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OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
It has been a few years since I filled in the old pond (wrong location
and a small toddler)......the little one can now swim so the time is now right again. There are three possible locations for a pond, all of which, I'm sure will end up as ponds in the end. But for now, I need to fix the water feature so extending it to a small puddle should not be too much extra work. The "water feature" consists of a reservoir taking the water up to a prefab waterfall covered in rocks so looks reasonably natural. The problem is that the darn thing leaks - so at the very least I will need to lift it out and line it so all the water goes back into the reservoir - a water feature doesn't look quite right if you need the hose pipe running into it to keep it topped up when you run it - lol....the resident frogs don't seem to care though.... So my thoughts are I may as well extend it to create a small pond......the plan would be to line the drop into the reservoir but continue to use the pre-fab (maybe)......remove the grilling and the reservoir itself and dig out a bit further. The reservoir already goes below the frost line so I don't need to go deeper. The pond/puddle itself will not be of any great capacity.....I'm thinking a few goldfish/shubunkins and a lot of oxygenating plants......by the time the fish outgrow it the larger pond should be under construction/finished. The top reservoir would be heavily planted to act as a veggie filter (and I love watercress so that would probably be the plant of choice). The circulation would be done by the existing Hozelock pump (I forget it's exact turnover - it has been there for 5 years). I'm looking at a light fish stock and using plants and the veggie filter to provide the only filtration.....the pump will aerate the water..... Anyone see any flaws in this plan? (apart from disturbing the frogs) TIA Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Gill Passman wrote:
It has been a few years since I filled in the old pond (wrong location and a small toddler)......the little one can now swim so the time is now right again. There are three possible locations for a pond, all of which, I'm sure will end up as ponds in the end. But for now, I need to fix the water feature so extending it to a small puddle should not be too much extra work. The "water feature" consists of a reservoir taking the water up to a prefab waterfall covered in rocks so looks reasonably natural. The problem is that the darn thing leaks - so at the very least I will need to lift it out and line it so all the water goes back into the reservoir - a water feature doesn't look quite right if you need the hose pipe running into it to keep it topped up when you run it - lol....the resident frogs don't seem to care though.... So my thoughts are I may as well extend it to create a small pond......the plan would be to line the drop into the reservoir but continue to use the pre-fab (maybe)......remove the grilling and the reservoir itself and dig out a bit further. The reservoir already goes below the frost line so I don't need to go deeper. The pond/puddle itself will not be of any great capacity.....I'm thinking a few goldfish/shubunkins and a lot of oxygenating plants......by the time the fish outgrow it the larger pond should be under construction/finished. The top reservoir would be heavily planted to act as a veggie filter (and I love watercress so that would probably be the plant of choice). The circulation would be done by the existing Hozelock pump (I forget it's exact turnover - it has been there for 5 years). I'm looking at a light fish stock and using plants and the veggie filter to provide the only filtration.....the pump will aerate the water..... Anyone see any flaws in this plan? (apart from disturbing the frogs) TIA Gill Me? I'm forecasting a very hot summer. Will a veggie filter be enough? You're talking small puddle and a 'few' fish........I have an uneasy feeling about this Gill. Got some diagrams/dimensions/gallonage? -- ßôyþëtë London, UK |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
I think it sounds good.
