Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization Fert on my lawn bad for my pond...

I need to fertilize the bermuda around my pond. It will runoff into the pond, no avoiding that. I'd like advice on minimizing the negative impact if that is even possible?

Is there a particular fert to use or application method that might help?

Thanks,
Jeff-

Millorganite, a poo-based fertilizer out of the sewers of... Milwaukee. Since it is organic it tends to not leach away or burn grass even if you dump it on. I love the stuff as it has subtle but long-lasting effects on the lawn of giving grass the edge over weeds. It gets you the health without crazy amounts of mowing.

If you don't want fertilizer runoff, stay away from the really strong fertilizers commonly sold for lawns. Very little will get utilized by the grass anyhow, most gets washed away or permeates down into the soil.

Never ever use pesticides on lawns either, once you open that can, you can never stuff it back in.

Alternatively you can take the longer route and plant clover, though in your climate it may not do well. However once clover is established and mixed with grass, you will never need to fertilize again as the legume will trap nitrogen.

Thanks Squid, I put some down today.



Jeff-

I would not use human based sewage fertilizers.. I mean for a lawn fertilizer they should be fine, but I'd check into te runoff situation.. I grow a fully organic raised bed garden and human sewage sludge is a big no no.. Can't remember off hand what's bad about it but it's not recommended for gardens so I would check before it's in my pond..

Heavy metals is the issue with Milorganite and not using it on crops for human consumption.

Not like there are not any heavy metals in soil or anything. ;-). I wont argue with you guys about this stuff as I am not educated in these matters well enough to be considered an authority.

Yeah, I suppose adding heavy metals would be an issue in an organic garden, but as far as I know plants do not suck up what they don't need in most cases. But on a lawn, adding organics with trace nutrients is a plus...

My lawn is not spectacular by anyone's definition, lets just say it is "diverse" and we can pick baskets of strawberries from it in June. However it does grow well, and I have no bare patches and it is good for bare feet. I attribute the diversity to the previous owners likely mowing the "dirt" when they built the house until it turned green. I just "seed and feed" rather than "weed and feed". If I weed-killed there wouldn't be a heck of a lot left.

The grass around the pond looks 100x better then the yard and it is only a few weeks old.

I don't have grub or pest problems, and I happen to like dandelions as they are a sure sign of warm soils and time to garden. I just don't like them in the garden. Best part it is cheap to deal with.

liquidsquid, how long after clover is established before the nitrogen that the colver traps is avalible for grass?

That is a good question, and one I don't know for certain but I know it is long-term. I would assume it is a year or more where the first year or two you may see no real benefit as the clover and grass compete, but at some point after a few years of clover recycling and putting organics back in the soil along with the grass, the overall nitrogen in a given area will increase.

We are talking white clover, which normally does not get any taller than grass. If you planted other legumes such as alfalfa and worked that back into the soil, the results would be much better.

Observation shows me that where I have clover in the yard, the grass grows MUCH better than without. I clover/grassed all of the trails in the front field which was almost completely tapped of nitrogen after being farmed for 100 years. The areas near the 6yo trail show better signs of health than away from the trail, even though tall clover naturally grew elsewhere. Makes for some really nice walking trails except when hot in the summer. Now have a pond down there to chill in.

The drawbacks are a non-uniform appearance to your lawn if trying to start in an established lawn. If you are starting a new lawn with both, it is easy to get clover plus grass to have a nice mix. The other drawback is an occasional honeybee may be stepped upon, leading to embarrassing hula-hula dances.

So a long-term strategy on a new lawn that is low maintenance once established is:

1. Till up soil plus Milorganite after taking a soil sample for current nutrient levels, remove rocks. This step is the most important as you will not loose much nitrogen after this point as with chemical fertilizers.
2. Seed with a mix of 100:1 - 500:1 grass to clover.
3. Mow once reasonably established.
4. Never apply weed killer, you will manually need to remove undesirables, but with a rich, healthy lawn this should not be very hard. Weed killer will kill clover also.

Of course grubs will live in the soil among many other pests, but the balance between what grubs eat, and what they don't will prevent any widespread damage from showing. If you have never treated the lawn with pesticides, natural enemies of grubs exist in the soil making it very hard for them to do any widespread damage.

Disclaimer: Skunks rolled by my lawn like a carpet twice in large areas looking for grubs. Both of these areas had no clover thus no roots to resist the skunks digging. A healthy organic lawn will draw in skunks/critters looking for a meal.

Don't forget Moles looking for grubs.

Maybe this subject came up because of something I posted yesterday regarding algae that I thought was possibly due to lawn fertilizer runoff.

With that said, it may not be all bad that you do have runoff into the pond, if it is done in moderation, and if you use something more than a real high nitrogen fertilizer (the first number). High nitrogen is what provides the green, fast growing grass, but it will also cause algae growth in your pond. It is also what runs off the most because it is generally slower to get absorbed.

Your pond will get a good bloom from phosphorus (the middle number in fertilizer). This time of year, a good bloom can be good for the young fish. But, phosphorus also causes filamentous algae.

The third number, potash, is for root growth.

Unfortunately for Bermuda grass, the recommended fertilizers are usually something like 20-0-15. Regular lawn fertilizers are more like 40-5-2.

Do a soil test. See what you might be lacking. Then look for a more balanced fertilizer, without real high nitrogen. Make sure you pond gets some of the phosphous. It will do two things, it will give you the bloom you want, but that will also limit the water clarity. Limiting the clarity will cut down sunlight penetration, which should help keep the potential algae down.

Thing about liquid fertilizer. Liquid fertilizers are more difficult to apply, but they will be at much lower concentrations, and should have a lot less runoff as they soak into the ground. They will also have to be applied more often.

And, as said above -- avoid the weed killers anywhere near the pond.

Hopefully, this didn't confuse too much.

Regards,
Ken