Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water problems with small pond...

Ok, I have some muddy water, stays muddy no matter the season, temp. etc. I got some advice as to add some lime, gypsum and alum from a reputable member on here. So I will do that, but also I have Filamentous Algae, its getting a lil better now amd also some what i believe is water primrose? What can i do to prevent that? Should i fertilize, etc.?? Also the bottom is black muck and smells. MY pond is about .25 acre and transitions from 1-2' to about 6-7' deep. Its leveed on 3 sides and allows water in from my yard on the other side. I noticed the slopes are very flat on 3/4's of the pond, seems the side that has steeper slopes has less problems with weeds and algae. I love hearing suggestions/similar stories/pics etc. Also suggestions on keeping my pond nice all year round. I want this to be something i can be proud of and not ashamed of like I am now.
Thanks!!!!!!!

jixxer,Im not an expert,just one of the class clowns.With that said,I remove primrose manually to keep it under control.As for the smell,I would go and post on the aereation thread.I think if you turned your pond over it would solve that problem.Ive been dealing with Ted Lea at Forevergreen and hes been VERY helpful.(He also turned me on to PondBoss for which I am forever in his debt for.
BTW,you didnt say if you have fish,and thats very important.inquiring minds want to know

yea thats what i did yesterday. The pond is 3.5 years old, and I stocked it about 2.5 years ago with bass and bream.

I personally have no clue what would cause some ponds to stay muddy all the time. Must be some kind of chemical/ionic thing going on that doesn't allow stuff to settle. Otherwise I think any pond would eventually clear up if all it has is suspended particles. I agree with TomG, aerate. But you might also try adding some microbes. On years when I add microbes along with aeration I think I have better quality water and less muck. Hope it works out the best for you.

jixxxer,

This is stangely similar. I too live in south Louisiana and have a 1/4 acre pond and my water shed is about the same as yours. I don't have an answer for your muddy water problem, although my pond just became muddy a few weeks back for the first time since digging it 4 years ago. Every year I seem to get some water primrose and alligator weed along the edges. I used to fight with it and remove it manually only to see it return a few weeks later. Kelly Dufie, who is usually on the forum somewhere, recommended IMAZAPYR (generic formulation of HABITAT). It works extremely well for pond weeds.

We had a ton of rain recently and my water started to clear a lil bit; is that and indication of anything.

Limb bream; where do u get IMAZAPYR?

From the archives. BASF has a dealer locator. I think Habitat's active ingredient imazapyr is now off patent (generic) and can be purchased for less.

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/labmsds.html#imazapyr

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/habitat_label.pdf

Try this source - Red River Specialties 318-425-5944 but see above about cost before you buy.

After suffering through horrible brown muddy water for over a year I broke down and added Lime and it made all the difference in the world - I should ahve done it months before. I also had smelly water especially about 2 feet under the surface. The reason is because with no water clarity decaying matter gets toxic and oxygen starved below the surface. Once sunlight can penetrate the water the ecosystem gets much healthier. My water went from brown to clear to olive green. Test your water first - but I highly highly reccomend the Lime. I also added gypsum - but the Lime really got the clarity done. You can see the results under this saem categoy on Pond boss titled "added lime today"

Oops - title is "liming this week"

Jixxer,

I got my Imazapyr directly from Kelly Duffie. You can search for his name on the forum and go to his profile to send him a personal message. He was very helpful and professional.