And thinking ahead of the game - soooo much I would do differently now - but where's the fun in that! The next best thing to planning out a new pond is watching over someone else's shoulder... k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
BoyPete wrote:
Me? I'm forecasting a very hot summer. Will a veggie filter be enough? You're talking small puddle and a 'few' fish........I have an uneasy feeling about this Gill. Got some diagrams/dimensions/gallonage? Sadly, until I start out digging I can't give any stats on the size of the thing....but think a lot of barrel water features, highly oxygenated......may not even put in any fish but it would be a shame not to.....the key, is to heavily plant, at least that is what I am working on....and a very low fish bio-load.....not much different to the indoor tanks coping with high temps....... Gill PS Have you still got that pond fleece on offer.....might take it off your hands in the next day or so |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
k wrote:
I think it sounds good. And thinking ahead of the game - soooo much I would do differently now - but where's the fun in that! The next best thing to planning out a new pond is watching over someone else's shoulder... k :-) Ah, but this just a natural extension of a water feature I need to fix......my eye is very much on the place for the real pond, he, he......and yes, it does involve getting rid of some of that dratted lawn.........however it is a pretty major project whereas this one is simple.....if it just keeps the frogs happy I'll be happy but I want plants and fish tooo...... Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
You must keep the frogs happy!
We took out the old frog bog and one of them ended up on the deck talking to us all night about it! k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
k wrote:
You must keep the frogs happy! We took out the old frog bog and one of them ended up on the deck talking to us all night about it! k :-) Well, my guess about the frogs was entirely correct....lifted two rocks and found two frogs. Put the rock back while I think of the best way to deal with them without making them play things for the dog and cat. I'm hoping that I can get them to jump into the reservoir once I get the grid off of the top of it. It's not going to stop me doing the groundwork though....it's just that I wanted to remove the waterfall to get a better picture in my head as to how best to do this.....hey, ho..... Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
BoyPete wrote:
Me? I'm forecasting a very hot summer. Will a veggie filter be enough? You're talking small puddle and a 'few' fish........I have an uneasy feeling about this Gill. Got some diagrams/dimensions/gallonage? OK....I retract my first answer to this.....having just cleared the area in question I think that the pond is going to be a bit bigger than I first imagined......It will be around 8 foot in length with the width varying from approx 7 foot down to 2'6" at the narrowest part......haven't worked out how much this equates to in gallons as I don't know until I start digging how deep I can go - certainly at least 2 foot at the deepest (probably more) but maybe only 1 foot max at the shallowest - there is a soakaway pipe which I think I might avoid but can't be sure until I shift some soil. It's going to be a pretty odd shape as there are some big granite slabs and bamboo clumps that need to be worked around, they are not about to move, so I need to maybe look into how to do good joins on the pond liner as I'm not convinced that I can do it all in one. The digging will start tomorrow. As it all has to be done by hand (can't get a digger down the side of the house) this may take a while. Fortunately, with all the rain we have had recently the soil is still quite damp and workable. It is a heavy clay soil so goes rock solid after a few weeks of sun. Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Will there be some turns or jogs in the
shape? Good luck with the digging. We have BOULDERS in our yard (basketball size). One so big we had to dig a hole beside it and get the football player across the street to help roll it into its new hole. (Our own football player needed about five years growth before he could have done it...) k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Sounds good to me, Gill. As long as you work with a low fish load, a veggie
filter will be fine. If the next section of pond is going to be bigger and deeper you might want to consider a bottom drain & skimmer at the time. Maintenance wise they make life simpler. What is your plan regarding keeping the fish from eating the frog eggs? I always pulled my goldfish out in the spring and put them back when the tadpoles were big enough not to be eaten. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
~ jan wrote:
Sounds good to me, Gill. As long as you work with a low fish load, a veggie filter will be fine. If the next section of pond is going to be bigger and deeper you might want to consider a bottom drain & skimmer at the time. Maintenance wise they make life simpler. What is your plan regarding keeping the fish from eating the frog eggs? I always pulled my goldfish out in the spring and put them back when the tadpoles were big enough not to be eaten. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us My main concern right now is to get the frogs to a place of safety while the construction work is going on......I have a cunning plan of getting the school to take them into their natural pond....afterall I'm pretty sure that that is where they came from in the first place..... As with every project things are going on a pace and expanding all the time - especially now hubbie is involved and digging......I'm not sure about a bottom drain but we are definitely now on to filter and UV.......if he keeps on digging deeper we are considering Koi - the size is now in the upper 100's of galls...... House has been full of mud today......I am so, so glad we don't have carpets....to be fair some of it has come from yesterday's off-roading the Land Rover so not all my pond to blame..... Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Ah, stealth frogs!
