Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Muddy Water

Well it looks like my muddy water problem might not be clay particles. I brought back 2 water samples from the pond last weekend and sent one to Todd Overton for testing. The other I put on a counter here at work and it cleared up in 2 days. I'm in the process of redoing the shoreline around the pond now to level it out somewhat but my question is, after I had it dug out, the silt from the bottom was pushed up around the bank. Is this silt fertile enough to grow anything or should I fertilize it with something? I guess I should have a soil sample tested but was just curious to see if anybody else had tried to plant in this type of soil and what was planted.

Sounds like what happened to the water on your desk is a good sign for you pond. Hope the test results are good news for you.

Silt should grow plants very well I would imagine. Ultimately it starts out as fertile top soil anyway, just turns to muck once it drains into the pond.

I planted some wheat and some other "wild" seeds in the spring but nothing came up. Of course, we haven't had any rain out there in over a month so I didn't expect alot. I planted in other areas around the farm and it came up, but not very well.

Hmmm. I wonder what kind of grasses there are that would grow well, but with little precipitation? I think this is a short term thing you're looking at. Once something does begin to grow, it'll flourish and you'll forget what the blank shore looked like.

Cisco, I can't remember if you are on the property full time or just visit. If you have electricity at the pond (or within a couple hundred feet) you might be able to water by using a sump pump inside a 5 gallon bucket attached to a hose as a temp watering system.

Hello - I am new to this site. I do not know yet how to post a question, but it is very similar to this one. My pond is about 1/4 acre with the deepest being 5 feet. It is nothing but runoff, but with a trickle in summer with a hose, it keeps water all year. It has been fairly clear until last year. Now it is muddy and I can only see fish if they are 6 inches from the top. I have feeder goldfish that are now koi size, billions of bluegill and probably a fairly large number of lg. mouth bass. I think my pond is extremely overpopulated. Also, I have corrals above the pond that has runoff feeding into the pond. I clean the corrals, but can't get everything. I'm thinking of letting the pond dry up, save the goldfish and mosquito fish (I know you are all probably thinking I'm an idiot at this point), but the bluegill and bass are of no use. The pond is, like I said, runoff water and I wouldn't eat anything that I caught. This is strictly a pond for enjoyment. Also, I have never siphoned or dredged the pond in the 6 years that I have owned the property. There is a lot of clay soil around here. Any advice would be helpful. I'm sorry to post on somebody else's post, but can't find how to post my own question. Ann

Ann, welcome to PB! If you go to the Muddy water subforum, look near the top and there will be a tab called new topic. Click that and it will allow you to type in the subject and then in the body you can put your question.

I'll move yours for you and you can add to that as a reply if you wish.

I'm only there on weekends right now but I'm in the process of building a new house there. I do have electricity on the pond so I could water on weekends until I get out there full time. What should I plant? More wheat maybe? I'll have the shoreline cleaned up pretty quick now that I have a dozer so I'll be ready to plant in September probably.