|
BUILDING
A POND
Fall
rains have been abundant this year in North Texas. This means that
deep
moisture will be present through the winter. Soils that are normally hard and
dry will be easier to dig. Water gardening has become very popular lately.
 Most people will agree that the sight and sound of running water is
very soothing
in this normally hot environment. Although some folks might want to have their
own pond they let the seemingly awesome task of digging that hard ground prevent
them from doing so. Building a pond can be a lot of work and expense, but if
you are one of these people who have considered this, you won't find a better
time to do this than right now. The conditions are right. The warm days will
be cool enough to offset what would be sweaty going in the summer. The cold
days are great for planning and visualizing what will soon become the
focal point
of your landscape.
Here's a few tips from someone who has built a lot of ponds. This will dispel
some of the common misconceptions and hopefully save you from making the mistakes
that beginners often make. If you have a local water garden society, consider
joining or at least attend a few meetings. These folks are a valuable source
of knowledge and happy to share their own experiences. The first thing you
will discover is that owning a pond is a lot less trouble than you might think
granted
it was built right in the first place.
1. FIRST YOU DIG A HOLE: Use your garden hose to lay out various shapes for
the pond. Keep in mind that fish and plants need room to grow. The general
misconception
is that a small pond will be easier to maintain. Reality teaches us that small
ponds become overgrown and overpopulated very quickly. Pre-fabricated "starter
kits" are good for those that aren't really sure about water gardening.
Most people who start this way wind up building a larger pond sooner or later,
so if you know you are serious, think in terms of medium to large instead of
small.
The same applies to depth. Fish experts use the two foot depth as a minimum
requirement for fish to feel safe from predators. Deeper is better if you have
concerns about
losing your fish to birds, cats, raccoons, or other predators. For larger ponds
(and larger fish) depths of four feet or more are better.
2. MAKE A SHELF: After you have dug the size and depth you want, dig a shallow
shelf around the entire perimeter. This serves as a place to hide your liner
from the harmful drying effects of the sun. Ponds constantly fluctuate in depth
due to evaporation. No pond ever stays brim full unless fitted with a float
valve and water source to constantly refill it. If you do not have a shelf,
the first
few inches of liner will be exposed to the sun and eventually dry out and begin
to crack. Liner material that is underwater or completely hidden from the sun
will virtually last a lifetime.
The shelf will provide a place for rocks, gravel, sand, and plants to hide
and protect the liner. Shelves need only be a few inches deep and wide but
can be
several feet wide depending on choice of materials and the look desired. This
shelf, when completed, will lend a nice natural look as the water level will
tend to stay above the first layer of rock or gravel. It not only provides
a nice place for bog plants but also provides habitat for smaller organisms
and
spawning areas for fish.
3.DON'T SKIMP ON THE LINER: Ponds can be made
from many materials such as concrete, plastic, and fiberglass. However, EDPM
liners have proven to last longer than
any other materials to date. We recommend that no less than 45 mil liners be
used. Although you can purchase a thinner liner (such as 20 mil) we find that
45 mil
is basically puncture proof and free of maintenance. EDPM liners are sold in
widths of 10', 15', 20', ect., in 5' increments.
To easily determine what size liner you need, use the garden hose, rope, or
a soft tape measure that will lay down in the contours of your hole. Measure
the
longest point by the widest point Be sure to give yourself about a foot of
play on either side. Now straighten the hose and measure to your mark and you
will
have an accurate measurement. Go ahead and include any waterfalls or streambed's
in your measurement. It is highly desirable to have one solid piece of liner
rather the attempting to splice on the waterfall just to save a few dollars.
Although EDPM liners can be spliced, using the double sided sticky tape that
is available is never as reliable as the heat treated factory splice. Nothing
is worse than having a seam pull apart and having to go back and remove a ton
of rock to repair it. Don't skimp on the liner. Get the good stuff, pay a little
extra if you need to and do it right the first time. You'll be glad you did.
4.BEFORE YOU ADD WATER: Clean out any debris that
may wear through or puncture the liner. If you have dug through gravel, rock,
or if you are covering a rough
surface such as concrete, you may want to put some padding under the liner
as an extra precaution. Old carpet, carpet padding, or blankets work well for
this.
It's a good idea to add some padding around natural stress points such as waterfalls
or sharp drop offs.
Now spread out your liner, making any folds or tucks you need to conform as
you go. Place a few bricks or rock on the corners to keep things in place until
the
water fills in.
Sooner or later you will want to know just how many gallons of water is in
your pond. The easy way to do this is by timing how long it takes to fill a
five gallon
bucket then put the hose in your pond and fill it at the same rate of flow.
Next divide the time it took to fill the pond by the time it took to fill the
bucket.
That number times five will give you the exact number of gallons your pond
will hold.
5. DON'T SKIMP ON THE PUMP: The faster your pump
recycles the water in your pond, the cleaner your water will be, the more oxygen
will be available to
fish and
other organisms, and the less floating algae you will have. A 1200 gph (gallons
per hour) pump should be about right for a medium sized pond of 800 to 1600
gallons. More is better in this situation. If you want to mimic those beautiful
babbling
brooks we find in nature, don't be afraid to crank up the pump volume. Cheap
pumps do not operate as efficiently or last as long as the more expensive brands.