We once had a mass froggy nursery going at school when a teacher de-frogged her parents' pool cover. We had eggs, tadpoles and frogs trying to escape being chased by second graders up and down the hallways. k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
k wrote:
Ah, stealth frogs! We once had a mass froggy nursery going at school when a teacher de-frogged her parents' pool cover. We had eggs, tadpoles and frogs trying to escape being chased by second graders up and down the hallways. k :-) They have a tank of tadpoles already in the classroom.....I'm not overly concerned that if my chap does a runner (or I catch him and give him/them to the school) that they won't be back..... The pond is ending up much bigger than I had hoped for....the joys of letting dear hubby take over the project and then him think my ideas are his own.......might even end up big enough and deep enough for Koi.... Right now we have a massive lump of concrete to break up that runs through the middle of the pond.....personally I think it would make a great bridge but the practicalities of lining the thing have been pointed out....but maybe......however, sadly, on the boys and toys thing I think he is looking forward to using the power tool to demolish it..... Not done too much today on it.......hurt my shoulder digging yesterday and I'm nowhere near as efficient as hubby in shifting the soil....and if he has volunteered I'm not complaining....shame we can't get a digger round the back but it is no go.....even the foundations for our conservatory (6 foot deep plus) had to be dug by hand......and your standard UK builder would have got a digger in if they could.....lol Bog garden got sacrificed.....we needed somewhere to put soil.....amazing how much comes out......all my irises are sitting in a wooden planter lined with plastic and saturated (anyone in the UK want some yellow irises????)....shame is that it was the wrong time to move them as they are just starting to flower....but boy......I'm not going to need to buy any irises for the bog part of the pond....I find it incredible how many plants you end up with as you start to split the things (they have been in situ for 5 years)....... So now I have another part of the garden to replan.....I don't mind I love it...... Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:59:22 CST, Gill Passman
wrote: Bog garden got sacrificed.....we needed somewhere to put soil.....amazing how much comes out......all my irises are sitting in a wooden planter lined with plastic and saturated (anyone in the UK want some yellow irises????)...Gill Having my own wrestling matches with yellow iris today. Since they spend most of the summer in fish pots they really didn't grow much the last couple of years, but oh my.... did they grow just this spring, they split and ate the baskets, small hexagon size ones. To get them loose I had to destroy the basket the rest of the way. The very last one I gave up as I had plenty plus from the 1st two. The pots by the front door now are sporting the iris and the floating islands in 2 of the pots, the 3rd pot I decided to do iris and one of the canna divides. I'm in for a snack and then back out to do more iris wrestling, the lily pond ones. Those won't be so bad... and the yellow one out there, I'm seriously thinking of not putting it back in. Just how much yellow iris does one pond person need? ;-) ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Whilst driving over Lake Washington
in Seattle last week I noticed yellow iris attempting to take over the lake. I think we've stumbled over a plot! k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
In article , ~ jan
writes Having my own wrestling matches with yellow iris today. Since they spend most of the summer in fish pots they really didn't grow much the last couple of years, but oh my.... did they grow just this spring, they split and ate the baskets, small hexagon size ones. To get them loose I had to destroy the basket the rest of the way. The very last one I gave up as I had plenty plus from the 1st two. The pots by the front door now are sporting the iris and the floating islands in 2 of the pots, the 3rd pot I decided to do iris and one of the canna divides. I'm in for a snack and then back out to do more iris wrestling, the lily pond ones. Those won't be so bad... and the yellow one out there, I'm seriously thinking of not putting it back in. Just how much yellow iris does one pond person need? ;-) ~ jan My yellow iris have gone berserk this year too! They have suddenly taken over a third of the pond! I may not get around to thinning them though - I am moving house next month! Angela. |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Angela Lamb wrote:
