Garden pond ideas ...?
Question:My boyfriend and I are desiging a pond for our garden. We want it to be small but it has to have plenty interesting features. Any ideas before we start?
Answers:
This is what I wish I had known before I installed my pond!
The idea "garden pond" must have a small ecosystem of its own. The following are ideal components:
1. Fish. The pond, however, should be at least 18 inches deep to support fish. Reason: Fish eat algae. So do snails, but fish eat snails.
2. Water plants. Both the kind that grow in the water (water lilies) and float on the water (water hyacinth). Reason: Shade and oxygen for fish.
3. Aeration. A waterfall, sprayer, or bubbler attached to a pump. Reason: Circulate your pond water, adding oxygen for fish; keep the water clear.
4. Bacteria. This is not difficult. You can buy "beneficial bacteria" in powder, liquid, or ball form and add it to your pond. Reason: This natural bacteria combats algae and balances your pond water.
5. Sun and shade in equal amounts. Too much sun = hot water = massive algae growth, dead fish. Too much shade = dead plants, murky water.
Now that you know what goes IN your pond, let's talk about buildiing it.
1. Preformed plastic pond versus liner. Preformed plastic = tough, almost unpierceable. Liner = easier to pierce, but you can make the pond whatever shape you want.
2. Waterfall = harder to build and maintain but beautiful and sounds soothing. Waterfall pumps cost more. A waterfall also may not be suitable for your smaller pond. Bubbler/sprayer = less expensive, but be sure to get one you can adjust the flow on, to control how high/far it goes.
3. Pump = this should be big enough to "turn over" or circulate your entire pond volume in 1 hour. In other words, if your pond is 300 gallons, buy a 300 gph (gallons per hour) pump.
4. Placement: Partly under a small tree is good. This gives part shade/part sun. Do not put the pond where rainwater runoff will go into it; this can add chemicals, dirt, etc. to your pond. Yes, the tree may drop leaves in; that's why you put it partly under the tree instead of directly.
5. Landscape around your pond. This is what makes it interesting. Do you want a formal ("I put this pond here") or informal ("Nature put this pond here") look? Boulders, ornamental grasses (like monkey grass), and flowers like iris and daylilies look natural next to a pond.
How do I put the liner/preformed plastic in the ground??
1. Mark the spot you want. Wait a couple of days; look at it from different angles.
2. Dig! This requires patience. The hole must be shaped right if you are using a preformed liner. If your soil is rocky or hard, it takes longer. If you are using a liner, you should put sand in the bottom. Be sure to "backfill" once you have your pond/liner in place to avoid gaps. Wet dirt digs up easier but is heavier.
3. Add your pump/sprayer.
4. Fill your pond. If you are using chlorinated water, you must wait (some say 24 hours; I say 48) for the chlorine to dissipate before adding fish.
5. Add fish, plants.
6. Landscape around your pond. I spent 6 months searching on the internet for images of "pond", "backyard pond", "pond landscaping" to get ideas. I put the photos I liked in a desktop folder. Your pond won't look like the photos, of course, but you can get small ideas from the photos and make your own unique pond. You can also find photos of ponds you DON'T like so you won't make the same mistakes those pond owners made.
I am sorry this is so long. However, this is everything I learned (some before, some during, some after) I made my 800 gallon fishpond with a waterfall last year. Happy ponding!
plan what plants u want around the feature and determine if u wnt a theme (japanese ect)
have a rock feature
maybe have a couple goldfish in it
get water lillys soooo pretty
make sure u dont make it under a tree or plant that is goin to drop debre constantly into the pond
There are many things to consider. The smaller the pond the harder it will be to keep up. Any problems will quickly effect the whole pond. What zone are you in and will you have to plan for winter kill? Is it in full sun? What kind of preditors do you have? Racoons? Herons? Cats? Do you have a power source at the pond? Buried power or phone lines to watchout for?
If the pond is in full sun you will be dealing with algae. If there are preditors you will have to buy netting or motion sensor sprinkler. If it freezes where you are then if you plan on overwintering fish you pond will have to be a foot deeper than your frost line with a decent area for the fish to overwinter. Any small pond needs a pond pump to arate the water and it would not hurt to add a filter to this list. You will need a power source for your pond and preferably one that is installed by a certified electrician.
Before you think about a design you need to think about these pre design issues first.
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