Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization 18-46-0 tobacco fertilizer?

i can not find a local source for pond fertilizer other than 20-20-5, which i do not want to use. with shipping so expensive, and 7.5 acres to fertilize, i've been searching for a reasonably priced alternative. my local southern states feed store sells an 18-46-0 that is used primarily for tobacco in the va area. it sells for just $8 for a 50lb bag. do any of you see any reason this will not work? the numbers are identical to the southern excellence brand that has been praised on this site. since it is not of the new "water soluble" type, i guess i'd just spread it around the pond shore on pallets or tarps. sound ok? any recomendations on how much per acre to use? thanks in advance, jb

I have gotten liquid fertilizer from farm fertilizer dealers. It has always been very cheap or in some cases, since I don't need hundreds of gallons;free. The metroplex garden stores sell it for $10 per gallon (ridiculous). They must raise some farm crops other than tobacco in Va. You might ask farm fertilizer dealers for other options.

i'll keep looking. in the mean time, if i use the tobacco fertilizer, any recommendations on how much to use and how best to apply it?

I know I may be getting you some water soluble fert., but in the meatime. I would think the high phosphorus tobacco fert should work. Treat it like other granular types. That is keep it away from the bottom sediments. This may mean bulding platforms or placing it in buckets with small holes so it can slowly leaching into the upper portions of the water. If you have not found the liquid or water soluble yet, this would be much better than the 20-20-5 choice. Good luck.