Re: Digging a new pond

[Gail Futoran]

"animaux" > wrote in message
...
> My husband doesn't know it, yet, but I plan to dig a hole
for a liner and make a
> larger pond. This situation is different in that where I
want to put the pond
> is in full sun in summer, but mostly shade in winter.
Will that effect
> anything?

You'll probably get lots of string algae. That's the main
reason I shade my ponds, even though I also have hardy
lilies & other plants that cover a lot of surface area. And
I still get some algae.

> In that spot, the slope is about 5 degrees away from the
house. I suppose on
> the shallow end I would imitate a "beach" so would have to
figure a way to keep
> the edge up enough so the pond doesn't just pour off. Any
suggestions?
>
> I can do the research, and I will, but if anyone actually
has this situation
> please let me know what you did.
>
> Victoria

We put in a slightly above ground-level pond about this time
last year with a raised edge consisting of 2 levels of house
brick. The liner wraps around the outside of the brick then
back over the top so that the highest water level is higher
than ground level. The top of the brick is finished off
with paving stones and flagstone (whatever I could find
locally) which covers the liner. I had seen the design in
several (Ortho, Sunset) water garden books and it seems to
work.

Leveling was a problem and I'm still working on that but
since I only have minnows in there, and whatever else shows
up (snails; a gadzillion toad tadpoles), I'm not too
concerned about perfection. The pond is still plenty deep
(about 24") for the few fish in there to handle temperature
changes.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8

[RichToyBox]

New pond, great. As for the sun and shade, it would probably be better the
other way around, but the pond will do fine.

As for the digging and the slope away from the house, always throw the dirt
downhill. This raises the lower end to make the pond level. Even the
uphill side needs a little more dirt to raise the edge to keep runoff out of
the pond. If the slope is large, as was mine, you may only have to dig half
a hole. My larger pond has only one shovel depth of digging on the low
side, and yet it is about 3 1/2 feet deep. The digging from the uphill side
was used to build a berm and then landscape blocks used to hold that dirt
up.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"animaux" > wrote in message
...
> My husband doesn't know it, yet, but I plan to dig a hole for a liner and
make a
> larger pond. This situation is different in that where I want to put the
pond
> is in full sun in summer, but mostly shade in winter. Will that effect
> anything?
>
> In that spot, the slope is about 5 degrees away from the house. I suppose
on
> the shallow end I would imitate a "beach" so would have to figure a way to
keep
> the edge up enough so the pond doesn't just pour off. Any suggestions?
>
> I can do the research, and I will, but if anyone actually has this
situation
> please let me know what you did.
>
> Victoria

[RichToyBox]

New pond, great. As for the sun and shade, it would probably be better the
other way around, but the pond will do fine.

As for the digging and the slope away from the house, always throw the dirt
downhill. This raises the lower end to make the pond level. Even the
uphill side needs a little more dirt to raise the edge to keep runoff out of
the pond. If the slope is large, as was mine, you may only have to dig half
a hole. My larger pond has only one shovel depth of digging on the low
side, and yet it is about 3 1/2 feet deep. The digging from the uphill side
was used to build a berm and then landscape blocks used to hold that dirt
up.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"animaux" > wrote in message
...
> My husband doesn't know it, yet, but I plan to dig a hole for a liner and
make a
> larger pond. This situation is different in that where I want to put the
pond
> is in full sun in summer, but mostly shade in winter. Will that effect
> anything?
>
> In that spot, the slope is about 5 degrees away from the house. I suppose
on
> the shallow end I would imitate a "beach" so would have to figure a way to
keep
> the edge up enough so the pond doesn't just pour off. Any suggestions?
>
> I can do the research, and I will, but if anyone actually has this
situation
> please let me know what you did.
>
> Victoria