This is a ritual I go through every few years. The silt builds up on the bottom and has to be removed. Yes I know you can buy contraptions to suck it up with the water in place. Been there,done that.Not very efficient.
It has to be started early in the year. It always causes chaos in the garden. The pond has already been invaded by fifty odd frogs hell bent on mating (sorry Rene if children are reading this). So it has to be cleaned before the spawn is laid. And fish eggs of course.
The animals latch on to whats going on, the dog will not sleep today. Transferring frogs and fi***o a large tin bath is always fun for them as the frogs immediately jump out and head for the emptying pond.
It takes many hours to empty and refill the pond. And it is usually cold!
Below is Fred. He is a Green Tench who has lived in our pond for the last 15 years. He vacuums up the waste on the bottom of the pond. This is about the only time we see him. Sorry he would not lay still for a decent photo.
We now have masses of frog spawn. Something that is encouraged in this country. Great drums of spawn are moved around the country for ecological reasons.
I took care of my frog problem with an aquatic turtle. But I still have a silting problem, I don’t think there is much you can do about that, but it is a compromise I am willing to accept to have a water feature.
I think what separates us garden nuts from the indoor crowd is the fact that our layouts are alive, literaly. I like that fact.
Good job Ian, I like your bridge. I had originaly designed my layout to have one, but for some reason I can’t remember I scrapped the idea. Now for a question, in the back of the first photo I notices a Japanese style latice? What is that, how did you build/buy/borrow or steal it? I ask because I want to trim my pool deck with something like that but I haven’t been able to find anything.
The lattice in question comes in a 6 x 6 section over here. You can probably make it up from stripwood. I cannot remember if Home Depot sells that type of fencing.
i have my pond 11 years and every year it’s the getting in and clean it , i run 2 filters and it helps to cut down on the silt, they are cleaned every 3 weeks .i made home made filters out of 35 gallon plastic garbage cans, i use lave rock and filter materal , the cans are under my deck, water is pumped in and gravety flows back to the pond through a pipe. the train runs across a corner of the pond , at night it looks nice with the train running along the pond and than it crosses a bridg over the one corner of the pond. BEN
Ian,
Fair does to you mate, up to your b***locks in pond. I haven’t got one myself and after looking at your pictures I don’t think I’ll bother! In G Fred will be the equivalent of a basking shark(ish) I would think, definately needs a fishing gnome on the pond side mate.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
Actually, in G he’s probably closer to the size of a smaller variety of whale. I have a catfish of approximately 20 inches length in my pond - guess now that I think of it I should name him Moby ***!
Your problem cleaning out the pond reminded me that at the turn of the last couple centuries (not this latest one) the mills in Lowell Mass (across the big pond from you) had the same problem with the cannels they built, to carry water from the river for power, would silt up. One of the rangers told me at least once a month they would close the gates to the cannels and spend Sunday digging out the mud and junk. I am not sure if it was by hand like you do, if it was mechanized, or where they put the mud. But there is a real life example.
Your bridge looks great. Did you build it by hand? I need to do something about my bridge some day. It was just thrown together to provide a platform for the track to lie on.
Ian, good job on the pics, and glad the dog is helping you. Looks like he likes your bridge also. And as beautiful as your layout is, the cleaning looks to be worth the trouble. Way to go Ian.
Actually when I first saw the title for this posting I was almost expecting to see pictures of a pond with a smoke stack just breaking the surface of the water. That would be my biggest worry about having a bridge over a pond, - those dreaded ‘SPLASH’ moments.
Well I have to do the same soon. Although i did net about 35lbs of leaves out so far…Dam trees. I need to hook up the filter this weekend and get it going to start clearing up from the winter.
Here is a few shots
The center is 4 ft and the front ledge is 2 ft the back wall is straight up to the top.
By the way thats 50,000 of boulders in there overall its 17 x 22
No Ian I am not a tidy person, but around here swimming pools are a way of life every third house has one because it is so hot year round. Their is a lot of expertise around to help as well. This is my third swimming pool and even I learned something when i moved here. Running a pool in the tropics is quite different ti running one in a temperate zone.
But all the same it is still a small body of water, as is a pond and something must be in common and truly my pool is in pristine comdition all year round and anyone can swim in it at any time, in virtually perfect swimming conditions, The a,ount of time and money spent on maintenance is very small. So somehow one must relate to the other.
I will never have a bridge over it, it will affect swiming too much.
