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| Hi, I'm a complete pond newbie and am looking for some feedback about a pond that comes with a house I'm buying. We live in Wisconsin, zone 4.
Photos are below - click on each image for a larger version.
Pond dimensions are approx 15x5x2' deep and 10x4x6" deep. I don't know anything about the waterfall as it has not been running when we've seen the house. It seems there are two separate filter boxes if not a separate pump. I'm wondering what you think of it in regards to the following - 1. What's your impression of the condition of the pond? Any observations that'd be helpful for a newbie? 2. We're concerned about safety for our children (2.5 years and 0.5 years old) for the next several years. I've seen some mesh/grid systems to alleviate the risk of drowning. Do you have any thoughts about those systems? How about fencing? 3. If we decide we don't want a pond around our toddlers, can you think of a good option for disassembling the pond or reusing it (e.g. raised beds) for a few years? To be honest I don't know how much work it'd be to rebuild this pond in a few years. We hate to waste such a nice landscape feature by just tearing it out. 4. In general terms what maintenance is required for a pond like this? We don't intend to keep fish at this time. 5. The wall of the smaller pond seems to be heaving out. Could this be remedied by draining it and rebuilding the wall? Thanks for your time! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by pondmaninal 7b (My Page) on Fri, May 13, 11 at 20:20
| By the looks of things, it looks like that there are no leaks in either liner. You're right about the wall of the small pond. I would take that apart and rebuild it. As far as you toddlers go, if you want to just isolate the area and make it where they can't go in without either parent, then a 4' white picket fence would look nice. If you decide to keep it, there shouldn't be much maintenance without fish. Maybe clean leaves and dead plant waste out once or twice a year. I don't have an answer for converting it to a raised bed or anything as I shudder to think of destroying a beautiful pond. |
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| While it would increase the attractiveness for the young ones, Fish add a lot to the pond. It is like the shot gun you have in your closest. Train the children what to do and what not to do and back up the Rules. Kids can grow up with ponds and Guns. My two brothers grew up with the shot gun in the closest, and knew the "Rules". However while we did not have a pond in our yard, we fell into the creek quite frequently and survived. |
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| It is very nice, what a relaxing place to sit! You may want to see if you have a local garden club with any 'ponders', someone to help get you up and running. Or maybe contact the previous owner for instruction? Water gardening is not difficult and is very enjoyable. Once up and running a pond with plants and no fish doesn't require much maintenance. I will let others with similar filter systems help you there, I'm sure more folks will chime in. There are several possiblities regarding the safety of your children. A fence as mentioned above, or a grate supported just under the water. At the very least some means of getting out like steps or a log leaning against the side (not very hepful for 2.5 and .5 year olds :)
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| Children that young are top heavy...if they stumble they fall in head first and it happens in an instant. I'd think about "sheepco's" idea--the grate and perhaps even topping the grate with some of those stones in the photo so there is less water visible to entice small children for the lower pond. I'm not sure what purpose that dividing wall serves but the taller pond is probably the safer one. You could turn the lower pond into a bog garden with just a few inches of water & mostly gravel & of course plants. Another idea is the disappearing pond--if the waterfall works it would end in a pond covered with the grate & lots of stones. Pretty yard with great bones it should be a lot of fun to shape it into what you want. Good luck! |
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| It looks looks like these ponds were built by someone who didn't know what they were doing. Taking the upper pond apart and dry stacking the rock will not work. The force of the water will do the same thing again. The rock needs to be locked together and even that may not work. If nothing is done the pond walls will give way sometime in the future. If it was done right it could be very nice pond. Mike |
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| Thanks for all of the feedback. I appreciate it! |
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