Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Red Clay Disaster

Hello folks, its been a while since I posted an update. Got a small pond that was dug last summer (between 1/8 and 1/6th of an acre). I have tons of exposed red clay, and the liner is made of red clay. It does not settle during a jar test (or very little). Every rain, it becomes a mud hole. I can treat it with a small amount of aluminum sulfate that I dissolve in a bucket, and spray around the pond, but this is not a feasible, long-term option. I've heard that algae will eventually cling to the suspended clay particles and hold them to the bottom, but I am not seeing that yet.

I'm having a hard time getting grass to grow in all of the red clay as well, and that's probably the biggest issue. Can't really afford hydro-seeding right now.

Any opinions on red clay? Should I try to throw down some bentonite on top of it? Would SoilFloc be an option? Just tired of this red mess.

If the ground prep and seeding job is too big, then just do a few strips perpendicular to the direction of the drainage slope.

A strip just outside of the pond area, plus as many others as you can manage could make a significant dent in the erosion and pond silting.

Get a soil sample from around your pond in 5 or 6 spots down to about 4 inches. Combine samples in a bucket and mix together. Take sample of combined soil to your local coop. Have them send in your soil sample for analysis. When you get your results back put down appropriate amount of lime and fertilizer as well as seed you want to grow. They make liquid lime that is fast acting unlike ag lime but also more expensive. If you don’t want to wait on the soil sample, spray the liquid lime and put down erosion control blankets/mats with the seed in them around the shoreline of your pond.