Why, that's not so bad! It looks like you'd need less than ONE bag to fix
it. For my concrete pond I use Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher, available
at Home Depot and probably many others. It's a fiber-reinforced cement that
can be mixed to go on like spreading butter, all you need is a bag of that
and a small trowel, just add water!

For the organic growth: I'd buy some Roundup or other hebicide and spray on
it. Let it work until the growth dies and turns brown, then pull it out
after a few days,wash it down to get rid of the chemical residue, let it
mostly dry and start with the concrete.

It's easy to do, don't be overwhelmed. I used it as the final layer to seal
up my concrete pond, 3+ years ago - no leaks, no lost fish. I recommend
after it's dried and mostly cured, you just fill it with water, let it stand
for several days, empty, refill, add plants and fish. No toxic chemicals
will be left in any significant amounts to leach into the water. I've got
one koi (a Tancho, sold to me as a feeder!) and way too many goldfish,
they've all been fine and reproducing like crazy.

You can also then paint over it with a concrete sealant, Home Depot and
others have that also in both water-based and oil-based, in different
colors. I've used both, and again, after drying and filling with water then
emptying and re-filling, with absolutely no harm to fish or plants.

I'd guess you've got less than a day's work, it'll just have to be spread
out some to let the concrete cure a bit and the sealant dry. And silicone
as Rich suggested is also good for cracks where you don't want to put
cement, or can't reach easily. But the cement is a permanent repair and if
done properly won't have to be done again - the fiber reinforced patching
cement holds up really well to freeze-thaw cycles (naturally you want to
make sure you don't leave puddles and crevices where water can get in and
expand when it freezes). For any really big holes, I'd also put in a piece
of hardware cloth (really a large-grid metal screen, you can get it in
various grid sizes) which further helps to reinforce and stabilize the
cement.

Happy Ponding,
Tim

"lab~rat :-)" wrote in message
...
My concrete pond has developed cracks from a tree that has been
eradicated about 8 months ago. I want to seal the cracks, but the
whole task seems overwhelming.

Check out the mess:

http://blueaxe.home.mindspring.com/pond.html

In the second photo you can see the biggest crack that has been
cleaned and cleared of root material (by my dog's head). The water
level sinks to this crack.

The third shot is a closeup of the crack to well above the waterline
(where the big hole is)

4th is a closeup shot of some small cracks that have developed above
the huge crack. you can see the small roots growing through like
thick hairs.

Fifth through last is the attached waterfall where stucco has spalled
off of the forming foam.

First, is there a sealing material that could fix the major crack?

How should I handle the small cracks with organic growth?

I assume the whole waterfall should be fixed prior to trying to
re-establish the pond. How would you recommend fixing the spalling
stucco, and what is it sealed with once it is fixed?

TIA
--
lab~rat :-)
Do you want polite or do you want sincere?