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My New Concrete Pond Project - Help - Advice needed

Hi Martin,

Thanks for that. Still can't get the thought out of my head though. You have seen the pictures of my pond, how would you suggest I suspend the pots with the plants in as you have proposed.

At the moment because the pond is so deep I have used large plastic milk crates to raise the level and sat the pots that I do have with plants in on top of them. They do grow but its a pain taking them in and out to do maintenance and cleaning.

Cheers,

Steve
 
Lots of Koi ponds have vegetable filters as they are called, these are normally extension to the pond IE a small (or large) shallow pond filled with inert gravel where water from the main pond is passed through & back into the main pond. We use inert gravel so the plants feed on the ponds excess nutrients.
In your case you could hang lily baskets from screw fixed just above water level.
 
Hi I don't think I am going to go down the vegetable filter route. I have thought about screwing plant baskets to the wooden frame around the front and on the back wall but never got around to it.

I still want fill my pond full of soil and plant it but I am worried about ammonia build up any toxic foul smelling gas killing all the fish. Ponds in nature have soil bottoms why can't mine? :(

Steve
 
Please do not take the following personally. :D

REDSTEVEO said:
I still want fill my pond full of soil and plant it but I am worried about ammonia build up any toxic foul smelling gas killing all the fish. Ponds in nature have soil bottoms why can't mine? :(

Lots of reasons really, but it comes down to the fact that at the end of the day all you have is a "small sealed container" If your pond was huge then over time it would probably build up its own natural ecosystem.

A fish / koi pond is just that, but enjoy it for what it is. For what its worth, I have a dedicated fountain pool, I would never dream of putting fish or plants in it, I enjoy it for what it is.
 
No problem Martin, I welcome all feedback as part of the learning process. ;)

I do enjoy it as it is but I always look for new or better ways of doing things or looking for ways of overcoming problems.

I will revisit this in the spring, especially the eco system which I don't think I have got quite right.

Cheers,

Steve
 
Hi everyone, just a bit of an update on this post. It has now been three years and seven months since this pond was built. I have still got all the original fish and in general the pond is okay. All the fish have spawned at some stage including the Koi but I don't see many of the fry because they either get eaten or sucked into the two large Oase pumps i have in the pond.

What I still have a problem with is the depth, by problem I mean planting the pond. I have spent a fortune on pond plants every year only to see most of them die off and need replacing the following year. This is because most plants available are not suited to sitting at the depth of the bottom of this pond which is over 1 and half meters deep. I have tried building platforms using milk crates to raise the height but this is still only a temporary fix. I need to find a long term solution. I have thought about emptying the pond and filling it with concrete to raise the bottom level by about a foot and a half, but I don't really want to lose the volume of water I have in there.

I am thinking this year of trying to put an artificial base raised up in a sort of Plenum fashion with filtration underneath it to keep the water circulating. I am thinking plastic milk crates as the base layer, then egg shell crating (plastic) on top of them. Then cover the egg shell crating with a fine plastic mesh from the garden centre. Then a base layer of gravel on top of that followed by a load of aquatic soil. Then completely plant the soil with loads of plants, oxygenating plants, grasses, lilies, and border plants etc. What I want is a more natural look on a permanent basis. This all sounds a bit complicated and I am not sure what it will turn out like or how hard it will be to maintain.

So if anyone out there has got any brilliant simple ideas I can't wait to hear them. Hopefully the pond gurus will be able to help.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Regards,

Steve.
 
Hi Steve,
are you wanting planters in the centre of the pond? If not you could screw some brackets to the sides and hang planting baskets from them, once grown in you will never see the brackets.....
 
I would just get some lily's, there are many varieties that enjoy a range of water depths, that always makes ponds look more natural. Then add some fixed planters to the side/back wall which you could top with stones/gravel for a more natural look to house some grasses, iris, creepers etc which will soften the lines.
Without major surgery to add shelves in, this is likely your best bet. Personally i wouldnt even consider making the pond shallower or adding ledges as water depth and volume is a good thing in our climate.
You could also add brackets to support underwater beams across the width of the pond and sit planters on that, that way the water area underneath is not compromised or taken up with crates etc.
cheerio
ady.
 
Redsteveo, all I can suggest is you look on the web for pictures of ponds and see what it is that YOU like, since there are no hard and fast rules for "decorating" a pond. (Other than things you should NOT do)

To be honest, I think the "Underwater beams" idea is not really for you, since that would mean all the plants could only be in a strait row, and what would the beams be made of (rhetorical question)
 
and what would the beams be made of
plastic guttering/drain pipe perhaps? :).....i know it sounds a bit slap dash, but just throwing some ideas out there to get the thought process going. I used plastic guttering to edge my pond and have some small grasses in them to soften the edges of the otherwise formal pond, you cant even see them now, black guttering in a black pond. You could also add the angle joints to create more elaborate shapes.
 
Its just that you did say
underwater beams
To me (and most?) that is something like (Which is not a good idea)

reclaimed_SS_1.jpg


But now you mention black plastic drain pipe, I see what you mean, but its going to be strait unless it has a lot of support, and I personally don't like plants in koi ponds, because they can become curios and dig the plants up (try) or eat them, but then its not my pond.
 

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My pond has a shallow section, fully soiled and planted with mostly British natives. The goldies and koi wreck it every may, just as it starts looking good. But its a haven for fry , bugs, critters and dragonfly. originally, the pond was just s 6' deep rectangle, but with the addition of a tacked on shallow section , transforms the pond from a pretty sterile big fish zone into a bit of a wildlife magnet. The big koi can cause plant carnage though. But I am sure it brightens his life. I also use floating islands. Planted with water mint and veronica beccabunga. Water mint is a great hiding place for fish and removes organic waste like no other.
 
I would just get some lily's, there are many varieties that enjoy a range of water depths, that always makes ponds look more natural. Then add some fixed planters to the side/back wall which you could top with stones/gravel for a more natural look to house some grasses, iris, creepers etc which will soften the lines.
Without major surgery to add shelves in, this is likely your best bet. Personally i wouldnt even consider making the pond shallower or adding ledges as water depth and volume is a good thing in our climate.
You could also add brackets to support underwater beams across the width of the pond and sit planters on that, that way the water area underneath is not compromised or taken up with crates etc.
cheerio
ady.

Hello Ady,

Sorry for the delay in replying. You have made some great suggestions, certainly given me some food for thought and I really appreciate your taking the time to reply.

Once I come up with my final plan I will post some pictures up. Do you have the names of the lilies that can grow from deep down?

Thanks,

Steve.
 
Redsteveo, all I can suggest is you look on the web for pictures of ponds and see what it is that YOU like, since there are no hard and fast rules for "decorating" a pond. (Other than things you should NOT do)

To be honest, I think the "Underwater beams" idea is not really for you, since that would mean all the plants could only be in a strait row, and what would the beams be made of (rhetorical question)


I like the pictures of Clives Pond in his article on adding dry ferts to his pond, something about frightening te gardner?

Cheers,

Steve
 
My pond has a shallow section, fully soiled and planted with mostly British natives. The goldies and koi wreck it every may, just as it starts looking good. But its a haven for fry , bugs, critters and dragonfly. originally, the pond was just s 6' deep rectangle, but with the addition of a tacked on shallow section , transforms the pond from a pretty sterile big fish zone into a bit of a wildlife magnet. The big koi can cause plant carnage though. But I am sure it brightens his life. I also use floating islands. Planted with water mint and veronica beccabunga. Water mint is a great hiding place for fish and removes organic waste like no other.



Hey what is this about floating islands and what does water mint look like?

Thanks,

Steve
 
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