My yellow iris have gone berserk this year too! They have suddenly taken over a third of the pond! I may not get around to thinning them though - I am moving house next month! Angela. He, he....mine are now securely penned down in a planter.....shame about the blue and white irises that used to live in the bog garden as well but they got swamped by the yellow a couple of years ago..... So, for now my iris monsters are contained.....is it wise to let them go out in the wild again once the pond is completed????? :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
So, for now my iris monsters are contained.....is it wise to let them go out in the wild again once the pond is completed????? :-) Only if you lock up the children and any small animals. There seems to be a theme on RPM of yellow iris running amok. k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Hi Gill,
Congrats on starting off on the pond. I am just catching up on threads. I note your bamboo. I wonder if it will be a porblem for your pond? Will it invade? By all means post a pic of the work somewhere...with a link. Don't post a pic of any dead animals. Jim |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:34:07 CST, Gill Passman
wrote: Angela Lamb wrote: My yellow iris have gone berserk this year too! They have suddenly taken over a third of the pond! I may not get around to thinning them though - I am moving house next month! Angela. He, he....mine are now securely penned down in a planter.....shame about the blue and white irises that used to live in the bog garden as well but they got swamped by the yellow a couple of years ago..... So, for now my iris monsters are contained.....is it wise to let them go out in the wild again once the pond is completed????? :-) Not if they're of the yellow variety, they'll eat the pond, the house, the kids..... ;-) ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
So, for now my iris monsters are contained.....is it wise to let them go
out in the wild again once the pond is completed????? :-) Only if you lock up the children and any small animals. There seems to be a theme on RPM of yellow iris running amok. k :-) I guess I should have read the whole thread before answering, but hey, a 2nd opinion on the same wave length. ;-) ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Phyllis and Jim wrote:
Hi Gill, Congrats on starting off on the pond. I am just catching up on threads. I note your bamboo. I wonder if it will be a porblem for your pond? Will it invade? By all means post a pic of the work somewhere...with a link. Don't post a pic of any dead animals. Jim The bamboo is the clump forming type and has not spread very far in the 5 years since it was planted. So far we have not come across any roots and part of the hole is within 1 foot of one of the clumps and goes down 2 foot in depth. I must say that this has been a bit of a relief because I was certainly concerned about the roots. Not really a lot I can photograph at the moment - it is very much digging in progress. It also seems to be expanding as we progress so right now I can't predict its eventual volume. Hubby now wants to bring it all the way up to the edge of the deck - something I had thought of but never thought that he would consent to.....This will make the deepest part of the pond around 3 foot or a little bit more. Because of the need to have the edges level this means that I can go a bit further back into the garden. The ground slopes towards the house, although we are certainly going to need to build up the edges in places...... More digging over the weekend providing the weather holds, which is unlikely. We had torrential rain overnight and looking at the colour of the sky we are certainly in for some more. The soil is a heavy clay so the wetness makes the task more arduous. Just wish we could get a digger round the side of the house, but we can't, so it is all spade work. Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
In article ,
Gill Passman wrote: Phyllis and Jim wrote: Hi Gill, Congrats on starting off on the pond. I am just catching up on threads. I note your bamboo. I wonder if it will be a porblem for your pond? Will it invade? By all means post a pic of the work somewhere...with a link. Don't post a pic of any dead animals. Jim The bamboo is the clump forming type and has not spread very far in the 5 years since it was planted. So far we have not come across any roots and part of the hole is within 1 foot of one of the clumps and goes down 2 foot in depth. I must say that this has been a bit of a relief because I was certainly concerned about the roots. Not really a lot I can photograph at the moment - it is very much digging in progress. It also seems to be expanding as we progress so right now I can't predict its eventual volume. Hubby now wants to bring it all the way up to the edge of the deck - something I had thought of but never thought that he would consent to.....This will make the deepest part of the pond around 3 foot or a little bit more. Because of the need to have the edges level this means that I can go a bit further back into