Pond Management Best Practices

By Industry Expert David Ellison, Aquatic Biologist Benjamin Franklin once said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This can be applied to many aspects in life, including lake and pond management. Many cultural practices in lawn and turfgrass maintenance can significantly impact the overall health of a lake. As fall and […]

SOLitude Lake Management wants you to be prepared for the autumn season and all of the wonderful cool weather it brings. With this is mind, we recommend you consider the following tips as you enjoy the colorful fall months on your lake or pond: • The majority of ponds and lakes in the mid-Atlantic region […]

Reprinted with permission from our trusted partners at SePRO Corporation, written by Dr. Rebecca Haynie If you are an animal lover, you know how fun it is to watch a dog race headfirst into a pond or lake to fetch a ball or stick. Other than dealing with the not-so-lovely wet dog smell afterwards, there’s […]

By Industry Expert Dave Ellison, Aquatic Biologist  Lake managers and homeowners are often striving for an environmentally friendly or green approach to treat their lake or pond with minimal impact to fish and other wildlife. Excessive pond algae growth is one the more common issues encountered and when left untreated can be difficult to manage. […]

Written by Industry Expert Gavin Ferris, Ecologist While I was using my backpack sprayer to treat a particularly offensive pond algae bloom on community property, a woman came up to me in a highly agitated state. The next thing I knew, I was being read the riot act for spraying “poison” into the water where […]

Just as oxygen serves as the most important element to life on Earth, oxygen also serves as the most essential component to the health of a body of water. Pond aeration is the simple, yet effective, process of increasing oxygen levels in a pond and can not only greatly enhance the aesthetic beauty of a […]

Written by Ecologist, Gavin Ferris No insect is more iconic to North America than the Monarch Butterfly. School children collect caterpillars and keep them in their classrooms to watch them spin their chrysalises and transform into butterflies. Through a multi-generational migration, the adults travel from as far as New England to Mexico, where they overwinter […]

SOLitude Lake Management wants your pond to be prepared for warm weather. With this in mind, we recommend that you consider the following during the spring months: • Have your pond’s water quality tested. Find out early in the season if there is a imbalance or increased nutrient load in the water. • Be patient […]

Landscaping practices often cause significant impacts on the long-term water quality and algae and aquatic weed growth within a pond. Buffer management, debris falling into the pond, and poorly managed fertilizer applications are some of the practices that contribute to problems in ponds. Excessive application of fertilizer will allow for more nutrient runoff to enter […]

From Industry Experts David Beasley and Aaron Cushing, Fisheries Biologists Are you looking for a simple way to help your pond hold more and bigger fish? Fertilizing is a great fisheries management technique that will increase the amount of fish a pond can support. Properly fertilized ponds can sustain three to four times the biomass […]