Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization Low alkalinity and murky water.

Yes there is about #20's of direct response from ag lime. Ag lime needs to have its bond broken in order to activate. The finer the mesh the more response.

There is some but nothing worth noting in micro nutrients in ag lime. The only one and we have bumped heads on this is Magnesium. I really really do not like dolomite ag lime. When the PH of water solution is at 8.5 there is 40% mag and 30% calcium in the solution. Magnesium is as far as I am concerned a micro nutrient and will trick plants into thinking it is nitrogen. They will go very dark with red veins limiting nitrogen uptake.

MChandler try a bucket test with your pond water and gypsum. You will see you will need tones and tones of gypsum to completely clear your water. I am not fond of it because of the sulfur ratio to Calcium. Acid soil will react with gypsum and can make sulfuric acid H2So4. Gypsum can be a waste product from coal smoke stack scrubbers. Calcium carbonate is used to wash the smoke and the result is low sulfur smoke and cheap gypsum with high sulfur content. Remember the drywall from China that was eating the electrical boxes in new homes a few years back? Ya to much sulfuric acid still active in the drywall. Add some humidity and you have some hungry drywall.

With all due respect I understand one product may be cheaper and less active but knowing that you can use much much less taking your time to add will yield the same result with out waste products and much much less product and effort. Calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate are the best buffers for any water solution. There may be some present in Ag lime.

Cheers Don.