Our new pond DIOS (did it ourselves)

[gambitmac]

I think i noticed elephant ears in your pond, are they in the water or out of the water? If they are in the water could you tell me a bit more about your planter you used!

 

[stroppy]

I think i noticed elephant ears in your pond, are they in the water or out of the water? If they are in the water could you tell me a bit more about your planter you used!

just to warn you gambit elephants ears are on the list of toxic plants for fish you might to look at this link
http://www.sanangelopondsociety.com/plantstoxictokoi.htm

 

[jlcolvin]

looks awesome, you used the space you had to work with perfectly!

 

[DrDave]

I have had Elephant Ears (Taro) in my ponds for years. I place them directly on the bottom in a shallow area and anchor with a few rocks. They grow like crazy, look great, and have never harmed my Koi.
They may be poisonous, but unless the Koi eat them they are OK. BTW, Hawaiians make Poi out of the root, so it is not that poisonous. We also buy Taro bread at the Asian food store, it is delicious and I am still breathing.
Next to water lettuce, it is one of my best sellers since it can be planted both in and out of water.

 

[stroppy]

I have had Elephant Ears (Taro) in my ponds for years. I place them directly on the bottom in a shallow area and anchor with a few rocks. They grow like crazy, look great, and have never harmed my Koi.
They may be poisonous, but unless the Koi eat them they are OK. BTW, Hawaiians make Poi out of the root, so it is not that poisonous. We also buy Taro bread at the Asian food store, it is delicious and I am still breathing.
Next to water lettuce, it is one of my best sellers since it can be planted both in and out of water.

but there are lots of plants that are safe for us to eat ... but can be very toxic to fish ..only warning gambit that is on the toxic to fish list :0)

 

[koikeepr]

I think it's fair warning, Stroppy. Folks should know the plants that are on that list, and you've done well to advise them. They will then will have to make their own decisions for their own ponds.

 

[3qtkidz]

WOW! Beautifil work. Looks like you did work very hard - and having it a family effort makes everyone appreciate the final look.

 

[gambitmac]

I have had Elephant Ears (Taro) in my ponds for years. I place them directly on the bottom in a shallow area and anchor with a few rocks. They grow like crazy, look great, and have never harmed my Koi.
They may be poisonous, but unless the Koi eat them they are OK. BTW, Hawaiians make Poi out of the root, so it is not that poisonous. We also buy Taro bread at the Asian food store, it is delicious and I am still breathing.
Next to water lettuce, it is one of my best sellers since it can be planted both in and out of water.

Dr.Dave, I got some Elephant Ear bulbs, do i need to plant them in dirt, allowing them to establish a root system, or can I cover the bulb with rocks and plant in the pond?

 

[DrDave]

I failed when I tried to plant bulbs in dirt. You might try anchoring them in the pond and see if roots start to grow,

If you have enough nutrients in the water, they may take.

 

[gambitmac]

I failed when I tried to plant bulbs in dirt. You might try anchoring them in the pond and see if roots start to grow,

If you have enough nutrients in the water, they may take.

Let me try that, I'll let you know how it goes! thanks!

 

[Lone Pine Ranch]

Larry and Deb, you have a beautiful pond, and I can appreciate the amount of work it takes to hand dig a pond!! I was wondering about your falls and stream, did you mortar the rocks? I need a little guidance for mine and yours looks like what I'm aiming for!

 

[addy1]

beautiful job you two

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

I wish my wife had helped me. Once I was deeper than 6 feet, it was almost impossible for one guy to dig. But, she supports me doing what I do, so that I can work without too much distraction. Probably spent 6 months trying to convince the neighbors I wasn't crazy, no one has a pond around here. Pools, sure, but no ponds.

 

[jstchilln]

Larry and Deb, you have a beautiful pond, and I can appreciate the amount of work it takes to hand dig a pond!! I was wondering about your falls and stream, did you mortar the rocks? I need a little guidance for mine and yours looks like what I'm aiming for!

No we did not mortar the rocks. We bought some of the black expanding foam to fill in and hold the rocks but we didnt use it. The wife jumped in and started it and when I came home from a bike ride she had the falls done. We laid flat Oklahoma moss rock down in the front and laid the round rock around it.

 

[jstchilln]

beautiful job you two

Thanks. Sadly we are getting ready to move and we wil lose our pond. BUT we will have more room for a LARGER POND at the new house. I cant wait and I will post our DIY story here in the future.