Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations fertilizer

i'm having trouble getting a bloom started on my lake this year.how long does it take to get bloom once you put fertilizer in.

I put 10-34-0 fertilizer in a new lake 2 weeks ago and I have nice greenish tint to the deeper water. The water was very clear before the fertilizer.

Check your water quality. If your alkilinity is low, you need to lime before the fertilizer will work.

alkilinity is 47,from what i understand this is plenty.i put in 5 gallons of liquid 10-34-0 about 4 days ago in a 4 1/2 acre pond and still no bloom.do you think i should be putting more?how many days does it normally take.

I'd give it a couple of weeks. Was your water clear or cloudy? If it is clear, I'd start wondering about the fertilizer. Right now, my water is kinda murky from runoff. Wish I had a lot more. I'm still 6 or so ft. low. I doubt that I could get a bloom out of fertilizing.

Sorry, I just saw that your water started out clear. Give it a little time.

dave,did you say your water was 6 ft.low.now, that's a big number.my pond is only 7 ft. deep in the dippest point,i only average 6 ft.my water was very brown when i started putting fertiziler in pond.i guess i will sit back and wait another week are so.thanks lee

Yes, at the deepest point mine is about 16 ft. when full. It is about one acre of dammed up draw with a bowl at the dam. It is about 125+ ft. from the water to the point where it backs up to when full. I worry about it drying up this year. We didn't get fall rains in North Texas and have done poorly on Spring rains. I need a hurricane hitting the Texas Coast and heading north toward Oklahoma. Or about 2 days of light soaking rain and then a 3 to 4 inch frog strangler.

Would you settle for a tropical storm? Hurricanes can get a might tricky for those of us on the coast.

I'd settle for about anything.

Lee, did you ever get your algae bloom? Did you have to refertilize?
I fertilized my 10 acre lake back on 3/31/04. I used 10-34-0 liquid fertilizer at 3 gallons an acre. the lake is only 12' at its deepest, but was crystal clear all the way to the bottom. The very next morning there was a ever so slight greenish tint to the water and some "scum" buildup along the windblown shorelines. Water visibility with a secchie (sp) disk is now down from 12' to 8'. Better, but still a long way to go. I will fertilize again a couple of days after this cold front leaves with 1 and 1/2 gallons per acre.
Please keep us posted so we can compare notes, I am new at this too, but am having a lot of fun with it.

roadtrip,no bloom yet.i did add 5 more gallons of 10-34-0 to my pond last week.i think my problem is,i'm watching $$$ to much and not putting the correct amount into pond.i've been putting 1 gallon per acre,i think i should wait another week are so than i will try adding 2 gallons per acre.what do you think?everything is write as far as water(ak.,ph.etc.)just no bloom and very bad bass fishing.

Lee, from what I understand, the amount of fertilizer you apply is based on your water clarity.
Using a secchi disk or the elbow wrist method, measure your water clarity, you want 18-24 inches.
I can't find my pondboss book, so I can't give you the exact amount, but the clearer the water, the more fertilizer. My water was clarity was at least 12', I put 3 gallons per acre, probably could have put 4.
Anyway, once you fertilize, monitor the water clarity every day if possible. If after 10 days to 2 weeks you still don't have the 18-24' water clarity, fertilize again. You may not want to put as much in as the first time, depending on water clarity. Keep monitoring the water clarity , fertilize if necessary. I gotta go to work. I'll be back with more.