Avoid Lake Weeds Pond Scum Skinny Fish and Mosquitoes

Lake problems

From our readers responses, and the words and phrases you use to find our website, we can tell that the biggest problems for pond and lake owners are these:

• Lake weed control
• Pond scum control
• Skinny fish
• Mosquitoes

Lake problems: The cause

It is interesting to note that all of these problems can be treated using the same measures, and even though they may seem vastly different, they have the same primary cause.

We want to say at the start that before you embark on what we are about to suggest, you should:

• Clear out the existing lake weed problems by mechanical or chemical means.
• Get rid of the pond scum by mechanical or chemical means.
• Check the pH of your pond or lake and adjust as needed it should be between 6.8 and 8.6.
• Do a secchi depth reading to be sure that this is the problem. Light should penetrate no deeper than 24 inches.

In most cases, the cause of skinny fish, mosquitoes, pond scum, and lake weeds is a lack of fertility. If the pond is not fertile, phytoplankton cannot grow, and phytoplankton is needed for:

• Shading the water to keep lake weeds and pond scum from getting the light that they need to initiate growth at the bottom.
• Preventing a perfect nesting area for mosquitoes, and eliminating the cover they use to avoid being eaten by fish.
• Initiating the cycle we know as the food chain, which culminates in well fed fish.

Lake problems: The solution

In order to provide proper fertility for your pond or lake, you should first follow through on all the suggestions mentioned above, and then do the following:

Add about 8 pounds of phosphorous fertilizer per acre to the pond either by broadcasting or in a bucket with holes submerged in the water. There are pre prepaired products of this type. That should be 8 pounds of the phosphorus itself, so, for instance, if the fertilizer you use is 50% phosphorus, you would need 16 pounds of the product per acre of water. this should be done as needed to keep the secchi depth between 18 and 24 inches during the summer months. See also: Lake Fertilization

To Recap

1. Get rid of the lake weeds
2. Get rid of the pond scum
3. Check pH and modify if needed
4. Check the secchi depth
5. Fertilze the lake

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