New pond next to a young tree

[max384]

I recently screwed up and managed to kill most of the fish in my pond (left hose on for a day and killed them with chlorine) yesterday. I'm thinking about turning my screw up into a positive and building a new pond, roughly twice the size of my old one, which I had been thinking about doing anyhow. The one I currently have is roughly 400 gallons and is right next to my house in my backyard. I want to relocate (as I really wasn't all that happy with the pond location anyhow) to the middle of my small in-town backyard. Now that I have a bit of experience with ponds, there are many things that I would want to do differently and better.

I have a five year old maple tree that I planted there last year. I want to put the pond next to the tree, kind of wrapping around it in a C shape, with the edge of the pond being about two feet from the trunk of the tree. However, I am worried about the root system rapidly ruining my liner. Is there anything I can do to prevent this (or at least slow it down)? Or should I abandon this idea? If so, how far from any trees should I place my pond?

If I likely don't have to worry about the roots for a few years, that is fine, as I'll likely be moving the pond or otherwise rebuilding... As that is just how I am. I can never be happy with keeping things the same!

By the way, here is a rough rendition of the pond I am envisioning:

 

[DrCase]

If its a Japanese Maple i would say go for it !!
If its a big Maple the roots are going to be a problem

 

[taherrmann4]

If it is a smaller tree I don't think you will have any problems. I have a japanese maple about 1' away from my pond/creek, a river birch about 2' away from the pond, and a dawn redwood (large tree) about 3' away from my creek and have not had any problems. I would go for it.

 

[max384]

It's a red maple, so it will eventually be big. Right now, it's trunk is only about 3 or 4 inches in diameter.

 

[addy1]

They grow slow, at least our maples do. Mine is a huge tree, 10 feet or so from the pond, saw no roots when I dug it. those seeds and flowers are a real ptia when they drop and the leaves

 

[j.w]

Yep if you put that pond under that red maple you might be sorry max. You said you planted it last year so it would still be able to be moved if you wanted to. Better w/ the tree further away if possible otherwise you'll be scooping leaves and whirly bird seed things out constantly. I've got a Japanese Maple near mine and it drops leaves too but at least it's not a big tree and is manageable.

 

[addy1]

I am cleaning out the skimmer at least 2 times a day right now due to the whirly bird seeds. they go every where.............anybody want some baby maples. Constantly pulling them up.

 

[j.w]

I have one of yours addy that came w/ some plants you sent me. It's in a little pot right now but soon I must figure out where to put it and it won't be near my pond,lol!

 

[max384]

They grow slow, at least our maples do. Mine is a huge tree, 10 feet or so from the pond, saw no roots when I dug it. those seeds and flowers are a real ptia when they drop and the leaves

My town is on the side of a mountain in a valley and the wind generally blows from the same direction most of the time. The way the wind blows, all the leaves and whirly seeds get funneled to where my pond is currently. I'm already constantly scooping leaves and such out of it. I'd guess it would be about the same right underneath the tree, since many of the leaves would be blown away from it to where my current pond is. It may even end up with less leaves in the pond... Though I may be underestimating how much will drop right below it.

Yep if you put that pond under that red maple you might be sorry max. You said you planted it last year so it would still be able to be moved if you wanted to. Better w/ the tree further away if possible otherwise you'll be scooping leaves and whirly bird seed things out constantly. I've got a Japanese Maple near mine and it drops leaves too but at least it's not a big tree and is manageable.

My yard is fairly small, so I can't really move the tree without worrying about it getting too large too close to the house. I also don't have a ton of other places to put the pond, as a large part of my yard is taken up with my kids' jungle gym thingamabob and sand box, and another part of the yard is sloped too much. I may have to end up scrapping this idea and sticking with what I have already.

I dunno. My biggest worry is really the roots damaging the pond liner.

 

[addy1]

I don't thing the roots of a maple with bother the liner, but not sure. I had a bunch of trees near my phoenix pond like 4 feet away, the roots never invaded the liner. This pond has two apples and one maple tree, so far so good, (pond just on its third year)

 

[taherrmann4]

I would go ahead and do it. My river birch has roots that extend a long ways and they can be quite large and have had no problems.

 

[addy1]

I have one of yours addy that came w/ some plants you sent me. It's in a little pot right now but soon I must figure out where to put it and it won't be near my pond,lol!

It will be a small tree for quite some time, they do not grow fast.

 

[CountryEscape]

If your tree is a hard maple variety, it will take a long time to grow and cause any problems, and since you say no problems in 3 years, go for it! I have soft maples in my yard, hate them. Ugly trees, breaking branches all the time, etc. Now, I DID plant a few hard maples, which grow much slower. Even a soft maple roots will likely redirect when they get to the liner. I asked about the oak tree that is only about 4' from my bog wall, and a (former) landscaper guy told me the roots will redirect if they hit the "wall". My tree is probably about 6-10 years old, I would guess. It is the only tree that will get big and look decent in my back yard. All other trees I planted are small types - Red Buds and Dogwood.
I say never stop thinking of building a larger pond, and if you go for it, make sure it is as big as you can go! You will not regret it. Good luck!!!

 

[max384]

I don't thing the roots of a maple with bother the liner, but not sure. I had a bunch of trees near my phoenix pond like 4 feet away, the roots never invaded the liner. This pond has two apples and one maple tree, so far so good, (pond just on its third year)

I might be able to keep the pound edge around three feet from the tree's trunk and still have enough room to have an 800-1000ish gallon pond.

I would go ahead and do it. My river birch has roots that extend a long ways and they can be quite large and have had no problems.

How far from the pond are your river birch trees?

If your tree is a hard maple variety, it will take a long time to grow and cause any problems, and since you say no problems in 3 years, go for it! I have soft maples in my yard, hate them. Ugly trees, breaking branches all the time, etc. Now, I DID plant a few hard maples, which grow much slower. Even a soft maple roots will likely redirect when they get to the liner. I asked about the oak tree that is only about 4' from my bog wall, and a (former) landscaper guy told me the roots will redirect if they hit the "wall". My tree is probably about 6-10 years old, I would guess. It is the only tree that will get big and look decent in my back yard. All other trees I planted are small types - Red Buds and Dogwood.
I say never stop thinking of building a larger pond, and if you go for it, make sure it is as big as you can go! You will not regret it. Good luck!!!

My maple is a red maple, which is a soft maple I believe. I do know they are fairly fast growing trees. I will likely be buying a new house in three or six years (depending on where I go from school). Not that I want to leave a mess for the new owners, but realistically I am most concerned about problems in three or four years. If I end up staying around this area, I would likely be ready to upgrade/improve by about three or four years. If I move, I will be digging a new pond anyhow.

 

[j.w]

I don't think the roots will bother your pond. Roots have a tendency to grow to the way of least resistance and when they come up to your pond edge they will turn to another direction. This is what I have learned from our garden radio guys. If you don't mind scooping or netting your pond to keep the leaves out then I say do it and since you aren't going to be there for but a few yrs enjoy it while you are there. Cleaning ponds builds strong muscles especially on nice young dudes,lol!