the garden. The ground slopes towards the house, although we are certainly going to need to build up the edges in places...... More digging over the weekend providing the weather holds, which is unlikely. We had torrential rain overnight and looking at the colour of the sky we are certainly in for some more. The soil is a heavy clay so the wetness makes the task more arduous. Just wish we could get a digger round the side of the house, but we can't, so it is all spade work. Gill We have also had good experience with clumping bamboo and there are so many varieties (depending on your location). We are using them now as a privacy wall on one side of the yard and also around the pond area. None of them (4 varieties) have ever spread. Interesting tidbit I learned at the nursery. You can tell the difference between clumping and non-clumping bamboo by looking at the stalk. The clumping will be smooth all the way around, the non-clumping will have a notch on one side running up the length of it. -- To reply by email, remove the word "space" |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Kurt wrote:
We have also had good experience with clumping bamboo and there are so many varieties (depending on your location). We are using them now as a privacy wall on one side of the yard and also around the pond area. None of them (4 varieties) have ever spread. That is good to know.....I've got 3 varieties of bamboo and none of them seem to have become invasive....the clumps around the site of the pond are all the same species. I do need to hack them back two or three times a year but the actual root clump isn't expanding. Interesting tidbit I learned at the nursery. You can tell the difference between clumping and non-clumping bamboo by looking at the stalk. The clumping will be smooth all the way around, the non-clumping will have a notch on one side running up the length of it. Thanks...this confirms mine are all the of the clumping variety. Gill PS can't wait to see the reflection of the bamboo in the water of the pond.....I'm getting a sneak preview with them being reflected in the reservoir of the old water feature that I haven't moved yet because of the frogs |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Great info. I never knew how to distinguish them.
Jim |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Okay, so this was ten days ago. How's the dig coming, Gill?
Oh, yeah... Hi! steve |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Pond, James Pond wrote:
Okay, so this was ten days ago. How's the dig coming, Gill? Oh, yeah... Hi! steve Well it's not......since the last bit of excavating it has done nothing but rain, and heavily at that. It's been wet and miserable and some of the rain has been torrential. We've not had it as bad as some parts of the country thankfully. Today the weather has been a bit better but is still taunting me on the digging. By around 3pm the "hole" had dried out enough for me to think about starting digging again - but by 3.30pm we had had another downpour and it's back to square one. So, right now I have a part dug, unlined hole without around 1" of water in the bottom..... No sign of much improvement with the weather in the near future - I think this could be a long project unless we actually get a summer in the UK.... Thanks for asking Gill |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
snip.....
No sign of much improvement with the weather in the near future - I think this could be a long project unless we actually get a summer in the UK.... Thanks for asking Gill Ugh. And I though we had bad weather. Actually, it's hasn't been that wet here (Seattle) at all. Not that it's been sunny! Just hasn't rained very heavy of late. I put together a quickie web page so I could share my pond progress with you and the other ponders here. I'll start a new thread.... good luck when you do get a dry day. ponds are cool, steve |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
Thought about your dig the other day when I
saw a picture of one of those distinctive red telephone boothes almost covered in water. Rain and kids on summer holiday too? So not fair! k :-) |
OK - the first pond starts tomorrow
k wrote:
Thought about your dig the other day when I saw a picture of one of those distinctive red telephone boothes almost covered in water. Rain and kids on summer holiday too? So not fair! k :-) Nah, I'm still coping with soggy kids returning from school - greet them at the door with a towel - lol. Haven't checked the Thames out yet but it will be a day or so before the flood waters make it down there.....other places are getting hit today (Worcester tonight) - the telephone booths are in the areas not under 5-6 foot of water up North/Midlands..... Latest downpour has just finished.....in for some more tonight but then hopefully tomorrow might be drier.... Gill |
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