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This pond takes
only a few hours to make -- and it can be made out of nearly anything
that holds water.
Oak barrels, old
sinks, or bathtubs all can make fine backyard ponds. This particular
model is made from a stainless steel sitz bath. It's so easy to assemble
that you can gather your supplies on Saturday morning, fill the pond
with water in the afternoon, and launch the fish into their home after
waiting 48 hours for the chlorine to disperse.
Like a natural pond,
this one depends on a delicate balance of plants, snails, tadpoles,
and fish rather than on pumps and filters to keep the water fresh. It
includes oxygenating grasses (which add oxygen to the water) and floating
plants such as water hyacinths (which provide hiding space among their
roots for pond creatures). This menagerie includes tadpoles and goldfish.
When winter comes,
plants sit underwater on the bottom of the pond; fish and tadpoles winter
inside.
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This
easy project is an attractive
addition to any yard. |
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First
Steps |
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What You Need: |
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- Any tublike container
- Polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) flexible liner in 20 mil thickness (optional; see Step 1)
- Dechlorinator
(available at any aquatic store)
- Large stone or
glass objects to add character
- Water plants
- Water creatures
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Gather
your supplies.
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Instructions:
1. If you use an oak
barrel:
Line it with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flexible liner in 20 mil thickness
to keep chemicals from leaching into the water.
2.
Consider your site. Look for a spot that offers at least 4 hours
of sun each day. Morning sun is kinder to water plants than late-day sun.
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3.
Lay out your plan.
Place a variety of objects on the bottom of the pond. Some, such as inverted
pots, serve as planting ledges for potted water plants. Other pieces of
stone and terra-cotta provide interesting objects to spy through the water
as well as places for tadpoles and fish to hide. Fill the pond with water
and treat with dechlorinator, according to package directions.
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Step
3. |
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4.
Add flora. Your water-garden supplier can make suggestions about
how many plants and animals you need to support the size of your pond.
Consider oxygenating grasses, water lilies, hornwort, and water hyacinths.
Plant one bunch of oxygenating grasses per 2 square feet of pond surface;
these grasses grow in containers sitting on the pond bottom. The water
hyacinths float on the surface. The other plants are potted in pea gravel,
but no soil, and are submerged in the pond. Lilies grow best in pots 6-10
inches below the pond surface. |
Step
4. |
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Step
5. |
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5.
Add fauna.
Add tadpoles, goldfish, a catfish, and/or snails. The tadpoles clean up
after the fish, the fish eat bugs, the catfish eats algae off the bottom,
and the snails clean up the rest. If the balance is right, maintenance is
simple. Experts suggest you add one snail and one fish per square foot of
water surface. |
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6.
Keep it growing.
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Daily
care: To add water, fill a bucket with water, treat the water
with dechlorinator, and add to the pond after the water in the bucket
becomes the temperature of the pond water. Each day remove debris,
spent blooms, and yellow leaves.
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Intermittent
care: Fertilize plants monthly, April through August.
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Seasonal
care: After the first frost, cut back winter-hardy container
plants to 2-3 inches and place on pool bottom. Keep tropical and less-hardy
plants, fish, and snails indoors during the winter.
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