Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization Fertilization and fish food

My 3.5 acre middle Georgia pond never got as green of a color as I thought it should last summer. I have read never to fertilize a fed pond. The pond gets about seven pound of fish food a day during the warm weather. Lime applied the recommended amount when it was built two years ago.
Was thinking about kick-starting the pond this spring with a one time dose of liquid fertilizer. Is this a good idea?

Bill, what type and formulation of fertilizer did you use last year? Most middle GA ponds should have a high middle number (phosphorus). Have you checked your alkalinity since it has been filled to see if the lime is doing its job?

Greg, because I am feeding I did not fertilize last year. The alkalinity has not been checked, whats the best way to do that?
Does feeding prevent fertilization?

Bill,

The best kit I have used to check alkalinity is from Cole-Parmer (800)323-4340. It's a Titrets Test Kit for total alkalinity (part # u-05540-66, $27.50). Get the one that tests from 10-100 ppm, as it measures from 10-20 ppm in increments of one. This kit may be available elsewhere. It is extremely easy to use, and very repeatable.

I have not found a test strip that is acceptable , but maybe someone else has.

You definitely can fertilize when feeding, but you do have to take the feed input into consideration. More than one application of liquid fertilizer will be needed, but you may want to cut the amount in half. A lot depends on how well your lake takes to the fertilizer. Just use the standard techniques to monitor your bloom and add fertilizer as needed.

You might be a candidate for Southern Excellence fertilizer. I've been checking it out and will probably be using it in some lakes this year. It sounds like a really good product.

Bill, fishman told you the best way to check alkalinity. I've not tried the southern excllence product. I know from a cost stand point it is not the cheapest, but is easy to use. I sell a water soluble 10-52-4 that I feel is both easy and cost effective. Much less weight than liquid, can not be misapplied as is the case with most liquid applicators since it dissolves instantly into the water. It requires a low application rate of 8 lbs to kick start the bloom in the spring then 4 lbs or less/acre once the bloom is started. They all work if you apply them correctly in the right formualtion. You may be able to fertilize much less since your getting some phosphorus by feeding. Remeber to attempt to keep visibility between 18 and 24 inches if maximize fish production is your goal.

Hey Greg, My lake is ultra clear, 10 ft. visability min. It's an older lake, with lots of coontail, I would really like to knock down the clarity, would that fertilizer do me any good? Oh by the way, its about 5 ac.

Sorry Brad just read your post. I would highly recommend killing off the coontail first b/f fertilizing. The fertilizer will more than likely cuase the coontail to grow more rapidly rather than establish a "bloom" and shade it out. Grass carp and proper herbicide applications are both effective at controlling coontail.

Thanks Greg, the coontail is not the problem, Actually I like it but the clear water is the problem. Is there a fertilizer out there that would knock down the clarity and not cause the coon tail to grow out of control?

Not trying to be too basic in scope here, but most of the time the limiting nutreint for both plant (coontail) and phytoplankton growth is phosphorus. If you increase the phosphorus with say a 10-52-4 fertilizer the coontail will grow soak up nutrients and the pond will remain clear. I really do not know a way to tell you how to decrease clarity while still maintaining the presence of coontail. Maybe others will chime in with an idea I'm not thinking of.

Fishman, You recommended the Cole-Palmer unit for alkility testing. Does it test anything but alkilinity? If not, what would you recommend to test PH, Alkilinity, etc.?

I've been using cheap swimming pool test strips and had no way of knowing that they weren't the best (or at least acceptable) way to go.

Dave,

I use one of the various pH "pens" that are on the market. I believe mine was from Cole Parmer and cost about $60. As for temperature, a good quality thermometer can be had for less than $10. A multipurpose digital meter is nice for these functions, but not necessary.

An oxygen meter is beyond what most pondowners need, but a YSI 55 meter is hard to beat. At $600, it's a bit pricey. Aquatic Ecosystems 1-877-347-4788 has some cheaper O2 meters, one being $225, but I don't know how good it is.

A standard Secchi disk works great for testing water clarity for fertilizing.

If you need the exact specs, I can get them for you.