First outdoor pond started...
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
Got the bog dug down to 22" depth. There will be about 14-16" of gravel, then 6-8" of open water above the gravel. Gonna get the liner in tomorrow, run all the plumbing, and try to get the waterfall portion done that will return the water to the pond from the bog.
IT'S RUNNING!!!!!
Got the bog lined today, then I got the plumbing all done, and while my friend was filling the bog with gravel, I got the waterfall done. It's two successively lower pools that I made out of wood, and then covered with some extra liner. You'll see how they work from the pics.
After we got it all laid out and gravel put in, then we got the plumbing completely hooked up into the sump, and started 'er up. Runs very nicely, everything is going well. I've got a check valve right after the pump, so that if the power goes out, the bog won't drain completely (which it would without a check valve).
The waters really dirty, both from the rains washing some mud into the pond, and from all the dust from the gravel (didn't really have a chance to wash it before adding it). I'm hoping it clears up, and I've got some nice dense filter padding that I'm going to add to the skimmer to hopefully help with that as well.
Will the bog mostly collect all that dirt and dust, or will it continue to cycle through the system so that I need to empty and then refill the pond to get rid of it?
PICS!!
Got the bog lined today, then I got the plumbing all done, and while my friend was filling the bog with gravel, I got the waterfall done. It's two successively lower pools that I made out of wood, and then covered with some extra liner. You'll see how they work from the pics.
After we got it all laid out and gravel put in, then we got the plumbing completely hooked up into the sump, and started 'er up. Runs very nicely, everything is going well. I've got a check valve right after the pump, so that if the power goes out, the bog won't drain completely (which it would without a check valve).
The waters really dirty, both from the rains washing some mud into the pond, and from all the dust from the gravel (didn't really have a chance to wash it before adding it). I'm hoping it clears up, and I've got some nice dense filter padding that I'm going to add to the skimmer to hopefully help with that as well.
Will the bog mostly collect all that dirt and dust, or will it continue to cycle through the system so that I need to empty and then refill the pond to get rid of it?
PICS!!
Looks Awesome!!!
The dust and dirt will settle in the pond or get trapped in the bog in the next few days. The only way to prevent that would have be to fill the bog with gravel and water, then pump out the dirty water b4 it gets a chance to enter the pond. Not a big deal, you will see a big difference in 24 hours or so.
I would run the system as long as wheather permits. There will be cold water stains of BB and exzymes that will like the areation and continue to grow in cooler temps.
You could bring the pump inside, just make sure you keep it in a bucket of water so the diaphram doesn't dry out. You can also run it through out the winter by running out to the main pond with a little extra plumbing. I will be turning down my father-in-laws pond soon and using the same method. The pump is plumbed to some 2" trash hose and goes toward the other end of the pond. It has a 90 that is turned towards the surface, it then acts as a bubbler and keeps that end of the pond open and allows for the skimmer to run and collect debris year round. I will gets some pics., but not for another few weeks, or if the wheather gets really cold soon since I'd prefer to work in warmer water.
For draining, i would think all that is needed is to turn off the pump and let it drain back into the pond. That would require popping off the check valve, or just letting it drain down to the spillway level. Any plants in the bog will go dormant and not need to be in water, or ice in this case. The gravel and snow will act as insulation, and winter rains and snow melt will be impossible anyways to drain out. Using natives is the bog is another way to insure they will survive the cold.
I will post some pics. of my plants soon. I forgot to mention Joe Pye Weed. This plants is a North American native and does great in the shallows. I have it planted half in the pond and the other half is going in the surrounding soil. When I bought it, I washed the soil from the roots and litterally sliced the root mass in half. I split it so it is planted in the gravel around the pond and in the pond itself. This thing gets splashed by the falls all summer and is an iceberg in the winter. It gets tall, (5'+), but dwarf varities are avail. and can be used on the edges of the pond, not necessarlily in the bog.
The dust and dirt will settle in the pond or get trapped in the bog in the next few days. The only way to prevent that would have be to fill the bog with gravel and water, then pump out the dirty water b4 it gets a chance to enter the pond. Not a big deal, you will see a big difference in 24 hours or so.
I would run the system as long as wheather permits. There will be cold water stains of BB and exzymes that will like the areation and continue to grow in cooler temps.
You could bring the pump inside, just make sure you keep it in a bucket of water so the diaphram doesn't dry out. You can also run it through out the winter by running out to the main pond with a little extra plumbing. I will be turning down my father-in-laws pond soon and using the same method. The pump is plumbed to some 2" trash hose and goes toward the other end of the pond. It has a 90 that is turned towards the surface, it then acts as a bubbler and keeps that end of the pond open and allows for the skimmer to run and collect debris year round. I will gets some pics., but not for another few weeks, or if the wheather gets really cold soon since I'd prefer to work in warmer water.
For draining, i would think all that is needed is to turn off the pump and let it drain back into the pond. That would require popping off the check valve, or just letting it drain down to the spillway level. Any plants in the bog will go dormant and not need to be in water, or ice in this case. The gravel and snow will act as insulation, and winter rains and snow melt will be impossible anyways to drain out. Using natives is the bog is another way to insure they will survive the cold.