Once again we find that most people who start out with a smaller pump wind
up stepping up to the larger size when the first one fails.
6. FILTERS CLOG UP: The smaller the filter the faster it will need to be cleaned.
Also the finer the media used in that filter, the quicker it will clog up.
Some of the better man made systems work exactly like swimming pool skimmers
and will
help keep the surface free of floating objects, but even these need to be cleaned
regularly to function properly.
The best filters are those that use natural and sustainable components. Think
again of those babbling brooks and clear streams. Here we find fast moving,
highly oxygenated water tumbling over rocks and gravel. Also found in this
habitat is
a highly diverse food chain from the microscopic to the larger plants, fish,
crustaceans, that act as a living filter to clean the water of silt and organic
matter. This system works as well as any man made filter and is virtually self
sustaining.
If done properly, these bog and creek systems work wonderfully without constant
cleaning or replacing material. In fact some folks that live in the country
are actually using these systems instead of septic tanks for household sewage.
Some
of the major cities in Texas have set up bog systems to recycle and purify
drinking water. Others are beginning to look into it. It's more cost effective
to let
nature do the work.
7.MAKE BEDS FOR POND PLANTS: Instead of placing
plants in pots and facing the inevitable task of wrestling those heavy containers
out to divide your plants,
consider making gravel beds for your plants. This idea works in well when you
are building your perimeter shelves. Simply make some parts of the shelf a
bit deeper and wider and you have a perfect place to put bog plants. This method
not only looks more natural but also provides easy access when it comes time
to dig and divide. Likewise you can use some rock and gravel in deeper water
for lilies and underwater plants such as milfoil.
It is not necessary to add soil to these beds as the plants extract all the
minerals and nutrients they need from the water thereby adding to the natural
filtration
process.
8.ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY: As soon as your pond is
built, the first thing you will notice is that things like frogs and snails
suddenly appear. Birds, insects,
and all sorts of four legged critters seem to come out of nowhere to have a
drink
and perhaps some dinner. Ponds go way beyond just plants and fish. You are
creating a tiny ecosystem that should contain all the same life forms as any
natural pond.
You hear experienced ponders speak of "balance." This balance occurs
when enough of the tiny microbes that we can't see have established themselves
and the links in the food chain begin to occur. Until this balance is achieved,
your water may be cloudy and turn all sorts of colors. This can be discouraging
to beginners.
The balancing process can be sped up if you will take the time to insure that
your pond gets off to a good start by including life forms other than fish.
A look under the magnifying glass will reveal that a single drop of water from
a natural pond or lake contains many tiny creatures that live unnoticed to
the
naked eye. Because our drinking water is sterilized with chlorine, none of
these creatures will come through using tap water to fill our ponds.
Take a net on your next visit to the lake and do some searching in the shallow
water. You'll find snails, mollusks, tadpoles, insect larvae, fresh water shrimp,
and small minnows just to name a few of the myriad creatures that live there.
Put these in a bucket to add to your home pond and you will greatly increase
the diversity. Just the lake water itself will contain protozoa, plankton,
and diatoms. These tiny critters feed on algae and tiny bits of organic matter,
all
of which will serve to clear your water. Be advised that in doing this there
is a very slight risk of picking up something that could be harmful or something
you really didn't want (such as the golden algae strain).
If that concerns you or if a field trip is not your thing, then you can purchase
beneficial microbes and other natural products at any good pet store or garden
center. Even if you do make the trip to the lake, it doesn't hurt to purchase
these things to be assured that you have plenty of the "good guys" on
hand to offset the "bad guys."
9.SHADE OUT THAT ALGAE: First of all be aware that green algae is not a bad
thing. It is in fact very healthy and a necessary part of the food chain. Every
creature
that lives in water eats algae or eats something else that eats algae. The
only problem with algae and water gardening is that algae (the floating type)
turns
the water green and algae (the stringy "green slime" type) gets on
everything to the point of obstructing our view.
Algae is a plant and the more sunlight it receives, the faster it grows. The
less light it receives the slower it grows. It's just that simple! Whoever
started the myth that backyard ponds should be placed in all day sunlight probably
never
really had a pond or they really liked the looks of algae. Shade, whether it
be from a tree. an arbor, or the pads of your water lilies is the easiest
way to reduce algae growth. Be careful (or stay clear) of products that claim
to
kill algae because you could kill all your other plant life or even your fish
if used incorrectly.
If you've followed the advice already given here, floating algae should never
be a problem because you've already built an ecosystem that will keep it in
check. The stringy type will not be as problematic either as you will have
snails, tadpoles,
and other critters in there feeding on it. If it does get out of hand you can
always get a stiff brush with a long handle and scrub it off. Meanwhile, think
shade.
10.DON''T FEED'EM TOO MUCH: Yes I'm aware that there are all sorts of fish
foods and aquatic plant foods on the market (and I'm probably gonna get in
trouble
with certain friends for saying this......but). If you follow these steps you
will have built a pond that should be capable of sustaining itself with very
little outside help. Don't fertilize your plants and they will have to get
what they need from the water, helping you keep it clear. Feed fish sparingly
and
they will supplement their diet with string algae, insects, and insect larvae.
Your goal in all this is to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells while you
learn the lessons that nature will show you as you observe your pond and surrounding
habitats. Enjoy!!!!
Paul Dowlearn
Wichita Valley Nursery
|
