Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA

Sounds perfect for a bog garden, although that wont sort your problem out.
hth
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA

Hi Janet - IMO you have the right instinct about this - If you put a pond
in a low spot, everything will drain into it, including fertilizer,
pesticides and whatever else gets deposited on your yard, so it will be an
overflow holding basin - not what we consider a pond (a biologically
balanced pond for fish and plants that is above grade to the surrounding
landscape)
Gale :~)
"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA

yup. bog garden is exactly what I thought too. Ingrid

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote:


Sounds perfect for a bog garden, although that wont sort your problem out.
hth



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Pond, swamp, bog garden - depends on the amount of water getting into it at
any one time.

I'd prefer to think of it as a wetland :-)

Anyway, wetlands are good. Too many of them are being drained and paved over.
Wetlands filter all sorts of stuff from run off water and help regulate water
flow to stem flooding.

I think it sounds like a grand idea! It can be planted with all sorts of plants
who like wet feet. You might have a regional nursery nearby which will carry
those kinds of plants.

In my standing water frog bog I have lizard's tail, cattails, pennywort,
aquatic forget-me-not, marsh marigold, rushes, pickerel, miniature horsetail
rush, sweetflag. Absolutely fascinating discovery one day was the appearance of
a carnivorous bladderwort plant that must have arrived via birdy business.
Loverly little yellow flowers on slender stems with the carnivorous bladders
below in the water.
I toss Mosquito Bits in it to keep out mosquito larva and have my teenagers
wade in and yank up stuff when it gets too full of plants.

I really enjoy it and love to scoop up water and mud from time to time and see
who is living in it. We've found dragon and damselfly nymphs, mayfly larva,
bloodworms, seed shrimp and other fascinating critters. Right now we are
raising tree frog eggs in it and trying to catch one lady bullfrog who has
moved in to eat the baby tree froglets when they emerge.


kathy :-)
(still use ka30p for email
this acct. is for reading rec.ponds only)

That sounds like a bad idea to me. Everything would drain to it, including
mud!

A better solution might be to:

A) install a french drain to the street (assuming you can slope that way) if
not:
B) Where the low point is, instead of a pond, build a small concrete
enclosure with a sump pump and pump the water to the street.

Joe


On 4/21/04 5:14 AM, "Janet Price" wrote:

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
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Janet Price wrote:

Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Sounds like a mosquito farm. You might have a rough time finding fish
that will survive well enough to keep the bugs down, depending on what
gets washed in.

"Offbreed" wrote in message
...
Janet Price wrote:

Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Sounds like a mosquito farm. You might have a rough time finding fish
that will survive well enough to keep the bugs down, depending on what
gets washed in.

On the other hand...I'd rather have an "area" of water sogginess then a yard
of sogginess. I'd rather have to deal with the pit, then the entire yard.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

I agree with Joe. Our first pond was built exactly the way you had
described, and when it rained, the fish could have ended up swimming all
over that part of the yard and grass surrounding the pond. They never
seemed to, but the junk that got in the pond was amazing, especially the
oil slicks that came from who knows where or what kind of oil. After a
rain it took days for the muddy muck to settle so you could see the fish
again. We miraculously never lost any fish to insecticides or fertilizer
or oil slick, but we ended up putting the fish into a horse trough hooked
up to the filtration system and redug the pond, adding an 18" wall around
it above the ground. We still had to deal with the water around the pond
as it still gathered there. We put in the sump pump as Joe said and
gravel covered pipes to direct water to concrete block well with the sump
pump.

With all this in mind you can now place your pond in the spot you most
want it, not being confined to the 'wet spot'. I can think of several
other spots I would put ours now instead of where it is.

JMHO,
Nanzi
"joe" wrote in message
...
That sounds like a bad idea to me. Everything would drain to it,
including
mud!

A better solution might be to:

A) install a french drain to the street (assuming you can slope that
way) if
not:
B) Where the low point is, instead of a pond, build a small concrete
enclosure with a sump pump and pump the water to the street.

Joe


On 4/21/04 5:14 AM, "Janet Price" wrote:

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep
at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if
necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From
reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a
pond
but a small swamp.



