Pond Beginner

[MariaTeresa]

Hello all!

Having wanted to put in a pond for years, last year I finally had the means to do it! The first experiment was only 2'x4' (18" deep) with a scrap of liner from my dad's pond. That tiny pond, although I only had it for a month or so, taught me some very important things...for example, that we have raccoons that love sushi. In July I began to dig the new pond, designed with the raccoons in mind. It is roughly kidney shaped, 10'x8' and 3' deep in the middle. It is situated in the only possible place, which also happens to have all the qualities you should avoid in siting a pond: on a slope, too far from electrical source, over a water pipe, underneath a large norway spruce that constantly sheds its needles, and with almost full shade. Due to the lack of electricity issue I had to create a solar powered system for a pump and aerator. I'm really looking forward to growing more plants in the pond this year and adding a few more goldfish (there are 4 right now).

-MariaTeresa

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Welcome! I'd love to see some pics!

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome, and yes, pictures!

 

[Rach B]

Racoons now theres something u dont get in the UK lol

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome Maria.

 

[Tula]

Welcome, happy ponding!

 

[MariaTeresa]

Thank you for the welcome, everyone!

Here are some pictures as requested. This first one is what the pond looks like today. It still needs a lot of landscaping done and I need to find a way to hide the tubing going to the waterfall. The irises, aquatic forget-me-nots, and bog bean are all starting to grow. I believe my arrowhead and pickerel weed died The lilies are showing any growth yet, so I hope they are okay!

This is the original "pond"....an old cement mixer. The birds loved to bathe in it.

Then I upgraded to the 2'x4' (those measurements are generous). The raccoons destroyed this one pretty quickly. My dad had given me a little koi for this 'pond' (he was supposed to get a goldfish!) that made out quite well until the raccoon ate it.

Last year's new pond: (The waterfall had not been connected yet.) There is a 1' wide and 1' deep shelf around the perimeter. It's kept the raccoons out so far, though they have knocked plants to the bottom. I need to find a way to secure the pots to the sides!

I use two 100watt solar panels connected through two charge controllers to three 26ah deep cycle batteries. A timer runs the waterfall with a 500gph attwood bilge pump while an aerator runs full time. A windstorm smashed one of the solar panels....but it still works very well!

-MariaTeresa

 

[Mmathis]

Sweet!

 

[j.w]

Maria Teresa
Fun seeing how you grew from your first cute little ponds to your most recent very nice looking larger pond.

 

[RobAmy]

Very nice and welcome

 

[MitchM]

Very nice progression, Maria. Welcome.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group, nice pond upgrades, love the solar.

 

[Tula]

Really neat to see someone using solar power. Thanks for sharing the pictures, your pond is lovely I'm sure others will chime in with some ideas for securing your pots to the sides.

 

[Priscilla]

Very nice. Great job on hiding the liner. A lot of people (including me) struggle with that.

You could try some rock on a roll to cover your tubing. I bought some and used it under my waterfall to cover some gaps and with the constant flow of water over it, it has blended really well in a few months. To begin with I thought it was a waste of money, but it has proven itself.

 

[CountryEscape]

Welcome, Maria! Love your pond pics as they grew! By putting in that shelf, you gave yourself a place for the plants, but also for the raccoon to climb in on the plants, thus plants falling to the bottom. The good thing is that the fish can go deep to stay away from the predator, so you fixed that problem. Maybe if you can tie the plant pots to the sides, that will keep them from going to the bottom, but it will also create a secure footing for the raccoon.
So nice you posted pics of your pond last year, with all the growth. Very nice. My lilies are just now growing, only have a few with pads on the surface. Don't give up on your pickerel yet either, they seem to sometimes come in late.
Super impressed with your solar system. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Last, once your plants fill in, there seems to be no need to hide that tiny bit of pipe that feeds your waterfall. Great job! I wish I had so little to hide on my pond edges.