Messages

1

Pond Chat / Re: Newbie (OK sophomore) questions

« on: March 10, 2012, 07:55:04 PM »

Thank you, all, for very helpful guidance!! I'm now optimistic, and eager for summer!

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Pond Chat / Newbie (OK sophomore) questions

« on: March 09, 2012, 07:16:41 PM »

I put in a 5'x7' in ground pond last year which I made way too deep. I'm in Phoenix where the ground is like rock and the heat oppressive. Why did I dig down 36"??
I put in 5 lilies in one gallon pots and got OK foliage but few blossoms. Why??
I fertilized monthly with spikes. Tried a bit more frequently w/o improvement.
I want to put in more pots to get better foliage cover and cut down on the algae growth (a real issue here). Is now the time to get those lilies? We'll be in the low 80's next week.
Best source for plants?
I'm wondering if I'd have more blossoms if I elevated the pots off the bottom a little so they'd get more light, and be warmer sooner.

As you can tell, I'm still trying to figure this out and any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

3

Pond Chat / Re: Help! Newbie with a mess

« on: May 10, 2011, 12:04:23 PM »

OK, I just read the Wikipedia article on flocculants. Had no idea! Which flocculant is appropriate for use in a pond?

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Pond Chat / Re: Help! Newbie with a mess

« on: May 10, 2011, 10:39:26 AM »

The lily starts were given to me already planted, and in the spirit of "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" (plus, I have no clue about most of this) I can't say if there was adequate gravel on top or not. And I sure can't see now!
Never thought about the goldfish messing around with the pots. Maybe I'll get in the pond (yes, because I made it so deep I have to climb in to do anything ) and add some gravel to the top of each of the pots.

What are floculants?? Is that what my wife complains about me doing in my sleep? And how does that clean up pond water??

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Pond Chat / Help! Newbie with a mess

« on: May 10, 2011, 08:04:44 AM »

I made a pond this winter, an in-ground that's 6' x 7' x 32" deep. A "box" with cinder block sides and a pond liner. Put in lilies I was given by a friend and they're doing great. When I put them in some of the silt from the pots rose and clouded the water but it eventually settled to the bottom, and after killing off an algae bloom I had clear water. Sweet!

Last week I put in several large goldfish I got free via Craig's List. Their swimming action has stirred up all that silt and now the water is so "muddy" that I can't see six inches down. Five days later, no change.

"Take out the fish." But I can't see them.

So... drain the water down enough to capture (and do serious harm to!) those buggers? Continue cleaning my filter ever 24 hours for the next two years? Hook up a 12v battery and two leads?

I was going to proceed with the draining but as a newbie I don't know what that would do to the lilies.
Help!! (please )

6

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: New lily pond, ready for fill? (newbie)

« on: December 29, 2010, 02:56:58 PM »

Tammie - thanks for the helpful advice. Question: my pond is 32" deep, so I planned on setting the pots on PVC platforms I'll make to have them at about 24" below the surface. Will the roots, if they jump the pots, reach down to the dirt? If they do get out of the pot can I just trim them back w/o damage to the lilies?

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Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: New lily pond, ready for fill? (newbie)

« on: December 29, 2010, 12:24:12 PM »

Understood. Which is why I'm going to make a hand skimmer out of PVC pipe and fabric, similar to a pool skimmer net only finer. I figure once a week or so I'll run that over the surface to get that dust, leaves, scum, etc.

8

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: New lily pond, ready for fill? (newbie)

« on: December 29, 2010, 10:58:04 AM »

What we have here cannot be described as "dirt" by any definition of the term. "Clay" would be a great compliment. It's the desert, and there's a reason nothing grows here.
If I go with a filter I'll set it up on a block to keep it off the bottom. The risk puncturing the plastic was too high to leave it as the exposed surface. If I have trouble I'll drain it next winter and cement the bottom but I think I'm going to try no filter, no fish and an algaecide if I have a problem with that. A friend here with a similar pond has a very basic pump/filter from Home Depot that's suspended in his pond, and I can always add that, too. My  pond is small enough that a complete draining next winter won't be a big deal if more is req'd.

Unless you are all shaking your heads and thinking, "He's going to be sorry!"
eh?

9

Pond Construction & Filtration / New lily pond, ready for fill? (newbie)

« on: December 14, 2010, 05:57:56 PM »

It's roughly 6'x8' and 32" deep. The desert ground here is incredibly HARD and digging (read: pickaxing) was a bear. But the finally-finished hole is lined with two layers of 6 mil black plastic. Then I built walls inside of that using 6"x8"x16" cinder blocks, filled with excavated ground. The insides and above-grade portions of the outside were coated with mortar mix and painted with DryLok. I put about an inch of dirt back in the floor to protect the plastic from abrasion.

I've done LOTS of reading on options for filtering. Today I had an email exchange with someone from The Water Garden who suggested I could go without any filter. He suggested, as one option, skipping the goldfish and using chemicals for mosquito control, and a lily-safe algaecide if necessary.

I'm doing this DIY project on a budget and saving the $$$ for a filter/pump system (submersible) sounds very good to me! My design allows for a filtering system (elec. connections nearby and channels for the wiring) so I can add one later if necessary. But is going without one a legitimate option?

Also, I've read hear about the water in a new pond taking time to "cycle." Can someone point me to helpful reading on that topic? Is that something that needs to happen before I put in the lilies? This is "winter" here in Phoenix (normal daytime temps in the low 60's) so blooms are a few months away. Good time or bad time to plant?

Thank you!
Craig
P.S. I've tried to attach a pic. Don't know if it will show up. I used the "attach" function but it doesn't show in the preview. Hmmm.