Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization which Fertilizer?

The references by Dr. Dave (not our Dr. Dave from SDSU) are mostly about eutrophic, limestone-based Ohio ponds that are not necessarily applicable to ponds all over the nation. Dr. Dave is absolutely right...if you are in Ohio with limestone based ponds. Greg, although a bit harsher than he normally is, is correct in his assessment (I chose to moderate him a bit...) in that nitrogen is not necessarily the limiting nutrient for most United States ponds. Much of the time, phosphorus is the limiting factor that prevents healthy plankton blooms. Use pond dye if you wish to pre-empt heavy algal blooms or if you wish to pre-empt the base of the food chain for young of the year fish. As Cody says (which is correct), "It all depends." Of course, he has become famous for that line...and he is correct. Plus, we can always count on Eric to help us with good information, too.
Nitrogen has never been a limiting factor in any water in which I work. There's enough nitrogen dissolving from the atmosphere as well as from organic matter in runoff to contribute to heavy filamentous algae blooms in waters I manage. When I see a 'good' plankton bloom, it is the result of adding soluble phosphorus to a pond at the right time at the right temperature.