Wildlife Pond

13 years ago

Hi All,

I am looking at building a pond in our yard in the spring and I am doing my homework now so I have the winter to plan.

Due to time and budget constraints(no pumps or filters, running electric lines, electricity), we will be building a wildlife pond. Now here is the tricky part. There are two site I can build this, one is totally open and is in pretty much full sun all year round. The second site gets about 3-4 hours of sun from late spring to early fall, will be in between two dogwoods (15' - 20' apart) and has two weeping Japanese Maples nearby.

The pond looks to be 6' long x 5' wide x 2.5' (or 3') deep.

We would see site one more as it is near the kitchen and back deck. We would only see site two when we are out near it.

Site one seems the way to go, but isn't that too much sun? The pond would be full of algae with all that sun, right?

Any suggestions or resources or books that would help out is greatly appreciated.

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Comments (7)

terrestrial_man
13 years ago
I would go with site 1. I would also have the pool larger if possible especially if yor are going to share it with wild animals. And it should slope to around 3.5 feet deep with the deepest part right in the center or along the central axis and have a gradient of slope that allows for ease of entry and departure, maybe 20%, so that you could walk into it on one side and out of it on the opposite side. I would also have an area where overflow could run off into. And in line with this I would make sure to lay some pvc out to one side of it so that you can install a water tap so that you could set up a water breaker at the end of a hose or other feature so that you could run the water through the water breaker at a good speed to generate a current that could help alleviate algae. If the water is cool enough algae will have a problem gaining a foothold especially if you wash it down daily. Algae does best in very shallow pools where heat build up is severe.
Also planting is extremely important for wildlife. Depending upon your area a host of native animals and birds could be visitors. Click here to check out what you may see

To help in the planting, on shore and in the pond you may want to check out wildlife nurseries..
I have done business with WILDLIFE NURSERIES INC, and can vouch for their product quality and reliability.They are on this list-CLICK HERE

There is also Kester's - click here

After reading all of this I do hope you will opt for a pond that is some 8 feet long by 6 feet wide which I think should be a minimal for wildlife sharing.
greengardener07
Original Author
13 years ago
terrestrial man,

Thank you for the information. I am considering a lot of factors in the placement of these ponds.

Site one isn't my number one choice for the following reasons : It is close to where we park and enter our property to go to and from the house. I am just concerned about attracting animals that we would run over them accidentally and other safety concerns.

We are in the city but close enough to the suburbs and close to a wooded area with a creek. About a mile or so.

I want to go with site two as there is not much of a canopy with the dogwoods, so I do not need to worry about things dropping into the pond. There is definite morning sun all year round, a little less in winter, but it is there. This area is also higher up on the list as it is not near the main way we go into the house. Plus I would think it would be a little more hidden as to not attract the heron. They do fly by every so often.

I am trying to be open to all points of view on this. What do you think of my concerns with the animals near where we park? Am I thinking too much into this aspect?

Thanks for any additional advice you or anyone can give.

Also, are there any real good books on building a pond/ water gardening out there? Most books I have come across skim some topics, but do not go too in depth.

Thanks all.
Min3 South S.F. Bay CA
13 years ago
hi gg, i have 3 ponds and i notice that i get a LOT more constant enjoyment from the one that is nearest the house, that i can look at out the kitchen window when the weather is bad, and check out when i walk by on the sidewalk.
i wouldn't worry about attracting animals (assume you mean wild ones)- they will get out of the way of your car at driveway speeds. also, you are going to get animals no matter where you put the pond!
have fun, min
Min3 South S.F. Bay CA
13 years ago
to add a little more; i wish i hadn't put goldfish into my big pond- there are only 5 left now and i am waiting for them to die off. it was supposed to be a wildlife pond, and goldfish eat the larvae of all kinds of natural pond bugs and frogs so it isn't meeting my original goal. ditto the mosquito fish (gambusia) that the state mosquito control people gave me for free- they multiply way worse than rabbits. (you can use mosquito dunks instead.)
someday i will make it a true wildlife pond again. min
terrestrial_man
13 years ago
If you have safety concerns for your family about encountering a wild animal, especially if you have very young children, then yes use the remote spot but realize that is no guarantee that you will not have wild animals crossing your driveway or entering other parts of your property, unless properly fenced.
Check the link below to an Amazon book offerring on Earth Ponds. Note the two other books about the subject. These might be of more use to you than anything else.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon Earth Ponds
greengardener07
Original Author
13 years ago
Well,

I finally built it!!

It has been built on site number one, full sun and is 8' x 6'. It has a sloping beach and goes to 2' deep.

Unfortunatley, when I installed the PA fieldstone edging, I for got to wash them!!! Now the dust is in the pond and is slowly settling.

What should I do? Should I:

1.) drain the pond, clean out the muck and refill it
2.) filter out the yuck
3.) leave it.

Also, my pond right now sits slightly higher than the surrounding landscape. I still need to plant around the pond itself. Should I place dirt up to the top most part of the liner and put mulch on top of the dirt? Or should I leave a small perimeter around the pound and put in some gravel to allow any runoff to drain away fron the pond?

Thanks for any help!
ernie_m
13 years ago
3. Just leave it. If it is settling out the it's out of sight, right? A natural pond has a dirt bottom anyway.

You did not mention fish, I assume you don't have any as you are not adding a filter.

BTW, if you plant the pond, especially with floating plants, you can out-compete the algae and have clear water.