how do i enhance my pond?

Question

i just bought 60 acres of land in huntington w.v. and i noticed some type of pond about 20 feet by 50 feet in one part of it. without going into a lot of money i would love to turn it into a nice spot on the property to come sit and relax at. would love to see some frogs or turtles around it or maybe fish in it. maybe even build a small pier or deck in one spot. there is a lot of weeds and brush around it. any advice on how to clean up and decorate the area inside and outside of the pond? thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Don't be too hasty in improving the pond you may be lucky enough to have a vernal pond that will fill with life in spring. Wait until next summer until you consider stocking the pond.

In the meantime walk around the pond and find the place with the best view across the water. If you are a sundowner type find the best view from the East bank. That's where you should build your deck to catch the sun setting across the pond.

Points to consider about the deck -
Does it need a roof to keep off the sun and the rain?
Should you build in a bar and a barbecue?
Must it have sturdy poles to support a hammock or two?

Watch the pond and see if it dries up. If it does you may have to line part of the pond with bentonite clay, cement or fibreglass to keep a permanent body of water for fish.
Watch for flooding - you may need to dig a drainage channel to tap off excess water.
Find out where the water comes from is the pond below the water table?, is there a spring? does the pond only catch rainwater? Any changes you make to the pond must not interrupt the supply of water.

Look at the Wildlife that the pond attracts. What do you have to do to keep the wildlife coming?

Cleaning out the weeds is going to take tools and sweat as is cleaning out the pond. I find a rake useful for dragging plants out of the water. If the pond is big enough and you have enough energy you can dredge up a small island in the middle of the pond.

My idea is that the only built up area round the pond should be the deck and the dock. So plant ground covers round the edge of the pond and lay some natural stepping stones like wood rounds or flat rocks, in between the ground covers, so that you can walk around the pond. Plant larger shrubs and trees further away from the pond. Plant trees to frame good views or to block out things that you don't want to see like pylons.

Speak to a local plant seller and get indigenous plants for the area. Your plant seller should also have the local varieties of reeds, rushes and waterlillies that you can plant in the water.

http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/VernalPonds/index.htm&2

http://www.wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Plants.shtm

http://www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov/info_about/plants.html

Answer 2

Wow so how do you like WV? We are considering moving there soon ourselves!

Anyhow, I absolutly love ponds and water gardens. Check out maybe getting some marginals or bog plants to plant around the egdes like blue flag iris
( http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/sc.2/category.51/.f ) or many others.

Some of those planted near the egdes with some marginal grasses as a backdrop would look amazing.

Of course water lilies are amazing, but keep in mind they need to be potted. Think about how much time and effort you want to put into this pond on a regular basis. The reason they need to be in pots is because if they are planted in the soil at the bottom they will take can take over the pond. If you dont mind have a pond full of these, then plan on needing to rip some out every few years to keep the numbers in check. Hard work for a huge pond. Potting is most practical. A large kitty litter pan or large black nursery pot works well. Potting medium that works great for me is PLAIN kitty litter (just clay, nothing else). I put that in the pot, plant my lilies, stick in a fertilizer tab, put some river stones on the top to hold in all in and they just thrive!
http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/sc.2/category.49/.f

Now before you go dumping fish in there, consider first if your pond can adequatly support fish life. Now of course with the addition of fish there is MUCH more to consider. Water quality, filteration, preditors...lots of animals would like to feast on your beautiful koi and goldfish.

With such a large pond, you may not need filteration if you have only a few fish, but you may need airation. A fountain or something to keep the water from being stagnant. Moving water also helps keep mosquitos away. Is your pond deep enough that it wont freeze to the bottom? If it is, what will you do with fish in the winter??? If it is deep enough you can overwinter fish in your pond, but if the surface freezes over you will need to keep a hole in there somehow so that oxygen can still get to the fish. I have heard of people floating basketballs and such to do that. I have no clue if that works. LOL.

Anyways, just keep in mind what there is to consider when planning all this. It really all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put forth to maintain the beauty of your pond.

Good luck. :)

Answer 3

Well, it sounds as if you already have some great ideas. I like the idea of a pier. Ponds are amazing - you will have a lot of fun. It can be a primal experience wading through a pond to clean it (make sure you have someone standing by to look out for you!)

You will find that wildlife will be attracted to the pond without you having to do much - but you can introduce fish. Large luminous goldfish would be good.

Waterlilies are amazing....very mystical, and surprisingly easy to grow.

have fun.

Answer 4

It will be quite difficult, seeing as the fish people eat are usually caught from the wild. Only professionals farm fish for business, and those fish farms require a lot of space and special care to simulate the fish's wild habitat. Ponds that we regular homeowners have access to are usually for pets, becasue commercial fish food that the fish you want to farm will eat won't do much good for you anyway. They sole purpose of those foods is to keep the fish alive and pretty for owners to look at. So I wouldn't say it is too possible to raise fish for eating in your pond. But if you are asking that if it is possible to keep an eating fish in your pond just to look at, but not to eat, then yes, it will stay alive. Hope that helped!

Answer 5

You can look for a local turtle rescue in your area. I'm sure they'd love to make some recommendations of turtles in your area. They do eat fish, but get a lot and they'll keep reproducing. Get goldfish (the marble looking kind) Much cheaper alternative to buying koi and they'll grow nice and large. Also to prevent mosquitos you need to get some mosquito fish. These you can get for free at your local mosquito abatement division (check on your local county website). Get some local water plants and reeds to plan on the bank. This will get you started.

Good luck!!

Answer 6

Lucky You! I'm jealous, hope it turns out beautiful
get some good pond books at Lowe's or Home Depot
they have lots of ideas and designs

Answer 7

Set up a Japanese Koi (they are related to carp) pond, as those fish are very hardy and can tolerate living in outdoor environments.

Answer 8

60 acres? I''d get a tractor and make it alot bigger. Try some envionmentlists, they can probably plan it all out the best.

Answer 9

Hi, i suggest a great site with plenty of Issues related to your home and garden and everything around it. it also provide clear and accurate answer to many common questions.

http://garden.sitesled.com/

I am sure that you can get your answers in this website.

Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Answer 10

Hi,
Check this place out, you get a lot of good info from good people.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/ponds/

Hope this helps,
Dave