#1   Report Post  
Old 29-05-2003, 04:08 PM
Sandie Hudson
 
Posts: n/a
Default advice for 2 projects

There are two projects that I am considering adding to my
garden.
1. steps down the front bank using square concrete pavers
and natural stones
2. small round pond with water plants and stone edging

Does anyone have any advice on how to do either one easily
and cheaply? Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Sandie


  #2   Report Post  
Old 29-05-2003, 07:20 PM
Bryan C. Andregg
 
Posts: n/a
Default advice for 2 projects

In article , Sandie Hudson wrote:
Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?


There are solar powered pumps on the market.

--
Bryan C. Andregg Duke University Medical Center
Programmer Dept. of Anesthesiology
e
p +1 919 684 6201
  #3   Report Post  
Old 30-05-2003, 01:08 AM
Steve Holzworth
 
Posts: n/a
Default advice for 2 projects

In article , Sandie Hudson
wrote:

There are two projects that I am considering adding to my
garden.
1. steps down the front bank using square concrete pavers
and natural stones


I'll infer that you intend to use pavers set into a surround of
stone/gravel/pebbles. If so, put down landscape fabric first so that
you don't get volunteer plants growing up through the stones. I have a
similar arrangment in my backyard, but forgot the landscape fabric...

Since you're coming down a bank, you might have to use something like
landscape timbers to create a small terraced effect down the hill,
depending on how steep of a slope you have. Paver squares can become
slick over time, and walking on them down a slope could be exciting. If
you just terrace the hill and place pavers et al on the resulting steps
without some form of mechanical reinforcement, the dirt will probably
wash out from under the pavers.

Depending on how long of a path you have, buying bulk stone from a
supplier may be cheaper than the prebagged stuff. You'll also want to
enclose the stone in some type of edging so that it doesn't
redistribute itself across the yard. Rolls of plastic garden edging
will work pretty well for this, and are comparatively inexpensive in
homeowner grades.

2. small round pond with water plants and stone edging


Lowes et al sell prefab plastic ponds in various shapes. These are
probably worth it for a smaller pond. The alternative, pond sheet
liners, require alot of ground prep to avoid punctures et al. Pond
sheet liners are specially-made for that purpose; random cheap plastic
sheeting won't work.


Does anyone have any advice on how to do either one easily
and cheaply? Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?


Most of the pumps I've seen require house current. I would suspect that
there are some that run off of 12 volt supplies, like landscape
lighting does (it's safer to install), but pumping water is one of the
harder things to do in terms of work, and may require the
power-carrying capability of a 120 volt circuit.

I don't know that the motion of the water is as much of a factor in
controlling mosquitos and larvae - that's what the fish are there for
:-). If you don't want fish, you can buy floating blocks that kill the
larvae, supposedly without harming birds et al. All of the sources I've
seen recommend against installing ponds in shady areas, both to avoid
leaf litter and to help plant growth.

Here is a good HowTo and supplier site:

http://www.watergarden.com

Petsmart, of all places, sells pond supplies. Locally, I've seen plants
and stuff at Buchannan's Nursery on Western Blvd in Raleigh, and at
Logan's near Peace College in Raleigh.

--
Steve Holzworth "Do not attribute to poor spelling
That which is actually poor typing..."
Senior Systems Developer - me
SAS Institute - Open Systems R&D UNIX/VMS/MAC
Cary, N.C.
  #4   Report Post  
Old 30-05-2003, 01:44 AM
Tomatolord
 
Posts: n/a
Default advice for 2 projects

1 - Use PERMALON for the liner - you can buy on the internet DO NOT use
epdm, it is expensive and heavy. Permalon does not stretch and rocks will
not cut it. However it is NOT UV resitant so it cannot be exposed directly
to the sun, which is usually not an issue.

