Here we go -- FINALLY! A pond for wildlife...

[bagsmom]

Here is a little update: I was right. I have MINNOWS for DAYS! Soooooo many baby minnows of all sizes, from micro-mini-minnows, to mini-minnows, to little minnows. Minnowwwwwwws. I think there must be hundreds!

 

[GBBUDD]

Yea it doesn't take them long. I have the same with the danios a blue gill is probably the next addition to the pond.

 

[bagsmom]

Today's update:
The deer are now getting IN the pond and going swimming. It's like one of those "swim up" bars in Cancun or something. They have now eaten all the lily leaves. Today I will go out and try the trick of using a couple of heavy duty fishing line "barriers" on stakes around the perimeter.
It is interesting and a little concerning that the plants in the pond don't seem to be thriving. There is a lot of new algae growth lately - maybe due to the increase in the number of minnows? I would think that the algae growth indicates the presence of nutrients - which I would THINK would help the plants. The iris are looking kind of yellowed. The water hyacinth are just awful. Black roots and brown leaves. The deer have tried nibbling the cattails and uprooted one. I was surprised that there seemed to be very little root growth. The water coming up through the bog is lovely. When I move the gravel, there is a lot of fine sediment. It seems like everything is working well. I might prefer a bit more pull into the intake bay, but I think I'm stuck with the 3,000 gph pump. The pump vault is only rated for 3,700. I guess at some point I could try installing a different pump with a bit more power?
I do think for a first year pond, it is looking good. But some of the situations are making me a little nervous. I know I need more plants. If the deer would leave the plants alone, maybe some of them could take off next year. They are planted directly in the gravel, so should have access to all the fish poo and whatnot.

 

[Tula]

Oh my, you must take a video of this !! Are there deer resistant plants that do well in a bog?

 

[addy1]

unreal, I have them eating from the edge, only one fell into the pond. They love the lily leaves, love the hyacinth. They go into the bog and eat but I have so many plants can't see any damage.

 

[cas]

I have a 4' picket fence around my backyard that the deer decided to jump to come visit my pond one year. I bought 6' stakes, tied fishing line between them with little streamers so that they would be sure to see it, put it above the fence, and they haven't jumped the fence since. Neighbor then tried it with her garden and it kept the deer away - until they found another way in. So I think it may help your pond, but it might not look the best.

 

[bagsmom]

We put stakes around the pond - spaced about 4 feet apart. We put a line of monofilament at about 2 feet off the ground and another about 3 feet off the ground. It isn't terribly noticeable. We will see if it really serves as a deterrent. I didn't do little flags, but I guess I should.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

We put stakes around the pond - spaced about 4 feet apart. We put a line of monofilament at about 2 feet off the ground and another about 3 feet off the ground. It isn't terribly noticeable. We will see if it really serves as a deterrent. I didn't do little flags, but I guess I should.

Obviously that height of fence isn't a physical deterrent for deer (who can hop 6' vertically from a standstill) but they don't like to jump into an area that is 'enclosed', so your monofilament lines might do the trick. Flags won't be any further deterrent, imo, because the 'scary' factor of any sort of flapping object will soon be overcome by the 'Oh, that's not *really* a threat' in very short order. I wish you lots of luck. We put up an electric fence around our 'yard' area (which includes the pond) last year due to persistent deer activity. We've had a few run ins this year with Mama deer & her baby, but so far no one has breached the secured area inside the 'ZAP' zone (ie - inside the electric fence!)

On a non-deer related note - I've found that it takes two or three full growing seasons for plants stuck right in the gravel to 'hit their stride' and really start to perform well. I'd strongly suggest keeping those pesky deer at bay with whatever means necessary for the next two growing seasons, then ---- let them back in (if you're so inclined) and hope for the best. Others might have an alternate opinion, and YMMV.

 

[bagsmom]

@BKHpondcritters - thanks! I was thinking the little flags would be more to keep the deer from accidentally walking into the monofilament and getting tangled up in it. That could be a horrible situation! I had read that when they touch the fishing line with their necks, it kind of gives them the heebie jeebies. That's my hope. I know they could totally jump over that height but since the monofilament "fence" is surrounding the very edge of the water, they would have to hop over it and right into the water. Would they do that? I guess like everything - this will be another experiment! I am glad to hear that the plants might eventually take off. I have another container of deer scram. My husband HATES the smell, but I'm going to put more out. It seems like it was effective for a while. Everyone - cross your fingers!!!!!

 

[GBBUDD]

deer fencing is 8 foot tall and is just black like chicken wire . its really not that obtrusive in my eyes and at that height you could place wires/ monofilament across the top to help keep herons away .

 

[BKHpondcritters]

@BKHpondcritters - thanks! I was thinking the little flags would be more to keep the deer from accidentally walking into the monofilament and getting tangled up in it. That could be a horrible situation! I had read that when they touch the fishing line with their necks, it kind of gives them the heebie jeebies. That's my hope. I know they could totally jump over that height but since the monofilament "fence" is surrounding the very edge of the water, they would have to hop over it and right into the water. Would they do that? I guess like everything - this will be another experiment! I am glad to hear that the plants might eventually take off. I have another container of deer scram. My husband HATES the smell, but I'm going to put more out. It seems like it was effective for a while. Everyone - cross your fingers!!!!!

Good luck! I really don't think they'd jump over if they had to land directly in the pond. Just make sure it's back far enough that they can't stick their heads through & eat stuff. Yeah, they'll do that.

 

[SarahT]

We put stakes around the pond - spaced about 4 feet apart. We put a line of monofilament at about 2 feet off the ground and another about 3 feet off the ground. It isn't terribly noticeable. We will see if it really serves as a deterrent. I didn't do little flags, but I guess I should.

There is colored monofilament that I think deer can see more easily than regular mono.

 

[bagsmom]

Here are some photos of the monofilament fence. It is difficult to see, which is actually nice for me but probably hard to see in the photos. Down at the far end, where the deer tend to drink, I have actually strung 3 rows of monofilament across. The deer can come to the water to drink, but if they walk in, they cannot go more than about 3 feet without hitting the "fence." I'm hoping this will save the bulk of the lilies. Some new little leaves have started to return. The first photo shows our latest interior improvement in progress. I chose a picture halfway through the job, so you could see the before and after. We had already replaced the wood balusters on the balcony with cable. (I am not a fan of a modern look, but in this case, it makes it so much easier to see! This weekend, we replaced the divided light window inserts with an edge panel that leaves the pane of glass open. It is wonderful! I should be able to take some good pictures, now!

 

[addy1]

Nice changes!

 

[bagsmom]

You can see the lily pots in front of the two waterfalls from the bog. They were filling out nicely and blooming a lot. Saturday morning, I looked outside to see ALL the leaves eaten and one of the pots totally dumped upside down.