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How deep will your deep vs shallow shelves be? That's something I haven't decided on for my own pond.
Spring fed pond - Step 6: Landscaping and Lighting
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lauraleellbp, no matter what height most of the shelving ends up make sure you have a few strategically placed so you can climb in and out. So at least in one area shallow, medium and deep shelf next to each other.
All the rest:
Look up the plants you want. If they all seem to prefer deeper water then make most of the shelves deeper or set them on the bottom. If you want a mix, then make at least one shelf deep enough for the mid-range plants, then you can add a brick or something to raise the shallow water plants to the right height.
All the rest:
Look up the plants you want. If they all seem to prefer deeper water then make most of the shelves deeper or set them on the bottom. If you want a mix, then make at least one shelf deep enough for the mid-range plants, then you can add a brick or something to raise the shallow water plants to the right height.
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199 Posts
I'm hoping that just having the pump (Danner/Pondmaster Proline 2600) sending the water through the waterfall weir, which has a filter pad and bioballs, will be adequate. The guy at the pond store didn't seem concerned with that design. I really didn't want the expense and complication of having a skimmer since I planned on lots of floaters, but I guess I will see over time if I made the right decision.
I have a variety of depths: 12 inches-20 inches for the high ledges. I didn't really plan for them to be 20 inches deep, but when I put the laser level on the shoreline, it was obvious that I need to raise the lower pond edge up quite a bit; but I was too lazy to go back and raise the low spots on ledge. ~24 inches for the deepest part of the shallow end. ~36 inches for the deep lily shelves and 48 inches for the bottom of the deep end. It makes a nice stairway for me to get to all the levels. Those depths I hope will be good for the plants I plan on. I have many of them currently raised up on overturned pots since those are the recommended "mature" depths and, of course, all of my plants are newly potted.
I don't know exactly what soil was used for the plants I bought pre-potted in non-mesh/non-draining pots, but from the weight and color of soil that seeped out when I soaked them, it appears to have quite a bit of clay. They are topped with small gravel. The pond shop here will split/replant your overgrown pots including all the soil, new pot and gravel for just a few dollars a piece. For the plants that I got from the lake, I lined plastic mesh Laguna pond pots with landscape fabric and then put the plants in lake muck - which again in this area is very clay based. I topped with about 1 inch of small gravel. I have read that some are recommending just putting the plants in only gravel, with no soil at all. I might try a few that way to compare how they grow vs. the clay based approach.
I have a variety of depths: 12 inches-20 inches for the high ledges. I didn't really plan for them to be 20 inches deep, but when I put the laser level on the shoreline, it was obvious that I need to raise the lower pond edge up quite a bit; but I was too lazy to go back and raise the low spots on ledge. ~24 inches for the deepest part of the shallow end. ~36 inches for the deep lily shelves and 48 inches for the bottom of the deep end. It makes a nice stairway for me to get to all the levels. Those depths I hope will be good for the plants I plan on. I have many of them currently raised up on overturned pots since those are the recommended "mature" depths and, of course, all of my plants are newly potted.
I don't know exactly what soil was used for the plants I bought pre-potted in non-mesh/non-draining pots, but from the weight and color of soil that seeped out when I soaked them, it appears to have quite a bit of clay. They are topped with small gravel. The pond shop here will split/replant your overgrown pots including all the soil, new pot and gravel for just a few dollars a piece. For the plants that I got from the lake, I lined plastic mesh Laguna pond pots with landscape fabric and then put the plants in lake muck - which again in this area is very clay based. I topped with about 1 inch of small gravel. I have read that some are recommending just putting the plants in only gravel, with no soil at all. I might try a few that way to compare how they grow vs. the clay based approach.
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I didn't think of using clay based soil.... I have to dig a new hole for the bigger skimmer I picked up, and will be digging into pretty much straight clay (UGH), so maybe I'll use that with some aquarium gravel... Caribsea makes substrate but it's 20 bucks for a 20 pound bag, which would only fill about half a pot...
