Hey is 30 ins good for a pond

[Blackdog128]

you have been a huge help in my pond planning stages now what shape i want it to be lol i have to take a few pics of the site and se what comes out of it i have to think about the apple trees and the plum tree right behind the fence where i want to put the pond at and how the plums fall in close to the pond site oh yeah i way rail road ties in the back yard as well i may use in the pond laying out so there is so much i can use in the pond laying out i love it

 

[sissy]

look on you tube they have some great video's and I also looked on HGTV .com as they have lots of pics to .I took apart a hour glass shaped one that was pretty.It was not deep enough for NC and had been left go for over 4 years .The water felt like someone had a heater in it in the middle of summer

 

[Blackdog128]

i will post pics of where the pond is going to be and all the other factors of it like the apple tree and all get back to u all on this here is the pic of where the pond will go

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/2768-this-is-the-spot-where-i-want-to-put-the-pond/

 

[sissy]

Apples my cause a problem and so will the leaves

 

[Blackdog128]

the tree will be cut back as far as we can or it may be removed all together we don't really know yet if we get this house one of them apple trees are going to go so i can put in my pond i will not let anything stand in my way on my dream pond site lol

 

[sissy]

The roots will be the hardest thing to take out .But guess no harder than digging up lots of rocks .If you can dig up most of the stump and let it dry it makes great stump art for by your pond and some interesting branches would look nice by the pond and if trunk is big enough little stools or one with a board on top to be a table or even make fairy houses or gnome house and remember that wood smells great when burned .nice fire pit wood .Nothing much goes to waste at my house

 

[j.w]

You can try using one of these for rocky ground. I have one and it really helps when you encounter some tough rocky soil.

Pickaxe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pickaxe
Pickaxe on the ground Other names Pick, pickax Classification Digging tool Types Railroad pick, miner's pick Related Mattock
A pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.
Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a blunt end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but the international Oxford Dictionary of English states that both words mean the same, i.e. a tool with a long handle at right angles to a curved iron or steel bar with a point at one end and a chisel or point at the other, used for breaking up hard ground or rock.[sup][1][/sup]
The head is usually made of metal, and the handle is most commonly wood, metal or fiberglass.
The head is a spike ending in a sharp point, may curve slightly, and often has a counter-weight to improve ease of use. The stronger the spike, the more effectively the tool can pierce the surface. Rocking the embedded spike about and removing it can then break up the surface.
The counterweight, nowadays is nearly always a second spike, often with a flat end for prying.
The pointed edge is most often used to break up rocky surfaces or other hard surfaces such as concrete or hardened dried earth. The large momentum of a heavy pickaxe, combined with the small contact area, makes it very effective for this purpose.
The chiseled end, if present, is used for purposes including cutting through roots.
A Mandrill is a miner's smallish pick for use in confined spaces.
Also note that during war in medieval time the pickaxe was used as a weapon.
Originally used as agricultural tools as far back as prehistoric cultures, picks have also served for tasks ranging from traditional mining to warfare. The design has also evolved into other tools such as the plough and the mattock.

 

[sissy]

yeh they call it mattock here and had no clue what they were talking about we called it a pickaxe also .For roots i just used saw all or sawzall or whatever all the names they call it .Much easier to get rid of roots than chopping at them

 

[Blackdog128]

ty all for the tips i will take them in the ideas ok

 

[addy1]

Without our tractor we would not have a pond. It was hard to dig even with the equipment. I use our backhoe to put in plants, lousy rocky soil

 

[Blackdog128]

I MAY GET HELP FROM A FEW FRIENDS WHO HAVE BACK HOES SO IN THE SPRING TIME I WILL ASK AROUND

 

[addy1]

I highly recommend it. Our ground is a little dirt with rock. I kills me to try and put a simple plant in the ground. I would still be digging that pond without the help of the tractor, even with it, it took about 6 weeks or so to dig. Fighting layers of shale, mush rock, clay.

The apple trees did not cause too many issues, the roots did not extend out very far.

 

[Blackdog128]

i live in ut the soil is not but rocks and all but thanks but hey i will get a great work out if i do have to do it all by hand i want to lose weight there is my weight loss program lol think everyone should put in a pond it will help with the weight problem in the usa lol

 

[fishin4cars]

Pond building will help burn calories off, EVEN if you have machinery help. LOL Only so much a machine can do. I cut out soft drinks and started drinking zero calorie carbonated flavored water from walmart. Lost 80# last summer! Did very little change to my diet except got away from fried food and started grilling or baking the same foods instead of frying. My heart DR. took me off my blood pressure meds and my Lipids meds this last fall. 80% of my exercise was hauling rock and digging by hand shovels. I must say I feel so much better and I am more active this winter than I have been in years. Now for the original question, If you can go deeper do it, you won't regret it later on. Two factors need to be considered about depth, How cold the winters are and how hot the summer water will get is one factor, Predators are the second. Any pond that is 30" or less and are where there is even a possible chance of a Great blue heron visiting is a invite for a clean out. An adult heron can stand in 30" of water and fish, any thing shallower than that and they can move around to better position themselves to catch fish. 36" deep and their whole body is in the water, They don't like their body in the water and will move on to better hunting grounds if they can't catch fish easy. For temps now would be a good time to check Ice thickness in your area, If the Ice is say 6" thick than 2' of water would be enough void for the fish to survive. If the ice in your area gets 12" thick then you need 4' of depth to accomplish the same goal. A rule of thumb I read somewhere years ago is go 4 times deeper than the thickest ice that will form. IMO, a good rule of thumb to follow. Heat is quite different, Heat warms up faster in small shallow ponds, The faster it rises and falls the more dangerous for the fish, so again, the deeper the better.

 

[sissy]

I drink the same water fishin and it is great ,I love the lemon flavored one .I don't like the sweet taste of soda and yep any work you do out side will burn calories .I hate to say that when you start a pond it seems you can't get away from it much to eat .Seems you can stare at it awhile and see something you need or want to change .Yep wish I had gone even deeper ,would have like 5 feet or more .Summers here I have to shade the pond with shade sails I made .Don't want to change it now but deeper is always better.Remember also to make sure there are no underground surprises call dig safe just in case and utility companies come out for free and great idea any way as you will know where everything is for future use .