The message
from Roz Cawley contains these words:

I guess I am going to have two pools with fish on the go now - and then,
of course, there is the water feature that my son wants to build outside
the bathroom window, so he can watch it while he......no, you don't want
any more details, I'm sure!

Tell him he's creating his own water feature......

I have a lot of guttering from an old garage, and this will be turned
into a water feature.

I intend to arrange a zig-zag flow from one section to another, add some
gravel, and grow watercress. A small pump will keep the water flowing.

(I've already started with one length, growing the small-leaved
unmutated indigenous cress.)

I'll see how it goes, but I might have to molish a sand filter in the
system to keep the water wholesome.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
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The message
from Roz Cawley contains these words:

The soil lining the pond is to provide hibernation protection for all
the frogs and toads that we *hope* will arrive there. I have plenty of
toads in my garden - but no frogs - no chance, with al the fish that
used to be in there (but are now removed and residing in the shell that
was previously on the same site.

Frogs, toads and newts always vacate the pond some time after after
spawning and when they hibernate they do so under logs, stones, etc,
often hundreds of yards away from 'home'.

--
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The message
from Roz Cawley contains these words:

Ah, no, Jane - the bog garden is completely separate from the pond.
Separated by two recycled railway sleepers atop a bank - and very nice
they look too. The bog garden is lined (with blue plastic - cos it was
being buried) - and the new pond has a butyl liner. The soil in the pond
is definitely not full of nutrients - just full of clay!

Butyl liner *AND* puddled clay? Sheesh!

Oh, it would be easier to show you a pic

http://www.delamici.demon.co.uk/pond1.jpg

bog garden on left of photo - pond on the right - about three days after
filling.

I don't mean to sound as if I am slagging off the landscaper - he did do
a very nice job - it was just the mixing of subsoil and topsoil that was
a pain - I have suffered from the results of the same thing that
happened a few years ago when we took over the garden next door and had
a whole garden of weeds to clear. We had them sprayed and then "buried"
- 300 years of topsoil were buried along with it and up came the
flipping yellow clay to reside on the surface!

Acky stuff, as my Welsh Mum would have said.

Remedy: cover acky stuff with lawn mowings, weeds, old woollen carpet,
paper, cardboard, strawetc etc to a depth of - well, as high as you
like, within reason. When it is built up to a sensible height (three
feet or less), thoroughly soak 'compost heap' and cover with black
polythene. Peg or weight down the edges, and the worms will reward you
with a bed of good loam after a year, or at the most, two.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
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We moved into our house (complete with pond nearly 2 years ago. The pond was
relatively clear and we could see all the fish. But then the problems
started and the water got cloudier and cloudier. At the beginning of this
year our garden was flooded twice and as the waters subsided we lost a lot
of our fish - we went down from 200 to 40. We were also left with a lot of
residue mud. We drained the pond, cleared as much mud as possible and
thought OK we should be able to see the fish now. Within a couple of weeks
we were back to green water and only saw the fish at feeding time.

But all was not lost - we have now found that at least the fish are happy in
this environment - they have been vigorously breeding and we now have about
100 babies. They range from 1" to 2" in length so hopefully they will be
strong enough to survive the winter.

The moral of this tale is that what looks nice to us isn't necessarily what
is good for the fish and wildlife.

Jeanne Stockdale

"Roz Cawley" wrote in message
...
I was thrilled when I had a new wildlife pond and bog garden installed a
couple of weeks ago - but not so thrilled to see that the landscape
gardener had lined the pond with the subsoil that he had excavated from
"the hole" - because our subsoil happens to be horrible, yellow clay,
unlike the better, though sandy topsoil that he buried/left in a heap at
the side of the garden :-((.

Two weeks later, and the pond water still has a murky, yellow cloudiness
- which I assume is the suspension of fine clay particles still floating
around in it.

Questions - will it finally settle more (am I just being impatient?), or
am I doomed to cloudy water unless I drain the pond, scrape out the clay
and add another layer of larger particle topsoil?

To avoid this, is there any sort of flocculent that I can add to the
water to help to clear it - or will even that only be a temporary
measure?

Help, please - what can I do to get the reasonably clear water that I
was hoping to see by now?? I don't expect miracles, and I know that the
oxygenators and surface cover need to become established before I get a
decent mini eco system operating there - but the murk that I look at
each time I work there is horrible - and at the moment, I am very
disappointed.
--

Roz Cawley
Autumn Cottage Diary http://www.autumncottage.co.uk

In article , Roz Cawley
writes
Ah, no, Jane - the bog garden is completely separate from the pond.
Separated by two recycled railway sleepers atop a bank - and very nice
they look too. The bog garden is lined (with blue plastic - cos it was
being buried) - and the new pond has a butyl liner. The soil in the pond
is definitely not full of nutrients - just full of clay!

Oh, it would be easier to show you a pic

http://www.delamici.demon.co.uk/pond1.jpg

OK, so it is the pond that is murky, not he bog pond!!
I should still plant lots of pond plants, put in lots of oxygenating
weed and wait.

I have a friend who dug a natural clay pond (ie it is a hole in an area
whose soil is solid clay - no liners of any sort) and it is now as clear
as a piece of glass.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

Roz Cawley wrote:

Hello Roz

RC I was thrilled when I had a new wildlife pond and bog garden
RC installed a couple of weeks ago - but not so thrilled to see
RC that the landscape gardener had lined the pond with the
RC subsoil that he had excavated from "the hole" - because our
RC subsoil happens to be horrible, yellow clay, unlike the
RC better, though sandy topsoil that he buried/left in a heap
RC at the side of the garden :-((.

You're lucky, not only to have clay available for lining, but also
having a gardener who knows how to use it. While clay is not without
its problems, it's done our canal network proud - and Brunels tunnel
under the Thames.

RC Two weeks later, and the pond water still has a murky,
RC yellow cloudiness - which I assume is the suspension of fine
RC clay particles still floating around in it.
RC Questions - will it finally settle more (am I just being
RC impatient?), or am I doomed to cloudy water unless I drain
RC the pond, scrape out the clay and add another layer of
RC larger particle topsoil?

Be patient. It will settle. You don't mention any pumps or fish or
anything, so I'm guessing it's just a hole full of water. Ponds can
take months to get settled, sometimes even years to look naturalistic.
Even with a butyl liner, the tiniest bit of soil entering the pond can
take weeks to settle.

RC Help, please - what can I do to get the reasonably clear
RC water that I was hoping to see by now?? I don't expect
RC miracles, and I know that the oxygenators and surface cover
RC need to become established before I get a decent mini eco
RC system operating there - but the murk that I look at each
RC time I work there is horrible - and at the moment, I am very
RC disappointed.

Don't look at it so often. Watched pot, and all that.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/