I'm building a pond - is my plan ok?

Discussion in 'Water Gardening' started by clueless1, Dec 24, 2012.

  1. clueless1

    clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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    Good idea Freddy, and I might do that. It may not be necessary though, as the 'beach' area is already (currently) lower than the pond edge. That will be rectified by me putting a good few inches of pebbles and cobbles down. I did consider sand (obvious choice for a beach), but then I figured three problems there. 1) My son would dig it all up. 2) Cats might use it as a toilet and 3) sand would be bound to end up in the pond, in the house, and anywhere else except where its supposed to be.

    Anyway, I reckon by the time I've added a couple of inches of pebbles and cobbles, any overspill will simply escape into the ground causing no problems at all. It will also make a semi natural looking boundary between water and land, and from the research I've done, it will also be good for the wildlife, as the cobbles will provide good hiding places for smaller amphibians moving between the pond and dry land.
     
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    • Freddy

      Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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      Sounds good, and if you do have problems in the future, it's a relatively easy fix.
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        I take it, Clueless, that the pond isn't raised above the ground and is like mine i.e a hole in the ground?? If so the overflow will follow your recent line of thoughts and shouldn't cause any problems in that it should soak away, as mine does, into the surrounding area without causing any problems. It also make the surrounding area suitable for a Bog Garden and moisture loving plants. I think it would have to rain for 40 days and 40 nights to reach the nightmare of your first thoughts.:snork:
         
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        • Kristen

          Kristen Under gardener

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          Assuming the pond is full when it starts raining then you could calculate how many litres/gallons of water 1" of rain (across the whole area) would be

          1" of rain is 25.4 litres (two large watering cans) per sq.m. of area of the pond ...

          A pond will evaporate at about 1/2" per week in summer (from memory), so likelihood is that there will be some up-fill that it can do before it overflows. Might be a different story in winter though, so you might choose to lower the water level, deliberately in winter to prevent overflow.

          I have one of the downpipes from the house piped into my pond to re-fill it - if you are looking for another project already? :heehee:
           
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          • clueless1

            clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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            Anyone got any recommendations on beginner level pond plants for a small pond? In particular, I know I need some oxygenating plants. I'm going to put some goldfish in there soon.
             
          • Freddy

            Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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            Over to you 'Mandy' :)
             
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            • Kristen

              Kristen Under gardener

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              Recirculating pump perhaps? A fountain, or just a "fall", will help oxygenate the water.
               
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              • clueless1

                clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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                A waterfall is in the plan, but I can't afford to set up pumps and things from the outset unfortunately, so such things will have to come a bit later. In the mean time, I thought some plants would keep the pond healthy and prevent it from going stagnant and attracting mozzies.
                 
              • Freddy

                Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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                C1, you need circulation, otherwise, stagnation....
                 
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                • Kristen

                  Kristen Under gardener

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                  Yeah, they all just bump the price up.

                  Worth a look on Freecycle perhaps?
                   
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                  • ARMANDII

                    ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                    Well, in your small pond you are asking a lot:heehee: Fish are great for a pond adding life, colour and movement..................and also a continuous addition of excretion which will add nutrients to the water. Also should you feed them the uneaten food also adds to the nutrients to the water encouraging algae. There are oxygenating plants that will help but they don't take up a lot of the nutrients so they won't help in that direction. Marginal plants do help by taking out nutrients as they grow but there has to be a balance in numbers where there are enough plants to take out enough nutrients!! Once the marginal plants mature they keep the balance in the pond and continue to do so unless there's a major change. I've kind of lost track of how deep your pond is but as has been mentioned the shallower the pond the quicker it heats up, causing distress to the fish and also becoming a good medium for silk weed and algae. Getting the right balance is the trick and once that is achieved the pond will happily run itself.:snork:
                     
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                    • clueless1

                      clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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                      At its deepest point, about 2ft. The pond will get direct sunshine for just a few hours on the sunniest days. Most of the time it will be shaded by the neighbour's infeasibly massive sycamore tree. Also, to make it pretty and rock pool like, I'm putting lots of very light coloured stones in it, so the black liner wont be absorbing and storing as much heat (in theory).

                      I'm not in too much of a rush to put fish in there. I'm a bit eager, and the lad is more so, but I'm not sentencing anything to death by putting them a pond that isn't ready for them, so if need be I'll just spend time getting the plants right (if I can) and then later adding pumps and things, and only when I'm as sure as I can be that its a hospitable environment for fish, I'll start stocking up.

                      I'm going to start today to by heading to the aquarium shop to get some plants. So I need oxygenators and marginals first, does that sound about right?

                      Also, for keeping algae at bay, I've read that barley straw has some magical property for this purpose. Apparently in bygone times it was added to the village pond to keep the water clear and safe to drink (although I wont be drink from my pond:) ). Does any of that sound right or is it just an old wives tale?
                       
                    • Kristen

                      Kristen Under gardener

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                      Yup

                      Yup. Takes 4 weeks, or more, to start working. Needs to be part in air part submerged (stuff an old stocking or a net that some fruit came in or similar, and weight one end - if it doesn't look too unsightly in your pond?). Put in your diary to add some each March perhaps (before the water warms up and encourages the algae to bloom)?

                      You may still get other types of pond weed though
                       
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                      • ARMANDII

                        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                        Marginal plants for a pond are, Iris Laevigata, Iris Pseudacorus [Yellow Flag], Iris Versicolour, Mimulus, Hypericum, Carex [Sedge], Caltha Marsh Marigold [I would recommend this one], Eriophorum [Cotton Grass], Acorus, Calla, Glyceria [Water Grass, Cyperus, Mentha, Juncus [Rush], Myosotis, Scirpus, Saururus, Penltandra, Pontederia, Meyanthes, Lobellia, Zededeschia, Sparganium, Veronica, Typha, Butomus, Alisma.............that should be enough to give you a choice.:snork::coffee:
                         
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                        • clueless1

                          clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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                          I'm going to the aquatic shop tomorrow. There's a big one not too far from us. They sell all sorts. If I was to choose one each of just 3 different plants for the pond, what do we reckon I should look for.

                          I think Marsh Marigold grows on my land down by the beck, so I'm not going to pay for that one until I've double checked. I might have a drive up there tomorrow too, I haven't been for ages.
                           
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