm me. I heard of a place in Groveton Tx. I think that is about 75 miles from me but I have not been able to get them to answer the phone number I have.

Flame, try calling these guys and asking them where you can find agricultural lime in bulk.

Groveton Mill & Supply
541 Old Railroad St,
Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1622

They are open tomorrow (Saturday) from 7:30am until noon.

Is that the place and phone number you were trying?

Yes it is esshup but I called pretty late. They may have gone home for the day. I have been reading late fall or early winter is the best time to lime. Is it ok to lime now if it is available? It has been getting into the mid 90's here. Ever since I started aeriation my pond has been muddy looking and visibility on sechi dish is only 8 inches. Starting to worry.

I'm having aeration installed soon, so it is concerning to hear that it is associated with muddy water.

Could this be turnover effect? Mud stirred up by aeration?

Thanks, Brian. I'm having lime spread by boat, much more expensive but with my BOW you couldn't reach most of it from shore. Trees & thickets everywhere!

And I do need to lime the watershed, most of which is not on my property. Time to talk with the neighbor!

Flame it is ok to ad ag lime now.

I will add lime every so often if I am running water well. I think you can get bulk agg lime through your local feed and see store, if not they can send u in the right direction. Add the lime to a wash or drain that enters your pond and then let the water run over it and into the pond. Pretty easy to do if you have a front end loader on the tractor. Or borrow one from a neighbor.

My pond is only 2 acre when full. Tracy I read what you said and I can use a front end loader. Do I have to cover the whole pond ? Can I just spread it heavy around the shore and fill the washout areas with it? I can shovel it out into the pond all the way around but that won't get it real far out. Will that be good enough or would it just be a waste of time and energy? I have never used ag lime. Is it real dusty? Caustic to breath or touch? My main washout area is about 3 foot deep. Can I fill that with lime? What's ya'lls opinion?

Flame I did this last year. I also studied a long time. I had a spreader truck come from the farmers coop and spread mine. He could back down in to the pond a bit and turn the spreader on. He also drove multiple times around the pond and spread up into the watershed. It wasn't ideal, but I know it helped. No matter how you do it, it won't be as good as spreading on a dry pond bed or spread out with a barge which might be pretty expensive. If you used a loader bucket pull into the pond the best you can and start easing it out and back out as your doing it. Or maybe if they bring you lime, go to NRCS or the COOP and get a spreader...many times they are free to use then spread it. Anything is better than nothing...spread all over your watershed. Find where the most water flows and put a lot there.

As for being dusty and such, I was walking around while they were spreading it...it is a bit dusty but just stay up wind. You are not wasting any of your time or energy. Put it in any way that you can get it in and it will benefit your BOW. This is just my opinion.

When bulk is delivered to me it is dumped into a pile and I use my front end loader to grab a bucked full and add it to the washed area so when I add well water or get some rain to that wash area, it will dissolve the smaller lime particles and move that higher pH water to the pond. It will also let the water run across the top of the larger particles and reduces their size and dissolves into the water that is then drained into the pond again raising the pH in the pond water. I also add it to the windy shorelines hoping the waves will help to dissolve into the pond.

Tracy has some very good points...one thing I learned about ag lime is it reacts very slowly, so it won't harm anything when its laying around or water washes it into the pond where a wash is. Slow is good. I don't think you'll harm anything, any way you do it. Like Tracy said, your goal is to get it into the pond, and for it to dissolve however that way is. If your way is not perfect its okay, I think your wash would be a great place. Use whatever means possible.

James
I agree with what has been said. As slow as it dissolves it don't matter. Put it out!

Thank you everyone and thank you Tracy for the PM. I contacted Groveton Mills this morning and he said he is too far away. Now I know how to do it...just need to find a supplier!! Our local feed store wanted $6.50 a #40 bag!!!

Call a trucking co. And see how much to haul to to and dump in a pile. Then you can spread it

Pat is right. Bulk is the only way to go. I gave around $30/ton delivered 35 miles one way and spread. You are in East Tx. There has got to be someone that can do that. Look for a fertilizer company somewhere around. They normally carry it. We have a few here in SW Arkansas that put out lime. Its not advertised like the fertilizer but if they put out fertilizer they probably put out lime also. How close are you to LA? Maybe there is someone there?

Flame call your local Farmers Coop or NRCS office. Tell them you are looking to buy ag lime and need someone in your area. Or if you know a local farmer, ask who they purchase their fertilizer from.

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/tx/home/

Flame,

Todd Overton has crushed limestone he can bring you by the ton. I had him deliver a dump truck load a year ago and I just finished spreading it into my pond. I think it works a lot better if you spread it evenly over the surface of the pond instead of just putting piles of it into the pond. PM me and I can tell you how I did mime.