First Pond Excitement!

[addy1]

My hot tub pond is 8x8 64 sq feet I have around 5-6 lilies in it, can't remember, I tend to cut off the dying leaves faster to keep room for the new. The lilies are doing fine even with the crowding.
I don't use the ones that have huge leaf spread.

 

[Lisak1]

@addy1 hit on the exact part of the equation that you need to factor in - how big does the variety you choose like to spread? We have one lily that spreads about six feet around and another that spreads only about 3 feet. There are tropical varieties that I've seen that spread 15 feet. So the answer is "it depends".

But don't make it a math equation - do what you like. Obviously you want to be able to see your fish, and maybe you'll have other plants that will also creep over the water. And your new lily will start with a few pads and soon will have a billion. We also go from roughly 75 percent covered to 40 percent covered when I get in and clean out the old, yellowing, tattered pads - a pond is never static. You also have to consider how much space you have that lilies will LIKE to be in. We keep ours back away from the waterfall, otherwise it's just a lot of pads all pushed to one side in the flow. And they don't like to be too deep in the pond, so that's a consideration also. So much depends on the construction of the individual pond.

 

[addy1]

do what you like.

lol one of the best pieces of advice, usually applies!

 

[Spanky]

We love it!

 

[Lisak1]

Looks beautiful!

lol one of the best pieces of advice, usually applies!

Always my favorite advice! Or as the kids would say "you do you, boo!"

 

[GBBUDD]

Came out looking great spanky, some creeping jenny growing over the sides of the bog would look really nice. give the contemporary flair a little life. And i love the color contrast from that pea gravel to the dark gray block around the outside that really makes it POP!!! Wish i had thought of it.

did you use a construction adhesive of some kind to set the block ?

 

[Spanky]

I don't know how I managed to post multiple copies of the same pics - sorry.

 

[j.w]

You did a great job and looks beautiful!

 

[Spanky]

Thanks all. @GBBUDD I used no adhesive, just dry stacked the blocks. I'll let you know if they move at all over the winter. I like the creeping Jenny idea.

 

[addy1]

I don't know how I managed to post multiple copies of the same pics - sorry.

fixed it for you

Love your pond! It looks great!

 

[Spanky]

Thanks @addy1 and thanks for modding this forum. Question for you and all: When I bring the skimmer pump in for the winter won't the bog water push down through the bottom manifold and equalize with the pond water level? That would leave just 5" of water in the bottom of the 12-14" deep bog. Will that kill my young, hardy plants (the taro is doomed in zone 5 of course)? Should I retrofit my plumbing with some sort of removable junction fitting to break the siphon and keep all the water in the bog?

 

[addy1]

Mine stays full of water, it does drop a bit below the gravel level. But not much. I think if the water goes that far below the plants they will die. The gravel will dry out. Mine freezes up hard.

I have mine built so it can not drain back down. The input line is above the level of the pea gravel, or right about equal to the level. Then it goes down to the manifold level.
I turn all off for the winter, my pump is external. Open the lines, leave any water in them that is there, pull the pump and so far, 9 years now, have not loss any pipes.

My pond is build on a slope so it was easy to build it this way without a lot of lines sticking up. The down slope side of the bog is a 8 foot berm of dirt built to make the land level.

 

[Spanky]

Good to know. Yes, my input line is above the gravel so should be fine. It comes up and over the bog wall down to the manifold. I used white pvc and painted it for UV resistance and to match the block walls. The bog will freeze up solid over winter. Btw I planted arrowhead sagittaria, blue pickerel, Louisiana iris, water celery, Chinese lizard's tail, variegated rush and variegated sweetflag. 6 small comets and shubunkins were added after Prime conditioning and beneficial bacteria. Now, 7 weeks later the parameters are good and water clarity is stellar. The pond is about 600 gallons, 200 gallon bog about half of which I suppose is water.

 

[GBBUDD]

If you drill a hole in the pipe at the top of the gravel just above the stone when you shut down the power or if you were to loose power it can create a siphon break , and prevent the water from draining back to the pond.

 

[addy1]

Mine has never drained back. So far.