Humbirdlover's Green Va. Pond

[addy1]

Oh good, might just get a couple of hers then. You were saying you put plant tabs in them, plus osmocote in the pan? How do you have yours planted?I'll probably bug you a lot, we are in the same zone, I think

When I groom them in the spring, I put around 1/4 cup plus per pan under the kitty litter, then the lily. Mid summer I stick a tab in the clay for the plants on a off and basis. I usually add a tab or two every other grooming, when I go into the pond to cut off old leaves, flowers.

K, I have an idea and wanted your input please? I have a shelf on the one corner that could prolly hold either a small preform or maybe on of those small pans like you mix cement in. My thought is something like that with pea gravel in it, to put the dwarf cattails, and some other plants in for water filtration? I could nestle some potted plants in it, too. This would be under the water so the fish can swim thru it, and hopefully be fine when the pond freezes over? I keep on end open in the winter, but this corner will freeze over? I'm thinking this to keep the gravel confined to one area

My bog freezes pretty hard, the plants have no issue coming back in the spring, with exuberance! (I need to purge some lol) Sent out boxes of plants this year.

You could (just a suggestion) take something like a laundry basket, dish rack whatever fits, with holes. Line it with landscape fabric or screening, put in the kitty litter, add the plants, it would be a flow through type bog, plant filter. I have small pots with holes in them, the plants have grown better in the pots with the holes than the one without (in house fish tank.........my honey wanted to over winter some subbies............so now we have a tank in the house) The plants where equal in size when put in. The net bag was just added.

It will not matter if it freezes as long as you have planted hardies.

 

[humbirdlover]

A friend of mine has a filter that she bought. It's like a big rectangle shaped box, probably about 4' long, by 2' wide and at least 18" deep, maybe more, but her pond is bigger than mine. where the water comes in there's 3 brushes, they are in a chamber that's about 1/3 of the whole thing. then there's partition that has a lip on it for the water to flow over. the other 2/3 of the tank has filter mats in the bottom for the sediment, and her outflo is a little lower than the inflow. she has had it for a long time and it works for her. But I still like the idea of the water going down thru the media, and the sediment settling to the bottom. Her's also has a lid, but like you are saying, plants in the top would be nice. Where did you find a container your size? Are you thinking a tank adapter for the inflow and outflow?

 

[sissy]

The ater coming in will just be the hose on top like the one I have and the tank is from the hops picking place .He had to many and decided to sell them off .He delivers hops to the plant in Eden NC and these are brand new .The tank adapters for the out flow .I ill use the light grating cut to keep it a couple of inches off the bottom and probably use two with supports under them because I plan on using my lava rock again with filters on top and then the plants can free float again

 

[humbirdlover]

sounds like it's going to make a nice sturdy filter. I'll have to be on the look out of a container, just haven't found the exact right one yet. I'll just use the old tote for now, if I get it re plumbed. Finding the parts might be tricky. Seems like there's always a problem with the right size hose fitting the adapters, etc.. Need to make a list and see what I can find. There is 1/2 hose coming from my pump right now, so the outflow has to be at least 2X that right?

 

[sissy]

I know springfield gardens has a big sale going on all there pottery and they have lots of it .

 

[humbirdlover]

When I groom them in the spring, I put around 1/4 cup plus per pan under the kitty litter, then the lily. Mid summer I stick a tab in the clay for the plants on a off and basis. I usually add a tab or two every other grooming, when I go into the pond to cut off old leaves, flowers.




My bog freezes pretty hard, the plants have no issue coming back in the spring, with exuberance! (I need to purge some lol) Sent out boxes of plants this year.

You could (just a suggestion) take something like a laundry basket, dish rack whatever fits, with holes. Line it with landscape fabric or screening, put in the kitty litter, add the plants, it would be a flow through type bog, plant filter. I have small pots with holes in them, the plants have grown better in the pots with the holes than the one without (in house fish tank.........my honey wanted to over winter some subbies............so now we have a tank in the house) The plants where equal in size when put in. The net bag was just added.

It will not matter if it freezes as long as you have planted hardies.

K, found a pre form that fits on the shelf pretty good, but boy did I have a time getting that thing to sit level! I have big rocks on the shelf, and didn't take in consideration that this thing would be sitting on them. I heaved, pushed, pulled, lost one over the edge so it's now on the bottom. Not sure where, can't see the water is so yucky. Knees all skinned up from kneeling on rocks, LOL But I got the sucker in. Ran out of daylight, so there's some rocks holding it down for now. Tomorrow, I'll gather up some pea gravel, and put in the few plants I have, but think since I have read that the water iris and bog bean do good in pots, will leave them as is, with maybe some holes poked in the pots? Maybe put the rush and the cattails in baskets to kinda keep them contained? does that all sound ok? Not sure how deep I can make the pea gravel, any suggestions?

