Hello! Ready to learn

[Cichlidboy]

A fairly new member came in pretty close to the same goals as your self @Cichlidboy he had edging as you do and we explained the Quick fix. He jumped right on it and within days he came back with a whole new look . Which inspired him to take the pond to the next step where it now adds value to the house and is not a tarp dug in the ground with it and water showing.

Yes I built a shelf first thing after I joined the forum and my pond looked alot better after

 

[Ceego]

Alright! Well, I have some work to do. I'll check back in after I fix the edging.
I very much appreciate the advice and experience. Thank you all very much

 

[addy1]

Alright! Well, I have some work to do. I'll check back in after I fix the edging.
I very much appreciate the advice and experience. Thank you all very much

We love to help make all ponds pretty!

 

[Abby]

Plants can be helpful in hiding exposed liner… creeping Jenny does well outside of the edge, parrot feather and pennywort do well inside the edge draped out… Taro, papyrus, cannas, irises, pickerel all do well growing along the edge and are grow enough to hide the edge. The plants are like the icing, the pond is the cake just make it relatively level without low spots and then have fun decorating it!

 

[JRS]

Welcome Ceego!

 

[Lisak1]

Plants can be helpful in hiding exposed liner… creeping Jenny does well outside of the edge, parrot feather and pennywort do well inside the edge draped out… Taro, papyrus, cannas, irises, pickerel all do well growing along the edge and are grow enough to hide the edge. The plants are like the icing, the pond is the cake just make it relatively level without low spots and then have fun decorating it!

They can indeed and are an easy and beautiful addition to any pond. However building a pond with exposed liner and then hoping you can hide it with plants is backwards, in my opinion, and just unnecessary when the correct way to finish the edge is just as easy and will prevent so much headache in the future. A properly finisjed edge will still benefit from plants growing between and over the rocks to help create a more natural look.

 

[Abby]

there are multiple directions, budgets, styles, options, and remedies for those learning though. I’m not proposing THE approach…. Just one of many liner on the ground is fairly easy to cover how ever you want to cover it, rocks on top, burying it, plants covering it, all 3, etc

 

[Lisak1]

Sorry but no. Liner on the ground will lead to one of two outcomes - or perhaps even both - constant dirty runoff water into the pond or water getting under the liner. Both are avoidable and the solution doesn’t cost a penny more. Why do it wrong and create problems when it’s just as easy to do it correctly?

 

[Abby]

Sorry but no. Liner on the ground will lead to one of two outcomes - or perhaps even both - constant dirty runoff water into the pond or water getting under the liner. Both are avoidable and the solution doesn’t cost a penny more. Why do it wrong and create problems when it’s just as easy to do it correctly?

1)I was referring to covering up aesthetically exposed liner.

2)your communication style is pretty aggressive … this is a social forum… why not share information AND common courtesy?

 

[GBBUDD]

2)your communication style is pretty aggressive …

@Abby it may have come off that way in the way you read it , but i can assure you that's NOT how it was intended @Lisak1 is not that way at all .

but back to the topic TRYING TO HIDE LINER THAT all vertical wall in the water can be more than a challenge to get plants to grow and stay in place. Not to mention WHEN THEY SIT ON GRADE its next to impossible to break the string of pearl look

 

[Lisak1]

1)I was referring to covering up aesthetically exposed liner.

1. What in the heck is "aesthetically exposed liner"?

AND

2)your communication style is pretty aggressive

2. Actually no it's not. And you saying it is doesn't make it true. I communicated clearly and succinctly that I disagreed with you. It's the disagreement you don't like, not the style.

Back to #1 - there is literally NOTHING "aesthetic" about exposed liner above the water level. Maybe you mean "accidental" or "unintentional" - both of which happen. We have had LOTS of new pond owners come to ask for help with a pond they built where they did not build the edge correctly and the liner is constantly showing. We share tips and tricks to camouflage the mistake but ultimately suggest they re-do it. Many do so; some can't or choose not to. Either way, the information is the same. Facts don't change to accommodate feelings. This poster said he/she wanted to learn - I think common courtesy would require that I give accurate information. Which I did and will continue to do, unapologetically.

And this is indeed a social forum, but it's also an extremely powerful tool. Every conversation you have with every poster is preserved and will be a conversation you have with countless pond people in the future who come looking for accurate and helpful information. We don't all agree here about every detail on how to build, keep, manage, or maintain a pond. When we have different opinions we share them freely. And when we disagree, we do so in a civil manner and life goes on. Someone reading this forum in the future can see many differing viewpoints and weigh it out for themselves. But certain construction details are universally accepted. Fnishing an edge is one of them. (And I hadn't even gotten to the "string of pearls" - @GBBUDD beat me to it on the one.)

For example - if I go ahead and lay my liner flat on the ground around my pond (and if you've followed other pond building advice to not cut extra liner you may have 2 feet or more surrounding your edge) and then cover it with say mulch or gravel.... how do I now plant anything on the perimeter of the pond? How do I keep that liner covered? How long before I decide to cut it back and now I CAN'T fix the mistake?

