Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Type of grass and or cover to plant new pond in fa

Hello, i have a pond project that may be finished in October in zone 6 , I was thinking I could seed cereal rye , maybe winter rye, ? Any suggestions on a ground cover that controls erosion that could be seeded that late in the fall ? Thanks

Is this strictly erosion control, or does it have to look good when your wife looks at the pond from the deck?

Are you going to mow it, or leave it native?

Are you planting on good topsoil, or is it nasty clay left over after the pond was constructed?

For strictly erosion control, I think people on the forum have had the best success with a grass blend including some rye. The rye should come up fast and start getting some roots spread for you. The rest should also start growing this fall.

Can you put a sprinkler on your planting, or are you relying on rain?

I doubt it will be perfect next spring. Probably plan on overseeding then again.

Agree with Rod. Knowing what you are going to do on mowing, native or bailing will be important.

I would go to the local NRCS office in your area. I had no idea about these guys when we had our pond project last year. They can both suggest seed mixtures or bring in a custom blend and order the seed in for you at low costs (1/3 what I paid over the net).

I'm in zone 6 as well and we planted Rye, Triticale, Fescue, Clover, and a sprinkling of Alfalfa. Fescue and Clover will likely crowd out the other stuff in time, but the goal was to get the soil stabilized. The Rye was first to come up. Our NRCS office also had a no drill seeder we rented to put the seed in...pulled by our 40HP tractor. It wasn't perfect by any means, will likely be hitting it again this fall with some additional seed. If I was to get a shot to do it over....I would cross seed the area next to the pond (seed from two different directions).

My lake was finished one year ago and I planted rye grass that it came up very good especially along the bank. It is cheap and looks great during the winter but summer heat kills it.