How to get grass to grow in a detention pond

Red bottom ponds, or ponds without vegetation, are in code violation. The rule is that the ground must be 80% covered with non-evasive vegetation throughout in order to be properly stabilized. A common error is to believe that 80% of the pond should have growth. Rather, the density must be at 80%.

Encouraging grass to grow in a detention pond

Often times a nutrient zapper is used in ponds to limit growth. However, the practice of draining soil of nutrients is very dangerous and could lead to violations. The prefered pond has healthy growth and should be mowed at least twice a year.

To get a healthy stand of vegetation often requires raising the pH balance of the soil. This is especially true in clay soil. We use lime to fight high levels of acid and encourage healthy stabilization in ponds.

The video shows a pond that we have been working to getting properly stabilized.