What rock to border pond

[drjay9051]

Originally iI was going to build a small 8-10 ft diameter garden pond but I got carried away with the tractor and now have a 25x25 pond about 2.5 ft average depth. I have built in plant shelves etc.

Next consideration is the border. In the past I have used flat fieldstone type rock which gave good coverage.. Any thoughts on this vs small pea gravel?

I'm not sure which gives better coverage for the dollar but thought the gravel would look different. My only concern is keeping the gravel out of the pond and exposing liner.

A bit off topic:

I see most folks use the EPDM liner however I went with the following

http://americantilapia.com/

It is HDRPE and from what I have read is way more puncture resistant and does NOT require underlayment.This site offers free shipping as well. As I live just 30 minutes away I opted to pick it up.

Here is a video comparing the 2 types of liners.

It weighs way less than the EPDM and install was a breeze!! It is 30 mil but seems bullet proof.

Just sharing

 

[sissy]

I looked at that style liner also but did not get it because it would have cost more because they did not offer free shipping .A lot on here use some type of field stone or slate and then mix in some rocks and gravel and ground cover plants .Phlox is a nice ground cover plant because it flowers so pretty in the spring and spreads fast .

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I see most folks use the EPDM liner however I went with the following

http://americantilapia.com/

It is HDRPE and from what I have read is way more puncture resistant and does NOT require underlayment.This site offers free shipping as well. As I live just 30 minutes away I opted to pick it up.

Here is a video comparing the 2 types of liners.

Did you try contacting "Everything Ponds" to see if they would give you a discount on any of their liners with pen holes in them?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I would use nothing smaller than cobbles for the pond periphery.

And a side note to your off-topic comment about liner.
All of the various pond membranes have their own advantages....and disadvantages. HDRPE is a good serviceable membrane liner for use in larger installations. It does not have the flexibility of EPDM and would thus be harder to install in smaller Garden Ponds. As to puncture resistance, well, the real question is how much does one really need. Anything above that which provides generally accepted protection and puncture resistance is just overkill and really not required.
All pond membranes should be installed with an underlayment. This not only provides additional protection from punctures but also provides a layer of porosity for the underlying soil to 'breathe'.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Originally iI was going to build a small 8-10 ft diameter garden pond but I got carried away with the tractor and now have a 25x25 pond about 2.5 ft average depth. I have built in plant shelves etc.

Next consideration is the border. In the past I have used flat fieldstone type rock which gave good coverage.. Any thoughts on this vs small pea gravel?

I'm not sure which gives better coverage for the dollar but thought the gravel would look different. My only concern is keeping the gravel out of the pond and exposing liner.

A bit off topic:

I see most folks use the EPDM liner however I went with the following

http://americantilapia.com/

It is HDRPE and from what I have read is way more puncture resistant and does NOT require underlayment.This site offers free shipping as well. As I live just 30 minutes away I opted to pick it up.

Here is a video comparing the 2 types of liners.

It weighs way less than the EPDM and install was a breeze!! It is 30 mil but seems bullet proof.

Just sharing

If you are going to have gold fish that would probably be OK (although Goldfish get large too)...... But pea gravel and Koi does not work, I used it in some of my pots on my shelfs..... In a few days all the gravel is on the bottom and also if they can get to the dirt that's in those pots, it will be gone too....... Koi are wonderful fish but they can be destructive

 

[sissy]

True they sent me a sample and it was very stiff and even edges of it were sharp on my hands .I could put a pen hole in it .Maybe the guy is weak or the pen was very dull pointed .I liked it because of the weight .The sample they sent was a 12 x12 sample .

 

[CometKeith]

Dr Jay. That's cool you found an alternative liner, but for someone new on the site this seems like a lot of promotion right out of the box for a product. Do you have any connection to the distributor of the product?

 

[drjay9051]

Dr Jay. That's cool you found an alternative liner, but for someone new on the site this seems like a lot of promotion right out of the box for a product. Do you have any connection to the distributor of the product?

Honestly, NO!

It's just that after pricing the EDPM and adding shipping I found this guy doing a search on E bay.

I was surprised how much lighter the liner was compared to EDPM and when I saw free shipping I was sold.

The shipping for the EPDM was $170 and the 30x30 liner cost $100 more than my HDRPE. Also weighs about 100 pounds less so install was a breeze by myself.

Turns out his facility is only about 30 minutes from my home so I opted to pick up in spite of the free shipping offer.

There is a member on this forum (Addy, Adie??) who i believe used a similar product.

Again I have no connection to this guy but was very happy with the product so was offering a less expensive alternative to others building a pond.

BTW: The video i linked compares EPDM to RPE. My source sells HDRPE which I believe is superior.

Again, my word no connection, kickback or other reason to promote other than it seems like a great alternative

 

[Lisak1]

I think pea gravel would be nearly impossible to keep out of the pond - not that it would hurt anything were it to get IN the pond, but you would constantly be refreshing your border. I know this from personal experience, as we have a couple of areas around our (much smaller) pond where we used some pea gravel and I have to add more every year. It probably washes in some, gets kicked or stepped on, and gets worked into the surrounding soil. I would think on a large scale that would get really time consuming.

We'd love to see pictures of your pond!

 

[drjay9051]

I'll run out and take a pic. I wound up getting flat stones for a border. Only partly done. So far I have bought a ton of stone and may need more!

Never thought of the cost of stone when i got on the tractor ($495/ton!).

Also made a bog area for iris, cattails, daylillys etc. Second small bog for carnivorous plants, flytrap and pitcher plants. The 2 bogs are separate as the carnivorous plants need only peat and sand, too many nutrients will kill them.

I do not use my bog as filter. No electricity. I am trying all natural a la mother nature.

So far a couple of plants and 100 goldfish to get cycle going.

The common pothos plant found hanging in baskets actually does well in aquariums so i tossed a couple of bare rooted pothos in the pond.

This will be interesting. Pic on the way in 5-10 minutes after sip of coffee.

 

[drjay9051]

Pics:



Now I need to get to work on the pond. Oh yes, more coffee as well!!

 

[sissy]

Gosh I got free shipping from Dr Foster and Smith on my liners .It was epdm .I saw his video on youtube also and paid about 3 dollars shipping for the sample How big was your liner

 

[drjay9051]

Gosh I got free shipping from Dr Foster and Smith on my liners .It was epdm .I saw his video on youtube also and paid about 3 dollars shipping for the sample How big was your liner

Sissy:

It is a 30x30 also picked up a 12x15 for my bog area. Used the leftover waste for a secondary bog to hold carnivorous plants. Here is a pic. I just finished "rocking" the pond. Just need to fine tune.

I am exhausted!!

 

[drjay9051]

Sissy;

I see Foster Smith has free shipping but their sizes would not have worked for me. I had been referred to Webbs for lowest prices but shipping was extra.

 

[sissy]

I ordered a custom size 2 times from them but did it over the phone ,so maybe they took pity on the old lady 2014and and this year ,I have no luck with pond liners .Boy you are a busy pondbee .I see horses Horses at my other house 3 acres is to small so have almost 12 acres at the other house .Hubby only likes to feed them .I guess you will prove if the liner lasts or not at least it will be interesting as the pond progresses to some of the people on here considering the liner