Steps For Building Water Garden Ponds
When dressing up a part of the yard, water garden ponds can be an attractive project to install and they also will provide an open invitation to many form of wildlife. You can buy a preformed pond shell or make you own out of plastic sheeting, but the construction is relatively easy if you follow a few simple steps.
Considering that water garden ponds are, as the name implies, a pond in which aquatic plants can grow. Sine they are often will with colorful flowers as well as birds or other wildlife, they should be installed as close to your house as possible so they can be enjoyed from inside as well as when you are outside. Don’t misunderstand, water garden ponds can be constructed anywhere there is enough room and an available power source, but they will can be constructed anywhere there is enough room and an available power source, but they will certainly be more appreciated closer to the house.
The first step is to decide what size you want to have and then find a suitable location. It should not be in the path of water draining from gutters or downspouts nor should they be located in the middle or top of a swell. Dirt flowing during a heavy rain can quickly take over water garden ponds, possible killing the growing plants.
Keep Top As Level As Possible
When digging the hole for water garden ponds, the top of the ground should be kept as close to level as possible to keep the pond from looking crooked. There are three different depths to consider and if the deepest part will be 24-inches, the area around the upper edge, called a coping shelf by some, should be the same six to eight-inch depth all the way around the rim. A second level should be at least 12-inches below that and while it may be better to encompass the entire pond area, it is not necessary.
This mid-level area is where plants will rest once the pond is complete, so if it is too deep, the plants you put in will have to be tall. Placing the lining in the hole and smoothing out all surfaces needs to be next, and then electric and water line, if used, is connected. Plants should not be placed water garden ponds until the new water has had a chance to settle, the filter has removed all the sediment from construction and you have checked the water for chemicals that will kill the plants.
Making Unique Ponds: Duck Ponds
If you are looking to specifically make a duck pond, good luck finding information specifically about making and maintaining duck ponds. Now, if you wanted fish ponds or Zen water ponds, you’d be in luck. There’s more information about them lying about in real life and online than you can shake a pole at. But with unique ponds – ponds made for some purpose rather than the norm of keeping fish or just being a water ornament – there is not a lot of information out there. You really have to hunt for making and maintaining unique ponds like duck ponds.
Unique ponds can bring peace, enjoyment, and fun for the whole family – as well as for the ducks. With the destruction of wetlands and other natural environments ducks need for breeding and feeding, they will greatly appreciate the appearance of a safe haven. And building a pond is less expensive than building an in-ground pool.
Duck And Cover
Once you’ve determined how big and where your duck pond will go, it’s time to dig. You can hired or rent a small back hoe, dig with shovels, or somehow get a big hole in the ground at least three feet deep. Once you have the hole, you need to choose what lining your pond’s base needs. You just can’t pour water into the hole – the ground will just absorb it immediately. Some linings are:
Preformed pond shells: If there is a need, there is a product already made, even if the problem is making unique ponds inviting habitats. In gardening and hardware stores are ready made fiberglass shells in the shape of pools, which usually have a space for you to install a pump for filter. You can place them in your hole and cover the sides with stones. Flexible Brown Pond Liner: These aren’t shells, but flexible rolls of tough material that you can make into any shape. Concrete: If you haven’t worked with concrete before, it is recommended you get some professional help. After it dries, you need to fill your duck pond with water, then empty it and clean the concrete and then fill with water so the concrete is safe.
Before you fill your new duck pond with water and ducks, be sure you have a filter or pump installed. There are even solar powered pumps available. You might need the help of an electrician to hook up the pump. If you keep a power generator for the pump outside, it should be at least five feet away from the water for safety.
Like A Duck To Water
Where to get the ducks? If you want real live ducks, you can wait for wild ducks to discover unique ponds or you can ask your local animal shelter if they have ducks that need to be adopted. Keep in mind that ducks are social animals and you need at least a pair so they can keep themselves company.
Why Bother With Ultra Violet Lights For Ponds?
Ponds have gotten along for millennia without the assistance of ultra violet lights, so why should the modern pond keeper bother with them? Well, ponds don’t have to put up with the crap they have to now as opposed to millennia ago. In nature, ponds were either temporary (appeared only for a few weeks in the rainy season and then dried up) or were connected to moving bodies of water like underground or aboveground springs, rivers, streams and creeks. Also, there weren’t as many chemicals floating around as there are today. Ultra violet lights for ponds have become a modern necessity to help keep ponds healthy in these modern times.
What Do They Do?
Although aquariums need artificial lighting to mimic daylight for the fish, you don’t need any artificial lights for fish ponds. But ultra violet light is used to sterilize and filter the pond water. This technology is also used in industries, by doctors to get sterile water and by campers and armed forces for sterilizing drinking water. Ultra violet lights for ponds burns out algae.
Algae are the bane of any pond or aquarium. It is an invasive menace somewhat like The Blob for water environments. The shade of green might look pretty, but it will suck up all the nutrients and oxygen in the water, making any other plant, fish or critter quite dead. Algae also have a tendency to stink after a while, while even healthy fish in good pond water have no detectable odor at all.
What Doesn’t It Do?
Ultra violet lights for ponds will not completely sterilize a whole pond full of water. Nothing can live in completely sterile water. There always has to be some beneficial bacteria bopping about. Some beneficial bacteria may be killed, but not enough to harm you pond. But all of the algae will be killed.
Ultra violet lights for ponds are also not an adequate substitute for a filter. It specializes in killing algae, not filtering all the harmful bacteria out. Yes, it can make the pond water look clear, but clear water still might be unhealthy for your plants or fish.
Picking Properly
Ultra violet lights for ponds work best when the right sized light is used for the pond. Although it might be tempting to get the smallest and cheapest of the ultra violet lights for ponds available, it won’t do an adequate job. Since manufacturers don’t make the same strength or types of UV lights, check with the box to see how many gallons the UV light can safely handle.