Originally Posted by jpsdad
Originally Posted by esshup
Originally Posted by anthropic
Hardness and alkalinity both in mid to upper thirties. I've dumped a lot of lime over the years, but it's a never ending battle.


Dump a BUNCH more in. I'd want to see it in the mid 40's before I'd consider putting in any fertilizer. We are a good 100 points higher than you are and do nothing to the water.


Frank, Given you have seen some very strong blooms in the past ... both planktonic and BPW ... these water quality parameter seem to be limiting factors. You may have plenty of nitrogen and phosphorus but just need to right chemistry to mobilize these nutrients.

Agree - and with other comments above. First get a good water quality test (probably have one already). Best path is to add lime wait and see what will happen naturally when water temps get to 60F. You may not need fertilizer at all but if you do I bet it will only be P that you need (0-46-0 for example). Take an alkalinity reading when water starts to show color - that will tell you how high the alkalinity needs to be to work in your pond. Never rush a fertilizer program without the facts as you can go from 30 inch visibility to 4 inches in a couple of days.

Last edited by ewest; 11/09/21 11:15 AM.