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

"Olde Hippee" wrote in message
...
I agree with Joe. Our first pond was built exactly the way you had
described, and when it rained, the fish could have ended up swimming all
over that part of the yard and grass surrounding the pond. They never
seemed to, but the junk that got in the pond was amazing, especially the
oil slicks that came from who knows where or what kind of oil. After a
rain it took days for the muddy muck to settle so you could see the fish
again. We miraculously never lost any fish to insecticides or fertilizer
or oil slick, but we ended up putting the fish into a horse trough hooked
up to the filtration system and redug the pond, adding an 18" wall around
it above the ground. We still had to deal with the water around the pond
as it still gathered there. We put in the sump pump as Joe said and
gravel covered pipes to direct water to concrete block well with the sump
pump.

With all this in mind you can now place your pond in the spot you most
want it, not being confined to the 'wet spot'. I can think of several
other spots I would put ours now instead of where it is.
snip

Just to clarify...the OP was not asking about pond location selection, but
how to deal with a soggy yard, and a pond was offered as the solution. I
still think it is a good one, if the OP goes with a bog type setup.
Certainly not a good idea, either aesthetically or safety wise for a Koi
pond, but it would make for a great bog area.


--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions. I have about a
half-acre lot that slopes down from back to front and right to left.
The front yard is fine. The problem's in the back just behind the house
where the yard had to be made to slope up a bit toward the house
creating a sort of dip in the yard. The water can't run downhill
smoothly to the left because there's a small swimming pool and deck there.

I'm also worried--perhaps unnecessarily about creating something that
will end up being labelled as "wetland" and create future problems for
myself or neighbors.

The other thing is that I wonder if I'm successful in draining water
from the problem spot in the middle of my back yard if it will simply
mean that more water comes in from the lot uphill from mine.

Thanks again for your help.

Janet

Janet Price wrote:
Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA

Around here, they're called retention ponds. When the ground is soggy or
prone to flooding, they dig a pond somewhere on the property. Because it's
lower than the surrounding area, all the water drains to the "pond", thereby
leaving the rest of the property high and dry. Here in FL, most of them stay
full of water all the time. I would not consider it appropriate for koi or
goldfish. Mosquito fish, yes. Fancy fish you want to get attached to: no.
This type of pond is not suitable for recirculation purposes, but it would
make a nice home for frogs, lizards, ducks and any number of other
water-lovin' critters. Some of the ponds are dug deeply enough to keep water
in them all the time, and solar powered pumps are used to make fountains to
keep the water from stagnating. It's a low maintenance pond that can be
quite attractive: but it's not for fish, unless it's a HUGE area.

Lee

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA

Based on your description, the water runs down hill to the point where the
soil was raised to keep water away from the foundation, and then because of
the pool, it can't exit in the other direction. For this type of situation,
I think you would do well to put in a drain line, perforated pipe embedded
in gravel, along the low area and extend it to a lower elevation in the
front yard. This will take the standing water away and allow the soil to
dry.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions. I have about a
half-acre lot that slopes down from back to front and right to left.
The front yard is fine. The problem's in the back just behind the house
where the yard had to be made to slope up a bit toward the house
creating a sort of dip in the yard. The water can't run downhill
smoothly to the left because there's a small swimming pool and deck there.

I'm also worried--perhaps unnecessarily about creating something that
will end up being labelled as "wetland" and create future problems for
myself or neighbors.

The other thing is that I wonder if I'm successful in draining water
from the problem spot in the middle of my back yard if it will simply
mean that more water comes in from the lot uphill from mine.

Thanks again for your help.

Janet

Janet Price wrote:
Hi,

I have a yard that's soggy in places. The soil's mostly clay and
stones. I had a landscaper out for a free consultation on solving the
problem and he suggested building a small pond (10' x 15' x 4 ' deep at
the deep end) in the low corner of the yard and next year if necessary,
put in some underground pipes to help drain water into it. From reading
the FAQ for this list, it seems to me that I wouldn't be creating a pond
but a small swamp.

Have any of you done this kind of thing successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Janet in Amherst MA