I’d be careful with the urea, especially that close to the water. I understand the catch-22, but I’d rather deal with slower vegetation establishment than accidentally load the pond with a bunch of nitrogen. If the soil is actually nitrogen-deficient, a light application may help, but I’d first make sure the poor growth isn’t from pH, compaction, poor seed-to-soil contact, moisture, or the seed mix itself. You could also focus the fertilizer on the areas that are already established and gradually work into the bare spots rather than blanket-spraying the whole bank. And I wouldn’t rely too much on the low fish load as protection-the concern is the nutrient getting into the water and potentially fueling algae. Getting some kind of cover established is definitely important for stopping erosion, but I’d aim for the minimum fertilizer needed to get that cover going.
