I am thinking that if you add that to the pond, you'll have the prettiest green water you have ever seen ;-)

I had a lily pot with osmocote and kitty clay tip over in the pond once and it took a complete season to get the green out.

Pam

LOL...uhoo...I already have that pretty green pond LOL...My water lettuce looks almost yellow...just thought that might help...oh well...Do you know if it will hurt the fish?

I'm not an expert, but I do know that that Nitrates kill fish, so my guess would be that it would not work with the fish. You know, lots of people just put their water hyacinths and lettuce in a bucket with Miracle Gro and water to give them a boost.

Pam

Nitrates in the water will not kill fish unless you go way overboard. I like to see about 20PPM of nitrate in my pond. It makes the lettuce and hyacinth grow really well.

The phosphate in the water will not kill fish either, but it will dramatically increase the chances of algal growth.

How are you going to apply the fertilizer?

Pam...Thanks for the info...I'll do that! Dave :-)

Could I seed the filter with the shake and feed?

Dave, some years ago I sprinkled a couple of tablespoonfuls, of a granular fertiliser onto the waterfall rocks. It was a granular, 10-10-10, much the same as M.G., though it did not contain the over abundance of salts as M.G.has in it.
The next day all the algae had gone off the waterfall rocks and the submerged parts of the rocks around the pond were losing their algae cover.

The plants grew well. There were no fish deaths or other problems associated with them.
I have NOT done this in years, for no reason other than I do not believe that I have to add this type of fertiliser to my ponds now days.
It was just,albeit, a risky experiment, that came about from a discussion on this forum.

I AM NOT ADVOCATING TO ANYONE, that they should use granular lawn/garden fertiliser in their ponds.
That is entirely up to them. They do it, they take the chance of possible harm being done to the fish and pond water.
Using too much could end in disaster!

I post this information, purely for your interest and to point out how it did rid the pond of the algae growing on the waterfall and rocks.
Really that type algae is beneficial to the pond and the inhabitants. It is best left alone.
"Horton"

Horton...Thank You for the info...Now I'm really itching to sprinkle a bit in the pond LOL...Dave :-)

I fertilize my pond. But I am very careful what I put into it. Potash is a good thing. You can add potash fearlessly. Nitrates are a good thing too, but you will want to test for nitrates periodically to see where you are at. The micro-nutrients are a good thing, because floating pond plants can become chlorotic from an iron deficiency. Iron is easy to test for. Shoot for anywhere between .1PPM and 1PPM. Up to 5PPM is ok.

The only nutrient not in the above list is phosphate. Adding phosphate to your pond water isn't a good idea at all. You can add phosphate containing fertilizers to potted plants if they are in a clay soil, so the phosphates won't leach into the water.

Phosphates are the primary driver of algae. If you supply everything else to your floating plants, they will grow rapidly and use up whatever natural phosphates there are in the water, which will keep the algae under control.

So, no, I don't think you should add Shake'nFeed.

I certainly would not do it. You've already got too many nutrients in there if you have pea soup.....

Your water lettuce might be yellowing from fish eating the roots, aphids, or sunburn.

Guess what. Fertilizer is fertilizer. 10-10-10 is pretty good for most things. The big gottcha is the PH of the water in Dave's pond. In most cases pond water is alkaline (a PH higher than 7.00) This is good for the fish and so long as the water PH is not much higher than 8.00, 10-10-10 the plants might do OK but at that level and higher, the nitrogen and micro-nutrients are bound up so that the plant cannot use them and you would need to use more which creates other problems such as the buildup of salts. The sulphur in the fertilizer in question resolves that problem. It also ruins the ecosystem for the algae which really does not like the sulphur in noticeable levels.
Dispersing the fertilizer in the pond or filter isn't a good idea. You would need massive amounts of fertilizer to be effective and it would screw up the functioning of the filter. It is better to apply this particular fertilizer to each individual plant as a foliage spray as that is how it is intended to be used. It can be applied to the roots or used as a drench but the foliage application is a selling point for most users. It is easier to apply that way. Sandy

