Let's see, that makes five members for the Pond Boss Test Kit Challenged Club, or the PBTKC for short (you know how everyone loves acronyms). Well I'm glad I could help you all out and even happier that I'm not the only one to have had that problem. Once I figured out how to use it, the kit was and has been great.
I've been using Trophymaker water soluble 12-61-0 almost exclusively this year with great results. So much easier and quicker to apply than liquid, with the bloom appearing much sooner too. I don't know why other fertilizer powders wouldn't work just as well.
Granular just takes too long, IMHO, particularly when water temperatures are cool and it doesn't dissolve very well. Higher nitrogen also seems to result in more filamentous algae problems too. I have had fewer problems this year than ever before.
