Building a Pond in (compost recycling) 10 Steps
No commentsBy Abel Jones
I found that prevention is better than cure! A garden pond must be constructed correctly to prevent a load of problems later on. This collection of tips covers pond construction, some ideas to copy nature, pump selection and even something on a bog garden.
These ten tips on how to build a pond have been acquired through experience. I have had my fair share of fixing leaking ponds. During these difficult times I have found some excellent solutions on how to build a pond that copies nature and which is durable.
1) Dig the pond hole slightly larger than the required final size. Avoid steep sides else all your lining materials will slide down to the bottom. This is an allowance for all the layers of material that will be placed in the hole. Line the hole with underlay or a thin layer of sand before you place the pond liner. This will prevent any sharp stones or roots from penetrating the liner and causing a leak.
2) Make indentations in the bottom of the garden pond hole where plants will be planted. Put down the underlay and pond liner. Place the plant pots in the preformed indentations and line the pond with a layer of washed river sand (sharp sand). Finally place the pebbles on top of the sand. Although your plants are still in pots, it will appear as if they are growing through the pebbles.
3) Make a ledge around the garden pond approximately 3 inches (75 mm) below the final water level. Build your rock edging on this ledge and backfill with soil. It will appear as if the rocks form a natural barrier keeping the water in the pond.
4) A sandy beach which gradually slopes into the water provides an excellent area for wildlife to get safe access to the water. Also make sure that there is a clear view for the birds from this beach. They will not feel threatened and will stay longer and possibly have a bath as well!
5) A durable garden pond is created by plastering the liner with a 25 to 35 mm layer of mortar. Mix 1 part cement with 2 parts river sand and one part building sand add a waterproofing agent. Use only enough water to make the mixture workable. Line the pond in one go. If you stop and start again you will have a crack in the pond.
6) Natural rock and mortar have different temperature expansion rates. This means that with time, cracks will appear between any rocks built into the edge of the pond and the mortar lining. Your pond will eventually leak. This is how to build a garden pond using a natural rock finish on the rim:
a) Line the pond with mortar.
b) Place a thick layer of mortar on the rim where the rocks will be placed.
c) Place a layer of plastic cling wrap on top of the mortar.
d) Firmly push each rock into its position on top of the cling wrap. The mortar will take the shape of the rocks.
e) Remove the rocks and cling wrap after the mortar has dried. Temporally store the rocks so that you will be able to position them back in exactly the same position later.
f) Apply silicone sealer to the mortar and “glue” the rocks into their correct positions. The seal will not be visible. Ensure that you use a non-toxic sealant or else your fish will surely die.
When dry, the joint will be permanently sealed! Please wait until the silicone has completely dried before filling the pond with water. This procedure requires patience, but is well worth the effort. Doing it right at the start will save you time and expenses later - Guaranteed!!
7) Use the correct size pump if you are going to filter the water and or have a fountain. Take the loss of head in the filter into account when choosing a pump. Also choose a pump one size larger than you think you will need. It is easy to throttle the flow back a bit if it is too much, but you cannot increase the flow if it is to slow!! Do not reduce the size of the pipes. Use the same diameter pipes as the pump inlet and outlet. Rather increase these diameters to reduce the friction in the pipes. High friction will reduce your water flow. Protect your pump by placing a nylon stocking (ladies pantyhose) over the pump suction. This will prevent dirt entering the pump and prolong your pump life. Replace the stocking often.
Hide your pump behind something in the pond. Pumps are unsightly and detract from the natural look and feel of a garden pond. Similarly hide the source of your water outlet. Let the water bubble out from beneath a few rocks or pebbles, or use large leaves to conceal the end of the pipe.
9) Choose different sizes of pebbles to line your pond. In nature pebble sizes differ. Three different sizes will suffice. Try and copy nature by putting a few larger rocks here and there. Having a rock protruding out of the water will also provide an ideal landing place for birds. Just don’t over do it. Nature is the best teacher on how to build a pond.
10) Keep your pond healthy by replacing some of the water every week. An excellent idea is to build a bog garden at the pond overflow. When you put fresh water into the pond, the overflow will keep the bog wet. A bog garden is made by digging a hole and lining it with pond liner. Push a few holes in the bottom of the lining with a garden fork. Fill the hole with special bog garden soil.
Now that you have a basic idea on how to build a pond, why don’t you give your garden a face lift?
To read about false acacia and umbrella thorn acacia, visit the Acacia Plant site.
Your Source For Composting Instructions And Information
Essential Tips To A Great Looking Landscape
By Tyler Michaels
Landscaping is something which anyone with a passion for can undertake and accomplish even without supervision. Landscaping just takes some creativity and a little bit of tools mixed with your basic skills and you’re all set. On this page, you will learn great ideas on how to make a landscape you have been dreaming of.
