You can use fertilizer on the areas for grass,,, just use only nitrogen fertilizer with no or very little phosphorus as the 1st number(0-XX-XX). P is the main pond weed/algae stimulus. Reduce or eliminate fertilizer application rate in areas that directly drain into the pond. Use oats or annual rye mixed in with the grass seed to get it growing well for fall. Good time to plant grass in IN is late August early Sept. If the existing soil will grow weeds it will grow grass with little extra fertilizer.
Good idea was to research "consider HSB and HBG"; if you pellet feed maybe a 1:3 or 1:5 ratio HSB:HBG. Higher numbers of HSB will keep offspring of HBG strongly consumed. Some RES stocked initially will keep snails controlled - a good thing to reduce fish parasites in your remotely monitored pond. Your current planed LMB:sunfish ratio is 1:10. You can always add HBG or HSB as needed to achive the desired balance. You can always add BG-LMB later when you think the need arises; they will eventually reproduce to dominate the fishery. Pellet trained yellow perch will co-exist well with HSB-HBG. YP can easily grow to 14" in your pellet fed fishery. Be aware if you pellet feed this boosts the carrying capacity and when pellets are feed the "artificial" high fish biomass should be reduced when the pellet feeding stops or is reduced. You can add YP to your current stocking plan just reduce the number of sunfish for every YP stocked.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/02/19 09:26 AM.