I will post some pics. of my plants soon. I forgot to mention Joe Pye Weed. This plants is a North American native and does great in the shallows. I have it planted half in the pond and the other half is going in the surrounding soil. When I bought it, I washed the soil from the roots and litterally sliced the root mass in half. I split it so it is planted in the gravel around the pond and in the pond itself. This thing gets splashed by the falls all summer and is an iceberg in the winter. It gets tall, (5'+), but dwarf varities are avail. and can be used on the edges of the pond, not necessarlily in the bog.
Is it possible to leave the bog running all winter long, or will it most likely freeze solid and do nothing but put serious strain on the pump?
I will probably do like you said, and get a long hose to run to the other end of the pond. Maybe I'll run a small fountain feature or something off of it to help keep the surface free of ice.
I'm going to go during the week and then this coming weekend to try and find a bunch of plants for the bog. I've got a few idea's for plants around the edges as well, which aren't pond plants but should look good anyways. There's a space between the two waterfall pools and the deck that is about 2 feet front to back and about 6 feet long. I think I want to try planting dichondra there, to see if it will grow out and kind of hang over into the waterfall pools and hide the edges of the pond liner some. I've got it growing in my front yard, and this stuff looks awesome. It's like little blue-green upside down bells growing in a carpet.
I will probably do like you said, and get a long hose to run to the other end of the pond. Maybe I'll run a small fountain feature or something off of it to help keep the surface free of ice.
I'm going to go during the week and then this coming weekend to try and find a bunch of plants for the bog. I've got a few idea's for plants around the edges as well, which aren't pond plants but should look good anyways. There's a space between the two waterfall pools and the deck that is about 2 feet front to back and about 6 feet long. I think I want to try planting dichondra there, to see if it will grow out and kind of hang over into the waterfall pools and hide the edges of the pond liner some. I've got it growing in my front yard, and this stuff looks awesome. It's like little blue-green upside down bells growing in a carpet.
Bog could run year round, bt if the shallow parts have a decent amount of splashing, thats where the problems arise. The splashing will cause the ice to build up and form ice dams. Think of stalactites, they will continue to grow and then possibally divert water out of the pond. Maybe if you remove the gravel in the lower sections of the bog and have just smooth liner sections it may make for a smooth transution into the pond with little to no splashing. If you do remove the gravel, put it in some mesh bags or pots and keep it in the pond. Don't want to loss any of the BB.
Are you planning to put gravel in the main pond shelves and boulders on the walls? A gravel zone from the top shelve to the outside of the pond lets you plant just about any marginal. The gravel out of water will wick water up behind the rocks allowing the plants to have their roots in the water with the plant crown out of the water. this is a pic. of my Marsh Marigold that is planted right on the edge.
Marigold in bloom, one of the first plants to bloom in the spring.
Are you planning to put gravel in the main pond shelves and boulders on the walls? A gravel zone from the top shelve to the outside of the pond lets you plant just about any marginal. The gravel out of water will wick water up behind the rocks allowing the plants to have their roots in the water with the plant crown out of the water. this is a pic. of my Marsh Marigold that is planted right on the edge.
Marigold in bloom, one of the first plants to bloom in the spring.
I'm going to try to line most of the edge with larger flat stones, although there are 2 shelf area's where I want to try to get some larger stones situated with lots of gravel surrounding/behind them to plant in. I'll try to take some pictures of what I'm talking about tonight. There aren't as many shelves around the edges as I would have liked, simply because of the difficulty I had with digging through the roots. I may make the effort to go around the edges and lower them just a bit, so that I can make some better shelves. I also don't have the water level in the pond up as high as it could go. It's still about 4" or so lower than it could be, I think.
The "ramp" area will be the best bet for planting in the pond itself, I think. I'm going to situate a few flat rocks, and then mound gravel up behind them running out of the pond onto dry land. That way I can plant lots of stuff there. I just need to keep it open enough that the turtle will be able to get out of the water if it wants to. This area is also where I plan on expanding the pond, probably in the spring. It will all be dug out into a shelf at least 12-16" deep, in a large area. That will provide a really good planting area. Then I'll drop a small pump into the deeper part of the pond, and have it run up to the top of this planted area to help water circulation through the plants.
Speaking of which, I should probably wait to put the turtle out in the pond til next spring as well, right? Will I need to bring her in every winter, or should she be able to survive on her own out there? She's a false map turtle, about 7" shell length.
The "ramp" area will be the best bet for planting in the pond itself, I think. I'm going to situate a few flat rocks, and then mound gravel up behind them running out of the pond onto dry land. That way I can plant lots of stuff there. I just need to keep it open enough that the turtle will be able to get out of the water if it wants to. This area is also where I plan on expanding the pond, probably in the spring. It will all be dug out into a shelf at least 12-16" deep, in a large area. That will provide a really good planting area. Then I'll drop a small pump into the deeper part of the pond, and have it run up to the top of this planted area to help water circulation through the plants.
Speaking of which, I should probably wait to put the turtle out in the pond til next spring as well, right? Will I need to bring her in every winter, or should she be able to survive on her own out there? She's a false map turtle, about 7" shell length.
Muske;3508477; said:
The pools don't actually splash much at all. The only real splashing occurs where the water overflows from the last pool, hits a short shelf, and then lands in the main pond. The other two overflows run very smoothly over the liner into the next lower section. I'll take a video of it and try to post it tonight so you can see it running. The part where the water splashes into the pond is surprisingly noisy, and it'll provide excellent aeration for the pond.