 

[GBBUDD]

1. What in the heck is "aesthetically exposed liner"?

AND


2. Actually no it's not. And you saying it is doesn't make it true. I communicated clearly and succinctly that I disagreed with you. It's the disagreement you don't like, not the style.

Back to #1 - there is literally NOTHING "aesthetic" about exposed liner above the water level. Maybe you mean "accidental" or "unintentional" - both of which happen. We have had LOTS of new pond owners come to ask for help with a pond they built where they did not build the edge correctly and the liner is constantly showing. We share tips and tricks to camouflage the mistake but ultimately suggest they re-do it. Many do so; some can't or choose not to. Either way, the information is the same. Facts don't change to accommodate feelings. This poster said he/she wanted to learn - I think common courtesy would require that I give accurate information. Which I did and will continue to do, unapologetically.

And this is indeed a social forum, but it's also an extremely powerful tool. Every conversation you have with every poster is preserved and will be a conversation you have with countless pond people in the future who come looking for accurate and helpful information. We don't all agree here about every detail on how to build, keep, manage, or maintain a pond. When we have different opinions we share them freely. And when we disagree, we do so in a civil manner and life goes on. Someone reading this forum in the future can see many differing viewpoints and weigh it out for themselves. But certain construction details are universally accepted. Fnishing an edge is one of them. (And I hadn't even gotten to the "string of pearls" - @GBBUDD beat me to it on the one.)

For example - if I go ahead and lay my liner flat on the ground around my pond (and if you've followed other pond building advice to not cut extra liner you may have 2 feet or more surrounding your edge) and then cover it with say mulch or gravel.... how do I now plant anything on the perimeter of the pond? How do I keep that liner covered? How long before I decide to cut it back and now I CAN'T fix the mistake?

I'm often taken as being gruff . Probably because I am . I try not to come off as grumpy or demeaning. But I have never been one to sugar coat help to lesson an impact. But I won't say what we're you thinking either.

There's an expression , there's no such thing as a dumb question. While that maybe true , there's a lot that come way to close to that line.

My favorite was a guy taking a red eared slider down to the water to let it go. He lived on the beach on long-island sound. Glad I asked what he ment because he indeed thought he could let them go in the ocean. His mistook their green color for green sea turtles.

All to many times people love the idea and they get so excited the start digging before they realy know what they should do to build a successful pond.

I was one of those but I had an excavator at my fingertips a even more dangerous thing.
That's why I put together y showcase to help give others some info before they broke ground.

 

[Abby]

I'm often taken as being gruff . Probably because I am . I try not to come off as grumpy or demeaning. But I have never been one to sugar coat help to lesson an impact. But I won't say what we're you thinking either.

There's an expression , there's no such thing as a dumb question. While that maybe true , there's a lot that come way to close to that line.

My favorite was a guy taking a red eared slider down to the water to let it go. He lived on the beach on long-island sound. Glad I asked what he ment because he indeed thought he could let them go in the ocean. His mistook their green color for green sea turtles.

All to many times people love the idea and they get so excited the start digging before they realy know what they should do to build a successful pond.

I was one of those but I had an excavator at my fingertips a even more dangerous thing.
That's why I put together y showcase to help give others some info before they broke ground.

I understand your points I just keep common courtesy in communication a little higher on my priority list personally…. and I don’t really see the value in ego and condescension … but that’s just me

 

[Lisak1]

I don't want to derail this particular thread any further so I'll get back to the point of the post.

@Ceego - to achieve a natural look in a pond, you want to think "how does nature do it?" The "string of pearls" look is what's referred to when you have a a basically round pond with a row of basically the same sized rocks lining it. You'd never see that in nature. You want to vary the sizes, vary the material, break up the monotony of the same same same. Plants help a lot once you are finished, but making it interesting from the start helps dramatically. Add some wood elements, add some spots where you have a jumble of smaller rocks, etc. Creating that shallow ledge all around the pond will help dramatically with being able to "mix it up". You may have one nice big boulder that you can drop on that shelf that will stick up 10 inches out of the water and create the edge and give you places to plant next to, behind, between, etc.

Check out the PondDigger on YouTube. He has a great series on DIY pond building, broken down step by step. The one on edge finishing is very helpful.

 

[GBBUDD]

I try even less today to try and not offend someone. Because you will drive your self insane trying to make it so no one if offended today.
I built my own pond with the help of others here. Every walk of life is here will we all agree with every post hell no . I come here to help others build there dream , have a little fun along the way. And ok brag about what i accomplished and learn what others have done that works for them.

I may loose it now and then watching this country destroy its self by the latest's bs. That's where life creeps into our LITTLE oasis. That's half the problem the silent Majority is back in high-school afraid to be called names today . PLEASE