Other than the one report above, so does anyone know anything about experiments with non-water-soluble fertilizer in ponds?
I suspect that most of the negative above is caused by a fundamental mis-understanding of water-soluble and non-water-soluble "fertilizers." I am not a pond expert, but I can relate my land 25 year experience. Enthused by a Mother Earth study, I dropped all insecticides and water-soluble fertilizer, replacing it all with non-soluble fertilizers and bio-controls. Each time, within 2 years, my lawns, trees, veggies, flowers were the greenest/healthiest in the neighborhood. I really loved the part where I replaced the Scott's 5 times a year treatment with one application in the fall.
This took a major mind shift for me. I always could get instant gratifications with normal fertilizers which have high percentage of water-soluble components, but the health after 2 - 3 years of the micro-eaten fertilizers is not arguable. Also, year for year, much cheaper, more earth worms, more fireflies, etc.
Now for the pond. I am experimenting on land with Corn Gluten Meal, so far so good. If you expect the fast-food-fix of a bucket dissolving as you watch it float, then you will be unhappy. My small scale experiment (I tossed a handful from the dock), is that it floats until it gets either eaten (did not expect that), or gets waterlogged and sinks. In both cases, it sits on the bottom, with bacteria, micro-zoo and some plankton eating it and turning it into FA killer, and N fertilizer.
