First Autumn - leaves galore.

[James_Pond]

I totally agree to use the nets with the larger holes. That awful berry netting you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes catches on everything and its hard to work with. Little creatures get caught in the berry netting also. I had to cut a gardner snake out of one and it was badly cut. NO BERRY NETTING!

I'm looking at netting then. It seems the way to go. I'm thinking of getting some kind of tunnel effect so that birds and frogs etc can enter at either end still. I know I'll possible get some leaves but I don't want it to be completely enclosed to nature.

What size mesh holes do you recommend?

 

[mondotomhead]

I'm looking at netting then. It seems the way to go. I'm thinking of getting some kind of tunnel effect so that birds and frogs etc can enter at either end still. I know I'll possible get some leaves but I don't want it to be completely enclosed to nature.

What size mesh holes do you recommend?

Its not so much the mesh hole size its the thickness of the net "strings". The berry netting is very fine and thin...awful stuff. Home Depot and Lowe's have different gauge nets you could check out.

I also left openings for the birds, frogs, bees and dragonflies. You're trying to keep out the majority of the leaves. If some get it your pond that's ok. You just don't want the entire forest of leaves in there!

 

[morewater]

A leaf net is designed to keep out larger leaves due to the mesh size. Leaf nets are absolutely useless for leaves such as Locust and for pine needles.

As to keeping holes open for birds, blah, blah, blah..................if you're going to have a hole, while continually worrying about how all the poor, little animals are going to get a drink, etc., what's the point of putting a leaf net over your pond?

It's either netted or it's not netted, simple.

 

[Mmathis]

If there's a way to "dome" your net or angle it with a high end - low end, it could help funnel the leaves to the sides of the pond instead of ending up with a dump forming in the middle of the net.

 

[sissy]

bird bath for birds .I made concrete leaves from my elephant ear leaves and have birdbaths they prefer that way .You can put them any where for the birds .

 

[morewater]

Toss a couple of those big-ass yoga balls in the pond to keep the net suspended over the water surface, blow-up beach balls, etc., etc.

 

[Fishfinder]

To prevent snakes from being caught up in a net with tiny weave, I bought a net with weave which is actually too large, but at least there's no danger to the snakes that have always hung around the pond.

Unfortunately, it does mean netting leaves out of the pond, and sometimes the leaves clog the pumps. It's not fun going into chilly water to clean out pumps. The fish probably aren't thrilled about it, either.

 

[Mmathis]

bird bath for birds .I made concrete leaves from my elephant ear leaves and have birdbaths they prefer that way .You can put them any where for the birds .

How did you make that? So cute!

 

[Mmathis]

Toss a couple of those big-ass yoga balls in the pond to keep the net suspended over the water surface, blow-up beach balls, etc., etc.

Now that you mention it, I recall seeing something like that! Good idea!

 

[Tula]

I have a fine mesh net, as I had a huge Cedar tree over my pond....till it came crashing down last Spring I'm using cement blocks around my pond, with which PVC pipes, so my net will be slightly elevated...which could be a good thing for frogs etc. However, my primary reason for doing this, is I'm covering my pond this winter.

 

[sissy]

you can use window screening also .

 

[gittyup]

Not to steal the thread, bu i s it OK to use a net to scrape leaves off the bottom of a rubber lined pond with a pool net?

 

[sissy]

I think a lot of us use pool nets

 

[Mmathis]

Not to steal the thread, bu i s it OK to use a net to scrape leaves off the bottom of a rubber lined pond with a pool net?

Yes

 

[teeemkay]

Not to steal the thread, bu i s it OK to use a net to scrape leaves off the bottom of a rubber lined pond with a pool net?

Sure. I use a pool net for leaf removal. As long as there are no sharp metal edges that could damage the rubber liner, it's fine.