2 - depth should be 3-4 for koi - I bought mine for $5 each and they are
over 12 inches now

3 - include a shelf for plant pots - the shelf should be the depth of a
small pot - stop by lowes etc to see the size of the pots that you will be
putting on the shelf, they have a good selection of water plants

4 - Run a hose to the pond, believe me the pond will lose water from
evaporation, animals etc. I have a permanent old hose running to mine, and
a timer to let 15 minutes of water in a day, this sort of keeps the pond
topped off. Especially if you have a fountain.

5 - make sure the pond is level take the time and effort to do this or you
will always be seeing the sides.

6 there are solar powered pumps but they are expensive

7 Have an overflow area that the pond will overflow towards. Especially
when it rains like this, this way you can put some bog plants, etc in the
wet areas

8 Provide rocks that OVER shadow the the pond or do it with the pond liner.
Your fish will be happier if they have some place to hide, they come out,
however, they get stressed if they have not place to dart to.

9 DONT feed the fish after the water gets to 60 degrees in the winter, the
fish slow down and will not digest the food and die.

10 TRY for a fountain...and put a small bowl at the top, the fountain
circulates the water and provides oxyegen especially in the summer months.
The water circulation also helps to clean the water (remember fish use the
bathroom as well, except they swim in it, so you have to clean it for them
otherwise they get sick.

If you need any more let me know!!

Tomatolord


"Sandie Hudson" wrote in message
...
There are two projects that I am considering adding to my
garden.
1. steps down the front bank using square concrete pavers
and natural stones
2. small round pond with water plants and stone edging

Does anyone have any advice on how to do either one easily
and cheaply? Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Sandie





  #5   Report Post  
Old 30-05-2003, 02:44 PM
Tomatolord
 
Posts: n/a
Default advice for 2 projects

1 - Use PERMALON for the liner - you can buy on the internet DO NOT use
epdm, it is expensive and heavy. Permalon does not stretch and rocks will
not cut it. However it is NOT UV resitant so it cannot be exposed directly
to the sun, which is usually not an issue.

2 - depth should be 3-4 for koi - I bought mine for $5 each and they are
over 12 inches now

3 - include a shelf for plant pots - the shelf should be the depth of a
small pot - stop by lowes etc to see the size of the pots that you will be
putting on the shelf, they have a good selection of water plants

4 - Run a hose to the pond, believe me the pond will lose water from
evaporation, animals etc. I have a permanent old hose running to mine, and
a timer to let 15 minutes of water in a day, this sort of keeps the pond
topped off. Especially if you have a fountain.

5 - make sure the pond is level take the time and effort to do this or you
will always be seeing the sides.

6 there are solar powered pumps but they are expensive

7 Have an overflow area that the pond will overflow towards. Especially
when it rains like this, this way you can put some bog plants, etc in the
wet areas

8 Provide rocks that OVER shadow the the pond or do it with the pond liner.
Your fish will be happier if they have some place to hide, they come out,
however, they get stressed if they have not place to dart to.

9 DONT feed the fish after the water gets to 60 degrees in the winter, the
fish slow down and will not digest the food and die.

10 TRY for a fountain...and put a small bowl at the top, the fountain
circulates the water and provides oxyegen especially in the summer months.
The water circulation also helps to clean the water (remember fish use the
bathroom as well, except they swim in it, so you have to clean it for them
otherwise they get sick.

If you need any more let me know!!

Tomatolord


"Sandie Hudson" wrote in message
...
There are two projects that I am considering adding to my
garden.
1. steps down the front bank using square concrete pavers
and natural stones
2. small round pond with water plants and stone edging

Does anyone have any advice on how to do either one easily
and cheaply? Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Sandie





Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Earth Pond Questions - Early Spring Projects NyQuillama Ponds 19 25-02-2004 09:14 PM
Projects that Work (Walter, etc.) Iris Cohen Plant Science 0 03-12-2003 04:48 PM
Projects that Work (Walter, etc.) Iris Cohen Plant Science 0 03-12-2003 04:43 PM
advice for 2 garden projects Sandie Hudson Gardening 2 30-05-2003 05:09 PM
advice for 2 garden projects Sandie Hudson Ponds 1 30-05-2003 01:32 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:32 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017