Louis Justice

Hardness. Alkalinity, ph, And Pond Fertilization

Many ponds in the southeastern United States have waters with less than 20 mg/ I total alkalinity and should be limed to insure good response to inorganic fertilization. Water analysis is the only technique for determining if a pond needs liming, and the liming rate can best be estimated from a lime requirement determination of the bottom mud. In some waters total alkalinity may be high, but total hardness low. Such waters frequently develop dangerously high pH when fertilized. Alum rather than acid forming fertilizers should be used as emergency treatment to prevent fish kills during...