Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Question on clay/silt sediments

My pond was similiar to yours. When it first filled the water smelled bad, the clay was like thick oatmeal! Theres roots, and other stuff decaying in yours that probably puts off a smell, and silt in the water column makes the water look cloudy. Mine took about 3 months to start to clear. Main thing I did was plant the runoff areas aggressively to stop silt runoff. I actually brought machines back in to slow down, and redirect runoff because I didn't get it like I needed to first time. There is so much of a patience game on a new pond. It will take a while but after it fills, it will clear up if you plant rye grass, or brown top millet in the run off areas. Both germinate fast, and ryegrass will die off when it gets hot, millet does good in hot weather and ducks love it. You will have to follow up with a permanent grass to hold the soil in place. This based on my experience, there's several experts on here who might chime in.