Need ideas for rock ledge water features

[Himkad]

HI everyone. My wife had a bank the was landscaped but was over run by weeds, saplings and the border landscape timbers started to be ant hotels. I told her I would weed the garden for her so I did.. down to solid stone. The stone has a neat personality so I uncovered more of it. We were going to make it a rock garden. Now I we are having second thoughts about water features. We happened on this forum and enjoyed how you love your fish, turtles, plants, and animal visitors, etc. and would like to know what it would take to make what we uncovered a mini water system. I just got done reading about your bog adventures and now we getting a little excited. I will include a picture of the site and potential. We live in NE PA so fall is unpondus...little joke. We also have a 9 month old explorer we have to consider. Looking forward to your ideas. Thanks,

 

[addy1]

Nice rocks, so they retain water, that is neat!

 

[Himkad]

Good morning. Well, that was after a good rainstorm. It does leak / absorb / evaoprate. This showed me the high and low spots without doing the level trick.
I am tossing around if I seal the cracks and coat the waterways with something or try liners. I'm afraid if water gets behind the liner it might cause it to float.

 

[j.w]

@Himkad
You will have to see how far down your water table goes. If yes it holds too much water you could make some kind of drain off area underneath somehow. I don't have that issue here and perhaps someone w/some knowledge on the subject will be able to help. If you have any nearby sloping area you could get the water to run downward away from your pond area. Or there are ways to make a clay pond that holds water on it's own w/o a liner. Hoping someone pops up to help ya!

 

[Himkad]

View attachment 124049@Himkad
You will have to see how far down your water table goes. If yes it holds too much water you could make some kind of drain off area underneath somehow. I don't have that issue here and perhaps someone w/some knowledge on the subject will be able to help. If you have any nearby sloping area you could get the water to run downward away from your pond area. Or there are ways to make a clay pond that holds water on it's own w/o a liner. Hoping someone pops up to help ya!

Thanks j.w. the waterm seems to be lower in the triangle area. Going to see what happens there. I will need some dry weather to see.

 

[Himkad]

Well, so much for dry weather. This thing is fuller than before. I am interested in the clay lining idea. I know the rock faults are wide enough to pack a good volume of clay. There are horizontal cracks in the rock that is more than half way (1.5 feet) above the inverted triangle which might be a possible water fall area. Wondering about turbulance with the clay there.

 

[j.w]

@MitchM on this forum is doing a clay pond now. Maybe you can check it out. It's in this thread of his: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/pond-in-the-foothills.10656/page-65

 

[Himkad]

@MitchM on this forum is doing a clay pond now. Maybe you can check it out. It's in this thread of his: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/pond-in-the-foothills.10656/page-65

Thanks!! I will check @MitchM''s project out.

 

[GBBUDD]

while the rock can look very appealing for a stream base . or bog or even a pond it is beyond tricky to make it a successful water garden. I have seen people with way more money then I will ever have insist on making it happen. In short the rock expands and contracts like everything but when it does it creates new fissures or weakens existing . Coating the rock with fiberglass , a heavy epoxy or plaster. could do the job if the rock is competent. but like everything else the more complicated the idea the more money and or maintenance will be need. The typical epdm can be used as well but it to will need someextra work . its ALOT EASIER TO WORK IN SOILS the make the water proof area and cover it with the rock you'd like to see. here's a sample of what I'm talking of.

 

[Himkad]

That was so nice.. I could watch those beauties all day. Too bad a short range the video transmitter could not be blue toothed to the house. Q? I was hoping the bog would control algea.. I have a 50+ gallon frog pond with a 10 gal. Upper poly , a three section cascade, and 40 gal sunken poly bottom. The frogs love it but if the algea gets away on me then I'm stuck trying to treat it because of the frogs. I was hoping the bog would control that problem.

 

[Himkad]

Checked out bentonite, my verticle sides are too steep and there's not enough room in the triangle. Was wondering about FLEX SEAL clear applied right on the stone after cleaning / etching where the water will be. Caulking the corners and taping seams then apply a top coating over it all. And dust with stone dust. This might be a good commercial for the stuff.

 

[poconojoe]

I personally think you should install a liner. It is guaranteed to hold water. You don't want to create a beautiful water garden, then have to tear it all apart to do it over. Install the liner and be done with it.
Water will find it's way through any tiny crack or hole. I'm not sure if doing a patch job with any type of sealer would be trustworthy. Especially if you have fish and their lives depend on keeping the water in. The last thing you want is having to keep adding water day by day, week by week.
Good luck whatever way you choose. Keep us posted with your progress and ask any questions you come upon.

 

[Himkad]

Oh Joe, so many ways to go with this project. I really wanted this to work so it looked so natural without covering edges of liners. I am trying to take j.w''s advice and have it drain some place and the easiest part was near the bog area. I had to do some stone quarry work to make this happen ....not fun. This will drain under the pond or bog liner. Not sure what to do with the triangle yet.

 

[Himkad]

Well, I've turned into a quarryman. Hammer and chiseled out a drain area for under the liner and plumbing drain. Dug out more of the crevices. Starting to build the stone wall. Not sure where or how the water is going to fall out. One thing I've learned......don't build a water system on solid rock ... it's too hard to dig.