Catbird -- first a big welcome to the Pond Boss forum.
And, the heck with long posts. I ready every word of yours, and enjoyed it.
As you may know, we are having our Pond Boss conference again this year in Missouri -- at Big Cedar Lodge outside of Branson, MO. How far away are you? I can't promise anything, but if you aren't too far away, maybe we could make your pond a "field trip." Alternatively, if you are near a main highway that many of us will travel, possibly we could have a "stop by" as we travel, and provide some advice.
(Don't post your exact location, phone number, etc., -- we can get that through private messages if this could possibly work. We just need a general area to know if something like this might be possible.)
As for fertilizer -- as usual, I'm going to go off track (I'll turn 65 at the conference, and I too am on disability. Besides being just plain crazy, and the 14 pills I take a day, I find it normal to easily get distracted!) Now back to the fertilizer.
About 25 years ago, some very good friends were going through a relatively bad time due to the wife/mother having cancer. The family was seriously stressed. The son, then about 13 or 14, was really angry at his dad after a spat in mid-June. So, as a father's day present, the son took the fertilizer drop-spreader to their rather large front yard (we lived in a rural area where the lawn mowers were generally brushhogs). In very big block letters, the son used the drop spreader to spell out "F*** You Dad" in the center of the so-called lawn, in front of a big deck, and overlooked by the 2nd floor balcony. He put down way way too much fertilizer. It completely killed all grass, and any hope of life in that part of the yard for several years.
So, your problem with fertilizer may not be as severe as his. I'm surprised it hasn't flushed out.
Does any water flow out of your pond, or does it just percolate and evaporate?
There are plants that can take up significant chemicals. Possibly that could be an answer.
It is hard to say what you might actually have for fish. If the original pond had hybrid bluegill, my guess is that they are long gone. Some of the catfish should be huge. You may need to think about a restocking plan.
Don't worry about the length of your posts. The more info we have, the easier it will be to come up with a solution.
Regards,
Ken
Tell us all you can.