I think you should be fine without a skimmer. Just looking at your pond you seem pretty far away from any trees, I have an evil tree that drops all type of junk into the pond all year round, plus the bamboo (just ripped it all out this week). The multiple shelves will help you a lot, I only have one mid way at each side (around 24" deep, pond is approx. 5 feet deep), and it's hard for me to get in and out. (I'm 5 feet tall, when I stand in the pond I can't see out).
Thank you for the response btw! I'm excited to see your pond completed! You should be able to make a pretty beautiful and well disguised waterfall, especially with the hill next to the pond. Makes me wish I could have MPS LOL. But alas backyard is full...
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I'm planning on picking up a bag of Turface or SafeTsorb for potting. Figure it will be less messy than soil.
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199 Posts
Up and running in ghetto mode!
Lots of activity in the last week. The pond is finally full, lots of plants in place and we have fish!
Here is the final water level, just have the sump pump running through a garden hose at the moment to provide a bit of circulation. Quite a bit of pollen on the surface, but the water is still rather clear for having no filtration yet.
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Collected some free plants from the lake to fill in a bit more:
Sensitive Fern
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Pickerel Rush
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Eastern Marsh Fern
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Bought some Hyacinths
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I put 50 rosy red fathead minnows in even before the water level was final. :fish1: The latest residents for this year moved in on Sunday: 2 Orange Comets, 3 Sarasa White/Red Comets and 4 Shubunkin goldfish.
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The newcomers seem to please the existing neighborhood - this fellow came to visit but I hope it isn't expecting a minnow dinner:
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Loads of work to still do:
1) Streambed
2) Waterfall Weir
3) Final pump and waterline
4) External Landscaping
5) Dig 5 gallon well for spring water collection/fill.
Here's a quick video to capture the pond in full ghetto mode for posterity... (Yeah, I finally figured out how everyone embeds the youtube mini view window right in the post!):bounce:
Lots of activity in the last week. The pond is finally full, lots of plants in place and we have fish!
Here is the final water level, just have the sump pump running through a garden hose at the moment to provide a bit of circulation. Quite a bit of pollen on the surface, but the water is still rather clear for having no filtration yet.
Collected some free plants from the lake to fill in a bit more:
Sensitive Fern
Pickerel Rush
Eastern Marsh Fern
Bought some Hyacinths
I put 50 rosy red fathead minnows in even before the water level was final. :fish1: The latest residents for this year moved in on Sunday: 2 Orange Comets, 3 Sarasa White/Red Comets and 4 Shubunkin goldfish.
The newcomers seem to please the existing neighborhood - this fellow came to visit but I hope it isn't expecting a minnow dinner:
Loads of work to still do:
1) Streambed
2) Waterfall Weir
3) Final pump and waterline
4) External Landscaping
5) Dig 5 gallon well for spring water collection/fill.
Here's a quick video to capture the pond in full ghetto mode for posterity... (Yeah, I finally figured out how everyone embeds the youtube mini view window right in the post!):bounce:
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1,305 Posts
Congrats on getting it all filled up! Can't wait to see the waterfall/creek go in, it's going to be stunning!
Btw I wouldn't worry about the dragonfly with goldfish in there. We've had them land on the water, but most goldfish are such little piggies that they'll eat anything that hits the surface. (mine try to eat bubbles LOL)
Btw I wouldn't worry about the dragonfly with goldfish in there. We've had them land on the water, but most goldfish are such little piggies that they'll eat anything that hits the surface. (mine try to eat bubbles LOL)
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24,398 Posts
Oh fantastic!
Can't wait to see it with the plants all grown in.
Can't wait to see it with the plants all grown in.
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199 Posts
The sump pump is dead, long live the new pump!
The poor undersized sump pump gave up the ghost on Tuesday. So I quickly put together the first half of the plumbing - the pump, quick disconnect and 1-1/2 inch water line. I just put the other end of the hose between two of the future waterfall/stream rocks, but it doesn't look half bad. The circulation is huge compared to that little sump pump and all the debris in the pond is stirred up. Bad for now, but hopefully good once I get the filter in....
