New Mexico Wildlife Pond

[GBBUDD]

Ah, good catch. I wonder if that is unique to non-woven fabric as it holds moisture in it vs. woven seems to shed water.

Non woven can absorb water and double in weight while rubber and woven do not absorb water but they will wick within a fold etc

 

[Rashad]

How does this edging look? I feel like it needs some work where the mulch meets the gravel/rocks. Suggestions? May get more of the light brown rocks instead of the river rocks to color blend into the mulch better? Also I think I may have overestimated the sun tolerance of hostas. I thought with constant access to water they might be okay in close to full New Mexico sun...

 

[combatwombat]

I like it! Looks great. Maybe mix some more rock into your mulch edges. And plant some terrestrial creepers that will soften the rock edge.

But really it looks good!

 

[cas]

I agree - looks good! Some plants would soften the edges. I like how J.W. uses creeping jenny.

 

[Rashad]

Finished up the edging! Pretty much done now. Two goldfish and a lotus were just added. Would love some recommendations on native ground covers that don’t get too crazy to fill in between rocks. I did add some watercress in scattered locations, not sure how much it will grow out of the pond. I have access to unlimited yellow irises and cattails in the ditch behind my house so can always add those if I need more plants.

 

[combatwombat]

Looking really good, Rashad. Wish I could advise on ground cover, but I have no idea what would work in your area. Local garden center will probably be most helpful.

 

[cas]

What a nice job!
Have you looked into low growing sedum to plant outside among your rocks?

 

[Rashad]

What a nice job!
Have you looked into low growing sedum to plant outside among your rocks?

Thanks! I have some sedum tucked in there, so sort of waiting to make sure it’ll survive before planting more. I made little plant pockets and the bottom is wicking some water from the pond, and I’m a bit worried it’s too wet for sedum since they’re drought tolerant. They seem okay about 2 weeks in so maybe it’s safe to add more.

 

[cas]

Perfect. That stuff will take off and will look great.

 

[Rashad]

In praise of the ecosystem. It's kind of amazing how quick everything moves in. Without consciously adding anything I've got snails, random worms (nematodes?), I saw a damselfly laying eggs under the edges of the lilies, birds coming in for a drink, bees. wasps. Pretty neat! And the pond is only really a few weeks old.

 

[Rashad]

Ok I’m starting to get the dreaded string algae, and I think it’s mostly from lack of shade and the plants in the bog and pond being relatively new and still getting established.

I have a fairly shallow area of the pond about 4-6 inches deep in front of the intake bay that’s too shallow for a lily. What can I put there to shade the water? I have two hyacinths but they really aren’t doing too well and spreading. Not sure why. Maybe I need to do a fertilizer bath for them. Lily and lotus are growing like crazy and shading the deeper parts of the pond well.

 

[Laaf]

Algae is indeed normal in your pond getting established, and realistically some will always be there. I would add more plants to compete with the algae. You can just pull it by hand or grab it with sticks. But it is serving a purpose of eating nutrients. So I might leave it longer til more plants get established. Some plants do better than other. My couple of cuttings of aquatic mint from a friend last fall has become a bush of mint over 3 feet tall. My aquatic clover never came back after winter.

 

[GBBUDD]

My aquatic clover never came back after winter.

Consider your self lucky that stuff is crazy invasive.

 

[Rashad]

Hey everyone, just wanted to share some updated photos. Things are going well, fish are more outgoing, plants are getting well established. String algae seems to be growing slower so I think the rest of the plants are getting their mojo going. New bog plants I'm trying out include a red currant (in a pot with soil, it was dying bare root in the pea gravel), Mexican heather, and some green onions from the supermarket that are at least not dying, if not thriving. I also just added a 1/4 inch poly line off of a hose bib nearby (from our well) so that whenever the sprinklers kick on the pond gets a stream of water. I think I have the flow adjusted so that it's relatively balanced with evaporation but it's only been a week so hard to tell.

 

[GBBUDD]

She's coming along nicely