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Popular Addition to Landscape Water Gardening • Sense of Tranquility • Sign of Wealth in Historical Times • High-Maintenance Feature – – – – Regular Leaf Removal Refilling Annual Winterization Spring Set-Up Location of Garden • 5-6 Hours Direct Sunlight Daily • Choose Tolerant Species if in Shadier Location – Some Bog Plants Can Survive in Shadier Locations • Shading in Afternoon more Desirable • Ponds under Trees Require extra Maintenance Location of Garden • Level Location • Well-Drained Soil – So Soil Doesn’t Shift around Liner • Convenient Water Source for Refilling – Leaves and Debris can Decay and Clot Filters and Fountains Pond Construction • Before Age of Plastics – Only Way to Build Garden Pool Was to Use Cement or Cement Blocks – Mortared and Sealed to Prevent Leaks • Concrete Pool still Good Alternative – Last Longer if Properly Installed – Expensive – Tends to Crack over Time Pond Construction • Liners – – – – – Flexible Plastic Sheets Lightweight Inexpensive Can Be Molded to any Desired Shape Common Liners • PVC, extra Thick (20 to 40 mil) to Resist Tears – Sizes Vary • Choose Size Large enough to Overlap the Edge of the Pool • Excess can Be Cut off when Fitted to the Excavated Hole – Check Warranty for Life of Liner • Should Be Durable about 10 Years 1 Pond Construction Pond Construction • Butyl Rubber Liners Last Longer than PVC – Impervious to UV Light and as easy to Install • Pre-Molded Fiberglass or Plastic Pools – – – – – More Expensive than Liners Preformed Shape Maintains Itself many Years Tremendous Ease of Installation No Molding and Shaping Challenge Is to Make Sure Hole and Pool Fit well without Gaps – Most Fiberglass Pools will Last 5 to 10 Years – Vast Number of Shapes and Sizes • Some Pools Provide only Straight or Curved Sides that Slope abruptly to the Bottom • Some Pre-Molded Pools include Shallow Water Shelf for Marginal Bog Plants Pond Construction • Fountains and Waterfalls can Be Included – Some Plants (eg Water Lilies) Prefer still Water Pond Construction • Other Materials Needed – Sand • Line Bottom of Hole • Cushion Liner against Subsoil – Some Water Gardeners Lay Old Carpet on Top of Sand Layer • Adds more Cushion and Flexibility • Helps Prevent Tears in Plastic Liners – May Need to Walk in Pool – Rocks or other Heavy and Sharp Objects Fall into Pool Pond Construction • Flat Border Stones for Plastic Lined Pools – Need to Construct 2 Layers around Edge of Pool – Nice for Kneeling – Secures Liner Edge to Shore Pond Construction • Filtration System and Pump – – – – Not Essential Keep Water Garden Free of Debris Relatively Inexpensive Useful when Algal Growth Is Abundant • Common before Plants Grow to Cover Surface of Pool to Exclude Light that Stimulates Algae Growth • Less Threat after Plants Cover ≥ 75% of Surface – Some Gardeners do not Use Filters after this – Allow Natural Decomposition of Debris on Bottom of Pond – Fish will Eat some Debris – Steady Recycling of OM should Occur if Proper Number of Plants and Animals Are Present 2 Planting and Stocking the Pool Pond Construction • Fountain or Waterfall – Option to Create more Interest and a Focal Point – Geyser-Like Jets to simple Bubble Columns – Keep Stream of Water in Proportion to Size of Pool • If Water too High, It Dwarfs Plants – Water Lilies do not Thrive if constantly Splashed – Locate Fountain away from major Plants – Position Intake as Close to Fountain Head as Possible • Key to Water Gardening = Establish Balance of Plants and Wildlife – Too many Fish or Plants Causes Imbalance – Nutrients and Gasses Disproportionate • Pond can Become Overgrown with Algae • Strategy to Balance Pond Is to Select the Right Types of Plants • Prevents Unnecessary Currents that Detract from Calmness – $40 to $400 Four Categories of Aquatic Plants Four Categories of Aquatic Plants 1. Deep Water Plants – – – 1. Deep Water Plants – Plants Are Potted in Wide, Shallow Containers High Clay-Content Soil Covered with 1-2” Pea Gravel – • Keeps Soil Undisturbed – Common Species • • – Pots Placed at Bottom of Pond Water Lilies (both Hardy and Tropical) Lotus Once Established, Broad, Flat Leaves help Shade Water Surface, Reduce Algae Growth Tropical Plants Need to Be Brought Indoors in Winter or Kept in Heated Pond Four Categories of Aquatic Plants 2. Bog, Emergent or Marginal Plants – – – Grow at Edge of Pond Often Potted and Set on Shallow Underwater Shelf Examples • • • • • • • Cattails Iris Bamboo Rushes Sweet Flag Pickerelweed Arrowhead 3 Four Categories of Aquatic Plants 3. Oxygenator and Submerged Plants – Plants often Float Underwater • • • • Iris Bamboo Rushes Sweet Flag Pickerelweed Arrowhead – – Elodea Fanwort Hornwort Parrot’s Feather Use Carefully Some can Become Serious Water Weeds in Natural Water System Four Categories of Aquatic Plants 4. Floating Plants – – – Elodea Fanwort Hornwort Parrot’s Feather • Use with Caution Pond Maintenance Fish in Water Garden • Goldfish and Koi – Aesthetic and Ecological Benefits • Fish Eat excess Vegetation and Consume Aquatic Insects • No more than 1-2 Fish/ft2 of Pond Surface Area • Ponds at Least 3’ Deep Better for Fish – Less Drastic Temperature Changes in Deeper Water • Establish Plants 5-6 Weeks before Fish Are Introduced Help Reduce Algae Growth by Covering Water Surface Water Hyacinth a Favorite in this Category Some can Become Serious Weed Problems in Natural Water Areas • • • • Remove Debris from Surface Skim Algae as Needed Clean Filters Weekly Keep Pond Full of Water – Exposed Plastic Liner Subject to UV Breakdown – Keep Pond Topped off every few Days 4 Pond Maintenance • Periodically Remove Excess Vegetation to Prevent Overcrowding – Dispose of Carefully to not Create Natural Water Area Weed Problems • Divide Marginal Plants to Reduce Crowding on Edges • May Need to Fertilize Heavy-Feeding Plants (Water Lilies) with Pellets Pushed into Soil during Summer Pond Maintenance • Winterization – Clean out Debris – Remove Tropical Plants and Fish if Pond Is not Heated and if It will Freeze Solid – Remove Submerged Pumps, Filters – If Bottom Water will Remain Unfrozen and Fish not Removed, Break Surface Ice Covering if Ice Lasts longer than 2 Weeks for Gas Exchange for Fish – Pond-Bred Fish do not Need Feeding during Winter Container Water Gardens • Container Capacity of 15-25 Gallons • Commercial Containers or other Options – – – – Small Kiddie Pools Horse Watering Troughs Lined Whiskey Barrels Old Bathtubs Container Water Gardens • Water Weighs about 8 Pounds per Gallon • Be Sure the Location can Hold the Weight • Containers with Dark Interiors – – – – Dark Green, Charcoal or Black Give Impression of Greater Depth Discourage Algae Growth Make Algae less Obvious when It Is Present • Stones and Slate can Be Added for Interest – Dark Colored Rock will help Discourage Algae Recommended Book • Water Plants for Missouri Ponds • Authors James Whitley, Barbara Bassett, Joe Dillard and Rebecca Haefner • Missouri Dept. Conservation, Jefferson City, MO 5