Pump fitting was only available in CPVC, water line is PVC.... you can't glue those two types of fittings together so... Ugh, quite the Rube Goldberg mess
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I had to paint it black to disguise it a bit...
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So, the pond is still in ghetto mode, but starting to pimp it a bit:hihi:
The poor undersized sump pump gave up the ghost on Tuesday. So I quickly put together the first half of the plumbing - the pump, quick disconnect and 1-1/2 inch water line. I just put the other end of the hose between two of the future waterfall/stream rocks, but it doesn't look half bad. The circulation is huge compared to that little sump pump and all the debris in the pond is stirred up. Bad for now, but hopefully good once I get the filter in....
Pump fitting was only available in CPVC, water line is PVC.... you can't glue those two types of fittings together so... Ugh, quite the Rube Goldberg mess
I had to paint it black to disguise it a bit...
So, the pond is still in ghetto mode, but starting to pimp it a bit:hihi:
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1,305 Posts
The rubber pvc couplings are awesome for connecting the one way valve (if you don't have one I highly recommend getting one, it's about 60 bucks-thats what I paid the other day, and it helps your pump out quite a bit.) to the flexible PVC. I swear by them, they last for an extremely long time, and I have no water leaks.
Example:
http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/it.A/id.722/.f
Totally worth the 7 bucks!
Example:
http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/it.A/id.722/.f
Totally worth the 7 bucks!
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199 Posts
Step 5: Building the waterfalls and stream
♫You load sixteen tons, what do you get?♫
♫Another day older and deeper in debt..♫
Well, maybe not quite that much, but I still moved at least a few ton of stone this weekend! Here are the supplies I gathered Friday night - from the leftovers when we built a wall 20 years ago...
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I started out by cutting away some of the excess liner and getting the underlayment ready to place after moving the rest of the stones out of the work area.
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The "Help" - NOT!.... Between Friday and Saturday morning, I must have found at least a half dozen of these helpers. Most were garters, but I also found one lone baby milk snake (or possibly a corn snake??) as I was moving the big flat rocks that had been dug from the pond excavation.
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I layed out the first few courses, then put the hose back on it to see if I was getting the desired effect. Looks like it will work well at this height.
After I had the stream nearly built to length, I hooked up the waterfall weir temporarily to see how large the flow would be so I could place it correctly at the top of the stream.
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I hope the whole thing doesn't slide down the hill with age and freeze cycles....
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The weir was leveled in a bed of sand, topped with a half concrete block for a stable base.
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The top will have a load more stones built up around it to make it blend into the hillside - so it seems a bit out of place still. You can see the rock I will be cutting to fit into the spillway sitting just in front of the weir.
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I ran out of time and energy, so I still need to foam in all the stream rocks and build up all around the sides and end of the stream. After all, I do need a second job after I get home from work each day :icon_roll. I did at least get most of my edge rocks placed around the pond itself.
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♫You load sixteen tons, what do you get?♫
♫Another day older and deeper in debt..♫
Well, maybe not quite that much, but I still moved at least a few ton of stone this weekend! Here are the supplies I gathered Friday night - from the leftovers when we built a wall 20 years ago...
I started out by cutting away some of the excess liner and getting the underlayment ready to place after moving the rest of the stones out of the work area.
The "Help" - NOT!.... Between Friday and Saturday morning, I must have found at least a half dozen of these helpers. Most were garters, but I also found one lone baby milk snake (or possibly a corn snake??) as I was moving the big flat rocks that had been dug from the pond excavation.
I layed out the first few courses, then put the hose back on it to see if I was getting the desired effect. Looks like it will work well at this height.
After I had the stream nearly built to length, I hooked up the waterfall weir temporarily to see how large the flow would be so I could place it correctly at the top of the stream.
I hope the whole thing doesn't slide down the hill with age and freeze cycles....
