Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How to Spread Lime???

Hello all, I've got a question regarding liming.

Here's a litte background on the pond I'm trying to fix up for a friend:

1. The pond is about 2 acres. Half of it is bordered by open field and the other half is bordered by woods.

2. 10 years ago (when the adjoining field was farmed) it had large numbers of good fat bass and bluegill.

3. They stopped farming it 10 years ago (obviously the source of lime and fertilizer ceased at this time).

4. The fish population currently in the pond is as follows: stunted bass, stunted bluegill, some skinny crappie (yeah, I know we gotta get them out) and a few 2 to 3 pound channel cats.

5. I do not have the money to get the pond tested so I decided to go ahead and lime it at a rate of 4 tons per acre (8 tons total). I have been told that this amount of lime should last 5 to 6 years.

6. I have ordered some 10-52-4 pond fertilizer and plan on following the fertilization schedule to a "t".

My question for you guys is how can I go about liming this pond? Do I just through it in the creek channel leading into the pond or do I have to physically spread it over the entire surface?

Thanks for any advice.

P.S.- I have noticed there are a few spotted (Kentucky Bass) in this pond. Should I get rid of some of them as well as the crappie?

One quick clarification. With regards to the fertilizer I've ordered, I'm not positive it is 10-52-4. I had called the company to order some 12-49-6 but the lady on the phone recommended the 10-52-4 (not positive that the nitrogen content was 10%, but i'm pretty sure that's what she said).

Since the water in a pond does not circulate too much, it would be best for you to spread the lime across the pond. One common way is to load it onto a flat pontoon boat (with sides removed) and use a gas operated pump to pump water and wash it off the boat while driving around the ond.

A cheaper, much harder method is to walk around the periphery of the pond tossing bucketfulls of lime onto the surface. It won't get the middle to well, but if it is a two acre pond and you get all sides. It will spread pretty good.

Im sure that there are some dudes on this site that have the equipment to spread it for you.

Did you test the alkalinity? I did an analysis in SW Kentucky last year and had great alkalinity without addition of lime, but hey it nevers hurts. The small diff. in the fertilizer formulation should not be a concern. I sell the 10-52-4. Good luck. The spotted bass require a higher diet since they are more agressive, so most of the time they are skinnier than the largemouth bass.

Thanks Nick and Greg. With regards to the alkalinity, no, I have not tested it. Unfortunately, I'm just doing the work on the pond and we're using by buddies dime to pay for stuff. I have asked him before about testing pH and alkalinity but he was unwilling to pay somebody to do it.

Will it hurt this pond to lime it even if the pH is okay? I kinda tend to think the pH is too low. It appears the close proximity to woods has caused alot of tanic acid to run off thus lowering the pH. This has resulted in a "iced tea" type appearance to the pond.

No adding lime will not hurt. I you have a tannic acid look it more than likely does indeed have a low alkalinity and pH. To answer your original question spreading it all over the pond surface is best, but putting in as many places as possible will help. ALso the amount of time it works keeping the alkalinity above 20 ppm depends on water flow, 4 tons/acre may only be good for 3 years with a low retention time.

i bought a titrets alkilinity test kit for about $30 as recommended to me on this site. i got it in two days and it works great. $30 is way cheaper than buying lime if it is not needed. (i did need lime do to a reading of 10.) plus, the work to spead the lime by hand is significant. my son and i spread 8 tons yesterday using 5 gal bucks, a shovel, and a 40 gal tub we put into the center of our boat. lots of work. lots of tired sore muscles. my recommendation is to get a test kit and ensure you actually need to lime before you spend the $$'s and do all the hard work to spread it.

now i'm in trouble because i didn't mention that my wife also helped spread the lime. and boy was she a big help!

Thanks again for the help guys. You fellas just don't understand how long I've been looking for a forum to ask people these questions! I can damn sure tell you that the people at the KY Fish and Wildlife offices aren't near as much help.

I suspect that's what I'll be doing.

WWG,

think about hiring a pro. Liming without a barge is backbreaking. with my barge I can spread 8 tons in about 2 hours provided there is a tractor to load the lime. IF we use shovels it will take about 6 hours for 2 guys.

shan

Believe me, I have thought about it. Unfortunately, I know of no pros in my area and my budget is very limited. Luckily I will have 2 strong backs helping me. I figured we'd have one guy on the bank of the pond filling buckets, one guy in the front of the boat dumping lime and one in the back of the boat working the trolling motor (damn, I hope I get that job!).

Pond is appx. 3.5 acres, surrounded by trees , have two places where a lime spreading truck could back up to the pond . had 11 tons added . had 4/8 sheets of plywood on the ground for the truck to back on to save damage to the shore surface. didn't cover entire pond surface with lime but it seemed to work ok. do plan to add lime to the land around the pond to help the seepage of tannic acid from all the fall falling leaves. this is the lazy mans way to lime. but liming around the pond will be hard work. JB since your experianced , Want to help ? LOL.Harvey

Harvey, did you see how fast I offered to help? Good luck with your project. We put a 30 gal. plastic tub in the bottom of our aluminum boat, filled it with 5 gal buckets, "carefully" used our trolling motor to move around the lake, then tossed the lime out with a shovel. The good news is that I felt like we were able to evenly spread the lime. JB

just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the 2 tons of lime JB? i have not clue what to expect for cost. also, can somebody tell what that test kit's name is, and where can if purchase one? thanks, mark

mark, sorry about the late response. i have been out of town. i paid $18 per ton delivered for the lime. i think that was a pretty good price for my area. the test kit i purchased was a titrus as recommended on this site. it works very well and even measures below 20ppm. jb

JB- I sure thought you'd come on down!!!, Bet that was quiet a balancing act with all that lime in the boat, but sounds like a job well done.You didn't say where you bought the Titrus alkalinity kit. would like to know-Thanks Harvey

Greg- doe's lime raise the PH & Alkalinity both ? my ph is 6.5 to 7 but have not tested the alkalinity ,also is it possible i have over fertilized? I have this blue green scum [ algie ] on the surface of the water and almost solid tiny particles in the water, i would say they are a light tan in color, hard to tell,andno feel to them.any help-Thanks Harvey - am using 10-52-4 water solubile fert & feeding twice a day with a good pellet feed. each feeding 1.3 pounds.

harvey, got it from cole-parmer. 800-323-4340, or www.coleparmer.com...they were very helpful on the phone. cost about $30 if i remember correctly. they even sent me a 40lb catalog. jb