How high can i rock pond wall

[addy1]

That is looking wonderful!

 

[GBBUDD]

That connects to an under-gravel suction grid for an airlift. I think you mentioned you tried, but could never get yours to work.

Oh I got them to work i have five 4 inch setup they work great there was one guy who showed how to make them slipping one pvc inside of another creating very very fine mist. Worked great but in the long run I couldn't see if working long term. So I went with the pump to the bottom of the bog.

 

[GBBUDD]

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[DerekOR]

Yes - mortar, concrete, and cement are not at all water tight. They will all leak/leech water. The only way to cure that is with an additive like Xypex.

For my pond, I put down geo-textile, EPDM liner, second geo-textile layer, then some rock/mortar. So the liner is keeping the water in .

Mortar is just cement and sand if folks don't realize that. Usually like 1 part portland cement and 3 or 4 parts sand. Sometimes they also throw in lyme for good measure. I did add a scoop of portland cement with 6 or 7 scoops of mortar just to make it a little more "sticky" and easy to work with.

I agree with you that cement would be a good patch. The particles are just a lot more small than mortar (because of the sand). So it can get into the cracks much better.

Thanks for pointing that out about water and mortar/cement/concrete. Freezing water is like the death of those! My mortar is much below the water line, and I'm keeping my pond running through the winter. I'm near the Portland, OR area so we don't get much if any freezing. Especially with the water flow. It's been down to 25F and no signs of ice anywhere that I've seen. I also insulated the pipes which aren't buried and got some heat tape for the water auto fill line. Hopefully I don't see any issues!

I sort of think if I never get ice that the mortar will hold together very well. After ~6 months there is absolutely not even the slightest indication of any issues with cracks or anything. And it is literally rock hard. I can pull on the rocks as hard as possible and not even a fraction of a millimeter of a budge. Anyhow - I guess we'll see after a couple years what happens. The walls definitely have an angle, so that will help as well.

 

[DerekOR]

That is looking wonderful!

Thanks Addy! I might need to pick your brain in 2021 on what sort of plants I should put around the pond and in the bog. I know absolutely nothing about plants .

I took some notes that Parrot Feather and Creeping Jenny might be good ones to have around the pond. I know you have tons or irises that also do well.

 

[DerekOR]

Oh I got them to work i have five 4 inch setup they work great there was one guy who showed how to make them slipping one pvc inside of another creating very very fine mist. Worked great but in the long run I couldn't see if working long term. So I went with the pump to the bottom of the bog.

Ahh - I see. I just got sort of like a bubble tube (it makes hundreds of bubbles a second kind of a thing) and it seems to be working great so far. Glad you got yours working, but I understand your decision to just forgo it. We'll see how well it works once I get fish in there . Hopefully it doesn't create just a huge mucky mess.

 

[addy1]

What zone? All of my stuff is hardy, if it is cold they live if we have a mild winter some live all winter.

Remind me in the spring, I, possibly, could ship you a box of just growing plants, best time to share. I just ask for postage. I will be pulling a bunch of yellow flag iris and other plants to start the spring with less.

 

[GBBUDD]

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Yeah your going to end up like me growing growing growing. Expecialy once the weeds start growing and the pond starts taking care of its self. I can see and island and the pond growing . You may say no now but as time goes on.

 

[GBBUDD]

Parrot Feather and Creeping Jenny might

Be careful with any plant that is labeled as invasive crepping Jenny sets roots out from and branches person every couple inches starting the next plant and parrots feather though beautiful ask anyone down south if they still like it as it grows and chokes out everything very quickly. We all want to see a landscape all mature and looking good but don't rush it once a invasive gets planted it can become a NIGHTMARE

 

[GBBUDD]

Ahh - I see. I just got sort of like a bubble tube (it makes hundreds of bubbles a second kind of a thing) and it seems to be working great so far. Glad you got yours working, but I understand your decision to just forgo it. We'll see how well it works once I get fish in there . Hopefully it doesn't create just a huge mucky mess.

I have thought about setting all 5 they are 60 inches long into the snorkel of the bog. Where tge bog i built is 6 feet deep the water should have enough to leach through the bog some water will get through if I reduce the fish load. It may be plausible to ma k e it work now that the bog is established. But I will loose the volume on the water falls.
I do believe I will decide to reduce my pump from 12000 gph to 8000

 

[DerekOR]

What zone? All of my stuff is hardy, if it is cold they live if we have a mild winter some live all winter.

Remind me in the spring, I, possibly, could ship you a box of just growing plants, best time to share. I just ask for postage. I will be pulling a bunch of yellow flag iris and other plants to start the spring with less.

Addy,

That would be awesome! I will definitely remind you when the time comes . I am in zone 8B. I would definitely cover shipping and handling. Thanks for the offer!

 

[DerekOR]

Be careful with any plant that is labeled as invasive crepping Jenny sets roots out from and branches person every couple inches starting the next plant and parrots feather though beautiful ask anyone down south if they still like it as it grows and chokes out everything very quickly. We all want to see a landscape all mature and looking good but don't rush it once a invasive gets planted it can become a NIGHTMARE

OK - that sounds like great advice. I will definitely do more research then before plopping anything into the pond. I don't want anything which can get out of control! Thanks for the tip.

 

[DerekOR]

I have thought about setting all 5 they are 60 inches long into the snorkel of the bog. Where tge bog i built is 6 feet deep the water should have enough to leach through the bog some water will get through if I reduce the fish load. It may be plausible to ma k e it work now that the bog is established. But I will loose the volume on the water falls.
I do believe I will decide to reduce my pump from 12000 gph to 8000

I sort of went pump crazy. I got two 5,800 gph in parallel, so almost 12,000 gallons an hour. I will need to put in two more pumps down the road once the upper pond is complete. One to suck from the lower pond to the upper pond and one to just circulate through a skimmer. The upper pond is going to be a swim pond for the family. I will likely do undergravel suction there as well. But I've seen several folks say you don't want a gravel/rick rock bottom in a swim pond. Maybe because all the sediment builds up? I'm not sure exactly. I think if I have the bog filtration and the suction it will keep everything going where it won't build up tons of muck. Have you ever heard anything about that?

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes and the solution seems to be an upflow from the bottom of the pond. Placing large flat stones across the bottom letting tge water flow between the cracks. I swim in my pond all the time it does get a bit merky if I hadn't been in in some time. But the pump usualy has the water clear in an hour or two

 

[DerekOR]

Yes and the solution seems to be an upflow from the bottom of the pond. Placing large flat stones across the bottom letting tge water flow between the cracks. I swim in my pond all the time it does get a bit merky if I hadn't been in in some time. But the pump usualy has the water clear in an hour or two

OK - that sounds like a great idea. The upflow must keep all the junk from settling I guess. And the flat stones would be nice for walking around. I will definitely have to use this. Thanks again GBBUDD!