I have a 300 gallon stocktank in full sun. I could not get rid of the green pea soup this year. A while back,I saw the yard guys fertilizing the yard, and the granules were splashing into the water.After much negative thinking, I decided to wait it out. I had maybe 24 hours of intensely beautiful emerald green water before the algae starting clearing out. Clear water since then I wondered though, if it knocked out my
4 million tadpole population. They seemed to disappear at the same time. Awaiting the next group of toady tadpoles
as the choir was in full force these past two nights

wow...I need to test my water..thank you for your responses...Dave :-)

Horton, your experiment adding a general purpose fertilizer really made me curious. On impulse I added two tablespoons of Miracle-Gro to my pond today. My pond is really clear and loaded with hyacinths right now, so I'm feeling pretty safe trying this. If nothing happens, I'll add a little more tomorrow. If I don't lose my nerve, I think I'm going to keep adding it until something happens.

Fertilizer is fertilizer as far as Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash go but different brands have different micronutrients in them so they all are not the same.

Those numbers, 10-10-10 represent the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (Potash). Numbers like 16-24-12 also represent the ratio of those minerals. They never represent any other mineral (nutrient). In general,10-10-10 is a good all purpose, balanced fertilizer. Some plants may require more or less of one of those nutrients which is why they say which plants that fertilizer is good for, on the label.
Not every fertilizer has added micro-nutrients but it says on the label if they are added. Some plants do not need more of those nutrients than is already in the soil and it is wasteful and can be harmful to add more than is necessary. Boron, a metal, is necessary for some plants but it will build up in the soil if overused and the soil will become poisonous. Other micro-nutrients break down quickly and must be replaced. A soil test is the best guide to show what your soil needs for various plants. Most tests run around $15.00.
The label will also tell you the source of the nitrogen in the package. Many of them tell you if the fertilizer is used for acid or alkaline soils, but not all of them. Some plants like roses, azaleas, holly and hydrangeas are heavy feeders and require special fertilizers. When in doubt, always read the label. There are numerous sites that discuss Soil Science and the use of different fertilizers in different soils. There may even be a forum for soil Science on Gardenweb. Sandy

Larry, that is about the way I did it back then.
I let the fertiliser drop right onto the rocks of the waterfall, so as it would mix in with the turbulence.

As I said I did not notice any harmful effect to fish or flora in the pond.
The waterfall rocks looked like brand new with the algae cover gone and that was the only noticeable change that occurred.
Like your situation, the plants were growing well, lots of Water Hyacinths and Watercress to suck up the nutrients.

The only two things I add now, are Muriate of Potash and some Chelated Iron, but I don't go overboard with those.
The lilies get a few chunks of broken up shrub spikes once a month.
That's it for fertilising.

A side note about cleaning off waterfall rocks, is about the experiment our old friend David [DRH] did with Hydrogen Peroxide.
He turned the water off to the waterfall and poured the HP over the rocks while they were still wet.
The HP foamed up upon hitting the algae covered rocks, he then let it sit for a few minutes, then sprayed it with water from the hose. All trace of the algae was removed completely.

Buyorsell888, your are so correct. That's why I would be reluctant to suggest to anyone that they arbitrarily go around pouring any old fertiliser into the pond. You don't know what you maybe adding that could cause harm to the fish etc.
I remember at the time, all this discussion was going on, someone contacted the manufacturer of Miracle-Gro, about using their product in a pond.
The answer back, was that they would NOT advise that it be used that way.

Sandy, great explanation once again!
"Horton"

I guess I should have mentioned that to the plants, water is just a funny kind of soil. Sandy

Sprinkling 10-10-10 or the hydrogen peroxide on the waterfall algae. Sure it removed the algae, it killed it. It burned it right off the rocks.

to the OP: add plant tabs or jobes tomato spikes to your non floating plants and treat your floaters in an outside fretz solution, then add them back to the pond.

fred

fred