 

[addy1]

Pea gravel can be just about any depth you want it to be, my bog plants tend to have shallow roots except for the rush. For a "bog" type set up they (interent sites) recommend 8-12 inches deep. Mine is about 2.5 feet deep.

The plants can be in pots, some of mine (in the pond) are in ex land plant pots from hd and lowes the black plastic things, I add some fabric to keep the clay from going out of the bottom of the pots. The lilies are in solid pots, oil pans. My cat tail is in the pea gravel, stuck in rocks in the pond and stream.

The cat tails spread by runner, if you want to keep contained keep the edge of the pot (solid pot) above water and gravel level.

 

[humbirdlover]

Pea gravel can be just about any depth you want it to be, my bog plants tend to have shallow roots except for the rush. For a "bog" type set up they (interent sites) recommend 8-12 inches deep. Mine is about 2.5 feet deep.

The plants can be in pots, some of mine (in the pond) are in ex land plant pots from hd and lowes the black plastic things, I add some fabric to keep the clay from going out of the bottom of the pots. The lilies are in solid pots, oil pans. My cat tail is in the pea gravel, stuck in rocks in the pond and stream.

The cat tails spread by runner, if you want to keep contained keep the edge of the pot (solid pot) above water and gravel level.

Thank you I think the way this is going to end up, most of the plants in pots, and maybe the clover and I think the lady called it some kind of snow flake, it has heart shaped leaves and gets a little yellow flower on it. This pre form is only about 2 1/2' long x 2' wide x7" deep, but was only going to put the gravel about 5" deep, just to hold the pots and the two that can root in the gravel. so guess this is more of a containment area? Does that sound ok? And I will put the cattails in a solid pot then, thanks for that tip

 

[humbirdlover]

Got some batting in a basket, rigged up under the water flow, hope for the best, LOL I would have run the hose directly from the pump, but can't see it, to pull it up. What a mess! But with you guys helping, I think evenually it will look better! and what a mess working with that kitty litter! Got the pots sitting in containers and impatiently waiting for the little chunks to disolve into a clay firm enough to go into the pond.

 

[addy1]

I just put my kitty litter in, but any poof of dust goes away pretty fast (in my pond) The 4 leaf clover I had liked to be in the water, the clover in the bog did not survive the winter and did not grow as well.

The yellow snowflake is rated a tropical, zone 8, might not survive the winter, but might lol.

 

[humbirdlover]

Not sure if that's what it is. I've had it for years, but when I cleaned the pond out this Spring, I had to tear it loose from the rocks, it was rooted in the yuck, big time. Pitched most of it, and put some in two small pots, but it's not happy I have never dealt with kitty litter before but this stuff just would not disolve all the way. I kept pouring water in, even have them sitting in water. Two of the pots I can still just pick out the granules, and they have been out there for the most part of today. The lady that I got the plants from has a pile of grey clay soil, and said I could bring a bucket and get some. Should have done that instead.

 

[CometKeith]

Hi h-bird, I would also look at floating plants. I have both water hyacinths and water lettuces. They both soak up all the extra nutrients and compete for them with the algae. I don't have any green water. I know the floaters are doing a good job because the ones close to my waterfall are much larger than the rest because of all the nutrients they are soaking up.

 

[addy1]

I have never dealt with kitty litter before but this stuff just would not disolve all the way. I kept pouring water in, even have them sitting in water. Two of the pots I can still just pick out the granules, and they have been out there for the most part of today. The lady that I got the plants from has a pile of grey clay soil, and said I could bring a bucket and get some. Should have done that instead.

Humbird, the kitty litter does not dissolve into soil looking clay. When I use it, I pour it into a pot, wet it down, stick the plant in and put it in the pond. I have never tried to get the granules to be all gone. When I pull the lilies in the fall most of the clay is gone.

I don't even rinse mine, but my pond can handle the dust poof that comes off the litter. Just rinse yours so the white dust cloud is gone before you stick it in the pond.

 

[humbirdlover]

Oh well that explains it! Geez..I feel dumb, LOL thank you again...glad I'm learning this now, tho. I do want to get a lily in the Spring, to shade my pond.

 

[addy1]

lol no problem! learning curve, you think clay, what comes to mind is the slick fine clay.