First, take a look at the areas you want to landscape. This is the very first thing that you should accomplish when doing any kind of landscaping. Take time to check areas from steep grades to elevated surface and from hillsides to rough grounds. By surveying the area, you can determine what design you want and what changes you need to do to have the landscape you want.
Secondly, create your landscape design plan. Its always important to make landscape plans. Creating a plan means that you will be designing your landscape by sketching it. You can either go with a basic landscape design tool or with an advanced landscape design tool. For basic design tools, you will need at least a pencil and a graphing paper for you to draw your designs. In using advanced tools, you are making use of some computer software where you make your designs using some graphic tools on the computer. These tools will generally help you in on how and what to design for your landscape.
Then, the next thing you must do is to find the materials you will use to make your yard. The first place which you should be looking for your plants, stones and other decorations you want to be placed in your landscape is on either some landscaping stores or your basic garden shop. By undertaking this task, you will be able to determine where you can get the best materials you want at the budget that you will be setting.
Afterwards, you may begin landscaping your yard by removing plants that you want to replace, mowing your lawn, plucking out grass and everything that needs to be changed or redesigned. You can call some members of your family and friends to help you out in doing all of these things.
These ideas are great when you want to accomplish your landscaping for yourself in creating your own design. If you accomplish your landscaping on your own, it will be inexpensive and it will provide you with the freedom to have whatever landscape you would want to have.
Get a great looking landscape with us at San Diego concrete contractors. Where we can design the perfect landscape at San Diego landscape design.
Mr. Mayor, Can You Stop Putting Poison On My Playground Please?
By Gen Wright
Imagine driving past a tractor trailer on your way to work and as you get up up next to it, you see a set of those diamond shaped haz-mat placards. There is a red one for flammable warning because the load is petroleum based. There is also a placard featuring a black skull and cross bones on a white background, because it is also a poisonous load. If that truck jack-knifed or had an accident with another vehicle the first responders would call in hazmat team to contain the spill and keep people away and safe from exposure. All the while praying it doesn’t get ignited. There would be some very nervous and tense moments. Now can you imagine that same truck parking in front of your house and pumping it on your property? Think that might give you some tense moments too?
Well that is exactly what is happening if you have a chemical lawn care service. The only difference is that in real life that tractor trailer unloads those toxic materials into another truck. But instead of having placards, this truck has beautiful color graphics with puppies and children. How is that for truth in advertising? Those little flags they leave in your lawn? That is not there to tell you they sprayed, as if everybody can’t smell it. It is there because the law requires them to warn people to stay off the grass!
Last week I received a piece of junk mail from a local lawn care service. It shows a picture of a cute little girl laying in the grass, nose to nose with an adorable puppy. The caption above the graphic reads, Doesn’t your family deserve a beautiful, environmentally-friendly lawn? Well that really annoyed me and it was the impetus for this article. We have idiots talking about spending obscene amounts of money to create green jobs that are based on what we now know to be junk science. At the same time our government is spending millions for toxic chemicals that destroy the balance of our eco-system. I guess common sense is no longer that common.
Millions of pounds of synthetic chemicals from weed killers to petroleum based fertilizers are on everything from lawns to the food we eat. These chemicals pollute our water ways and destroy the natural balance of our environment. This is not sustainable.
In my heart I am an organic gardener, so the word sustainable is deeply rooted in my core values. Sustainability is the fundamental truth of natural laws. It cannot swayed by populist opinion or political spin. The sooner society understands and accepts this fact the sooner we can heal our land. Our playgrounds and public parks should be a natural environment for local residents to share with their children, jog or walk the dog. We don’t need to be exposed to these toxins. Just look what it is doing to the streams and ponds, they are being destroyed by chemicals leeching off the soil into the groundwater. Algae blooms take oxygen out of the water which in turn kills the natural habitat for both plants and fish. Don’t take my word for it, go look for yourself! Then go to your local town board meeting with the photos and demand that they stop destroying our eco-system.
These toxic chemicals pose significant health risks yet they are allowed to be used on the grass we walk on and the food we eat. In the current economic downturn with out-of-control government spending why can’t we start eliminating the chemicals fertilizers and herbicides’ from our expenditures? Now that’s a solution we can all live with.
Copyright 2010 Greg Traver
Greg Traver is freelance copywriter and viral marketer. His articles are fun and fact filled while displaying a unique passion. To learn more or to contact him personally visit ===>
http://www.organic-gardening-for-life.com.
Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 10:40 pm and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
