I agree with BV. I also use rocks and pebbles. Everything seems to be doing
great. I even have one lily that just sits on the bottom of the pond.
ShawnAnne
High Desert, zone 6


Muff...I have started repotting everything I have in pebbles and rocks. I
don't use soil anymore except for my lily and my lotus. The lotus is getting
moved to it's own pond next year, and the lily will probably get replanted
in pebbles.

As for the dirt...I found once my clay settled, the only critter that could
stir enough up to foul the water was me. The fish stir it a bit, but it
settles within minutes. My VF is very shallow, a foot or so. Much falls out
there, so a few times I have vacu-sucked the much from there. I am slowly
removing it all from the pond.

My best advice for settelage...here it comes...STOP MESSING WITH THE DAMN
POND!!!

BV.

"*muffin*" wrote in message
...
I read this *wonderful* idea of how to plant lilies...
it said use a basket (like a clothes one with holes) line it with burlap,,
&
plant the lily... it said it would give more 'air' to the roots & soil, so
you wouldn't get that yucky black smelly planting mix..

wellllllllllll.
seemed good idea.

till I was walking into the pond the other day. ( in case you don't
remember, I cannot SEE the bottom of the pond.so had NO clue). & stepped
into MUCKY thick stuff..........hmmm. I bent over,, picked up the 'pot'...
the burlap was almost GONE there was almost no dirt left IN the
container........ all was left was a BIG clump of rhizomes....plus some
dirt
& gravel... all the rest had slid to the bottom of the pond....
arrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ok, now what... NO bottom drain, ( wish I read THIS group before putting
in
my pond......but my luck the thing would drain for some reason)..

not sure...... but ~'maybe'~ this is the reason my pond is murky??? would
this ever clear up on its own?? do I NEED to figure out how to +suck+ it
out??

*sniffle*

oh & hey... the black stuff, it was supposed to prevent??? weelllll once I
stirred it all up,, my pond took on a NICE dark color....
hmmmph.

plus I KNOW it will get worse,, as my son is coming back for avisit next
week to put 4 strands of rope lights on the bottom of my pond.
(lovely,....... probably won't even see them)

Muffin veryyyy bummed out........