Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Questions about FA

Is there an acceptable amount of FA to have in a pond or is it jus a matter of time before it takes over

I think it all boils down to your tolerance level, how deep your pocketbook is, and how many unused nutrients are in the pond.

Am I right to think that over feeding and/or the horse manure from the pastures draining into my pond could be feeding FA.

Feeding (whether the food is consumed or not) and pasture run-off all contribute.

I don't think horse manure is much of a problem. Not as versus cow or chicken manure.

A horse has a very inefficient digestive tract. Look at some dried horse droppings. They are mostly compressed grass. Unlike a cow, it doesn't get brought back up and rechewed.

Dave, you're right, horse manure isn't nearly as bad as chicken or swine waste. However manure, regardless of the animal is fairly high in urea or ammonia which has a relatively high BOD compared to other organic pollutants. Nitrification (the conversion of ammonia to nitrates) is a facultative process but occurs much faster in aerobic conditions. If you have a vegetative buffer around your pond, it will help remove a lot by allowing soil microbes to convert the ammonia into nitrate which can then be used by terrestrial plants rather than by aquatic plants (algae). This includes the practice of limiting or denying your animals access to the buffer strip if possible and not fertilizing inside the buffer strip.