The weir was leveled in a bed of sand, topped with a half concrete block for a stable base.
The top will have a load more stones built up around it to make it blend into the hillside - so it seems a bit out of place still. You can see the rock I will be cutting to fit into the spillway sitting just in front of the weir.
I ran out of time and energy, so I still need to foam in all the stream rocks and build up all around the sides and end of the stream. After all, I do need a second job after I get home from work each day :icon_roll. I did at least get most of my edge rocks placed around the pond itself.
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Looking AWESOME!
Are you going to dig out some under the "river" liner to level out some of those blocks/stones?
I'd worry too about them slipping, otherwise.
Are you going to dig out some under the "river" liner to level out some of those blocks/stones?
I'd worry too about them slipping, otherwise.
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199 Posts
Almost a bloom, but instead a dud for the 4th....
Well, my Charlene Strawn waterlily tried, but had no success with the first attempt. It put up a bud on the second of July, but it never opened. A few days later, is sank back under the surface :icon_frow.
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Well, my Charlene Strawn waterlily tried, but had no success with the first attempt. It put up a bud on the second of July, but it never opened. A few days later, is sank back under the surface :icon_frow.
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Don't feel too bad lol. I bought a lily bulb from lowes, put the bulb in a pot, and weighed down the bottom with 4 pieces of stone, and my koi have knocked it off of the shelf a grand total of 5 times. Apparently they just don't approve of my attempts to grow plants other then floaters LOL.
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In the FWIW category...those snakes are natural pest control and harmless to humans.
The Corn snake BTW is primarilly a mouse eater, indicating a fair supply around.
Of course it's the adults which would eat mice. Say from 20" up.
Sounds like you are familiar enough/w them that you know which kind you are looking at. So you should know which should be removed. An excelent opportunity to teach young people real info about them instead of that mass hysteria BS.
The Corn snake BTW is primarilly a mouse eater, indicating a fair supply around.
Of course it's the adults which would eat mice. Say from 20" up.
Sounds like you are familiar enough/w them that you know which kind you are looking at. So you should know which should be removed. An excelent opportunity to teach young people real info about them instead of that mass hysteria BS.
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199 Posts
As I relook at the picture, I think I was wrong and it actually was a milk snake. Corn snakes aren't usually seen in upstate NY much...
When I was checking out the pond, I noticed that there are tiny fry all over the place. I think the fatheads have been spawning. Hope I mostly get the rosy color, but I wouldn't be surprised if they mostly regress to the natural fathead coloration...
When I was checking out the pond, I noticed that there are tiny fry all over the place. I think the fatheads have been spawning. Hope I mostly get the rosy color, but I wouldn't be surprised if they mostly regress to the natural fathead coloration...
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199 Posts
Waterfall nearly completed
Still need to finish the landscaping around the pond, but the basics were done mid-summer. The plants grew in quite well for the first year. The goldfish and fathead minnows multiplied massively but we lost one of the two baby turtles near the end of the summer. RIP Franklin, long live Leonardo. Of course several frogs miraculously appeared without any particulary help from me.... I don't have a picture of it, but I even found a baby bass in the bottom of a bucket that I had used to bring home plants from the lake. Somehow it survived all summer long and grew up in just rain water under some unplanted plants - I assume he thrived on mosquito larvae. I let him join the pond since I don't think he has any chance of decimating the hundreds of fatheads that now live there.
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Still need to finish the landscaping around the pond, but the basics were done mid-summer. The plants grew in quite well for the first year. The goldfish and fathead minnows multiplied massively but we lost one of the two baby turtles near the end of the summer. RIP Franklin, long live Leonardo. Of course several frogs miraculously appeared without any particulary help from me.... I don't have a picture of it, but I even found a baby bass in the bottom of a bucket that I had used to bring home plants from the lake. Somehow it survived all summer long and grew up in just rain water under some unplanted plants - I assume he thrived on mosquito larvae. I let him join the pond since I don't think he has any chance of decimating the hundreds of fatheads that now live there.
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