Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Soil Testing

Hello all! Thanks for all the help!
I was told to have my soil tested prior to filling my pond. I would like to acheive clear water for swimming/fishing. The little water I have in there now ( 2ft or so ) is very cloudy. I took some and put it in a mason jar and after three days it is still very cloudy. I called a lab and they could not reccommend what to test the soil for. Can anybody tell me what to tell them to look for? They said that the more I test for the more $$$ it is. Thanks.

smhog:

I am not a water clearing expert, but it sounds like you might possibly have to add one of the following to clear your water: gypsum, lime, alum, or organic material such as barley straw.

Try doing a search for the italicized words in not only "Soil questions", but also the "General Questions" catagories. You can try out the chemical additives (at least) with your cloudy water in a jar like you have used to see if the cloudiness would settle out on it's own in time.

The water in a pond reflects the dirt in the pond and surrounding watershed. That is the main reason to have soil tested. That way you know what you are working with and a baseline is established. Then you know if it is acid or base and what elements may be in short supply or abundance. These type tests are usually done by Coop. Extension services and are inexpensive. You just note that it is for pond management purposes.Try this.

Kansas
Kansas State University Soil Testing Laboratory
2308 Throckmorton Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-7897
www.oznet.ksu.edu/agronomy/SoilTesting/
Soil test cost: $8.50.
Includes: pH, P, K and organic matter.
To submit sample: Include name, address, and tests requested, and send to above address. Common regional problems: High pH in some areas, extremely low in others; soil may need sulfur or lime. Native soil may require additional P, K or organic matter.


In some situations a specific test may be suggested to deal with a particular problem. I have not heard of a test used for muddy water other than the jar test noted above. There is an entire area here on the topic and as Theo notes it provides for the use of the above methods.

Hello,
I got the soil test back. I def need lime the recomendation is for 1.6 tons. Other then this it dont say to ferilize. Can someone look at these numbers and tell me if I could use ferilizer or am I good. Also this is a important question. There is a 4 ton minimum if I use the deliver by truck lime. Is it a problem if I over lime the place? Please evaluate my dirt. thx

I found the answer I was looking for for one questions.

Here is the answer:

Generally, liming is good for three years. It is virtually impossible to over-lime a pond with agricultural limestone since lime adjusts soil to a maximum of pH 8.6, which is below the upper limit of 9.0 for good fish health. Excess liming will only improve water quality by increasing hardness and alkalinity.

Joey sorry I missed your question. Your comment is true in a general sense but may not be for all ponds.

In some locations natural alkalinity is high (to high for fish in some places)and it would be a mistake to add lime (and a waste of money). In addition some places have droughts which further concentrate the elements in the water.

Most of the piney woods south needs lime for ponds but there are a few places that do not. That is why it is good to have a soil test baseline for every pond. They are inexpensive and provide the pond owner the basics to work from. Three years is about right on timing if you put enough in the first time.

If you are going to have 4 tons brought in then putting most of it in the pond would be ok. Do you have any food plots or other areas around the place that could use some? I assume they will bring the lime in a spreader truck. If so and you don't have any other places (food plots , gardens etc) to put some then I would put 2.5 tons in the pond and the rest spread around the watershed most near the pond. I would use at least 3.5 tons in the pond and watershed and if you have other places which could use it then you could spare a little to help those.

The report did not call for fertilizer. I thought you put some out in the watershed earlier. I would hold off on any fertilizer to see if you have a natural bloom this spring. Then go from there.

Thanks Ewest,

The reason I originatly asked is because the new part of the ponds dam is not really growing things very good. My thought was to bring in the 4 tons and have the truck hit all of the dam since its wide enough for the truck, at the same time be liming the pond in that area, then all on the old side of the pond he can get pretty close to the edge to get a good amount in. It would prob be hard to say OK we got 1.6 tons in, that is why I was concerned if we could over lime it with no harm. It seems the 4 tons between pond and surrounding land should be fine.

The ferilizer part, I did fertilize the land around the new part thinking this is why the plant life really didnt grow good. Like you said wait to spring and see what happens.

The lime is coming tomarrow.... There miniumim was 6 tons, I will lime the pond and all surrounding land, should make the place pretty fertile for next year I hope. The spreader truck should be able to get to 3/4 of the pond.

Besides a few new rutts from the truck and milky looking water all went good. I would say close to 3 ton ended up in the pond. Its a little late to worry now but I hope nothing dies....