Got Rock? A new pond needing help.

[Buck]

The hoe has a 9'9" reach. The problem lies in the weight of the tractor, at only 6500 lbs it gets moved around easily when digging. When the digging gets heavy I usually fill the loader with stone for ballast.

Here is a pic of me with some of the stone that came from this hole. I spread it out in the field to get cleaned this winter and make it easier to find the pieces I want. There are still 3 more large flat pieces about 3 foot around that I have in another spot. :biggrin:

I started adding the clay today and roughing in the edges. In the back left side of this photo I will be digging out another 6 or 7 feet back. I just didnt want to work myself out of the right side with the machine.

 

[ctrgojo]

Wow!! :biggrin:
Thats TONS of rock lol, thr rock yard I visit would makes thousands off those pieces... Your pond is going ot be amazing! keep the pictuers coming

 

[Buck]

I know what you mean about the cost of stone. The funny thing is that even with all the stone in Connecticut, people still pay a lot of money for it here. :biggrin:

 

[koikeepr]

don't worry about the sharp rock you keep hitting. When you're done digging you will go to your local carpet stores and ask them for carpet remnants. I would go now, because usually they will go to the dump after they pull the old carpeting out of someone's home. Just tell 'em you'll come and get it as soon as they have any. You then lay this on the ground with the carpet side up and that will protect your liner from any tearing against a stone. Best part is the stuff is free and the carpet shops are looking to get rid of it.

Just make sure ALL the staples are removed from the carpeting if any were used.

 

[Buck]

I will have to look into some of the local carpeting stores and see what I can dig up, I really like the "free" part if that can happen. Im not sure I will need it since the clay walls are on average about 18" thick but it wouldnt hurt to do in addition.

Here are a couple photos of the progress thus far.

I I dug out the backside some more to give a little shape to the puddle.

..and of course more rock from that dig to add to the pile. I should have plenty of stone now from this hole to complete my plans without having to scrounge around the property. Only time will tell there.

Im not going any bigger then this and I have decided to keep the depth under the waterfall area at about 4 feet. I back filled all the sides with the clay for shape and to help grade the slope some. I have about 4 yards of clay silt left that I plan on pouring over the entire back bank to let settle in over the winter months to carve a water fall area. I have a very large piece of heavy duty landscaping material that I plan to cover the hole with just like the liner will do which will let the rain through at a slow pace to keep the clay wet and to hold it back during any hard rain storms.

 

[DrCase]

You got it going on !!! Buck
Thats going to be a nice pond..

 

[koiguy1969]

piling up the clay and covering it for the winter is what i did also, with the occasional wetting to form it into a good soliid mound.. i also put in the liner and filled the pond to avoid any "wash in" on the walls
everything is looking sweet there!

 

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

That is going to be one nice pond!

 

[Buck]

koiguy, did you let your pond winter over first and then add the liner in the spring or did you do it all at once? My concerns are the loose soil underneath settling and taking the liner down with it. I am sure that the base of this pond will settle over the next few months due to the amount of stone removal I have done.
Im thinking of putting in the landscape fabric and then just laying in a cheapo plastic sheet to let it collect water for weight to help the ground settle. Almost like a test run but Im not sure if this would be a waste of my time and effort. The clay as you know packs very quickly.

 

[koiguy1969]

i put in the liner, and filled it up so the dirt underneath would sit over the winter with the weight of the water to compact it... i sprayed it with the hose every day for a week or so to keep the clay moist let it sit for few days to dry a bit and laid my liner over it and filled it..i put some stone around the pond to hold the liner in place....in the spring i did my rock work dug my filter hole in the clay and dirt mound.........check out my 'waterfall and pond redo progress' in the photography section. and 'my 70 gallon skippy filter' in the diy section for filter plans. these should explain it all..

 

[Buck]

Well I have decided just to let the hole for the pond itself winter over and settle where it wants and work on the waterfall first. I didnt get anything done on the pond lately since we had relatives up from Florida for the weekend. My big project this weekend was installing the new sign that her uncle talked me into buying at the fair for the road I made to get down to the future clay pond for the animals. :banana:

This test hole is down in that corner...8ft round, 6ft deep and chalk full of water for the last 16 months

 

[Buck]

I have started laying the stone for the waterfall. I layed a thick layer of landscape material around the back of the pond to keep back weed growth in the stone and then layed the water liner over that in the fall area. I beat myself up over the design and location of the falls but I think where I am putting it will be the most logical spot for piping and filtration. The bottom spillway is about 4 feet wide and I may split it into two separate spills later. I need to go get a bunch of cans of that foam before I go any further. This part has been difficult and time consuming due to the size of the stones I am using and I am praying that I get no significant settling through the winter but the ground is solid under the big pieces and there should be no problems.

 

[DrDave]

I would be very careful not to have any sharp rocks in contact with the liner, over time this could come back to haunt you. If you have a body grinder, that could be used to round any sharp corners or jagged edges.

 

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

As for the pond foam, check out e-bay. I was able to get 3 cans for less than the price of one can in local stores. Received shipment in just a few days.

 

[Buck]

Yeh I am being careful of that Doc. So far the only stone touching the liner is the small row in the front. The black on either side is just landscape fabric for weeds.

Special Pond Foam now?
I read you can just use that "Great Stuff" and do the pebble trick to hide it. Not a good idea? :biggrin: