Pond in the foothills

[MitchM]

Good news, the bentonite finally came in from a mine in Medicine Hat (where Colleen lives)
Bad news, the landscaping company can no longer help me because of personal issues. I hope that doesn't mean like prison or something. Hopefully he'll get back on his feet again. I've got lots of work available for someone.

The pond hole has lots of weeds growing in it now and you can see how much smoke we're getting from forest fires in British Columbia. Compared to previous pictures, the hills on the other side of the valley are not even visible. You can really see the smoke effects if you walk around in the dark with a flashlight. It's like you're walking around in a fog. Our eyes and lungs are not enjoying this.

I wound up ordering the bentonite from a ceramics shop in Calgary.
When you compare the cost of lining this pond with bentonite ($650) vs what the original liner cost, ($2500), it's one of those cases of "if I knew then what I know know", I would have gone with bentonite in the first place.

Here's the 750 lbs of bentonite (excuse the cardboard recycling stuff) and what the pond hole looks like plus how smokey the valley looks today.
The bentonite I bought looks a lot different than what I've seen on Youtube. Youtube examples are not as fine of a composition.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh boy @MitchM - you're gonna have a lot of weeds to pull!

Check out this video @Mmathis posted the other day - if these two young fellas can do it, so can you! One handful at a time!

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/a-“new”-way-to-build-a-pond.24189/

 

[MitchM]

It's supposed to rain tomorrow (Sunday), which will make pulling weeds easier.
That's my plan of attack. To wait a bit....

 

[j.w]

Hire some goats @MitchM

 

[MitchM]

Oh boy @MitchM - you're gonna have a lot of weeds to pull!

Check out this video @Mmathis posted the other day - if these two young fellas can do it, so can you! One handful at a time!

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/a-“new”-way-to-build-a-pond.24189/

Impressive hard work for sure.
Of course, my first thought is, how will ice and snow affect that construction?

 

[MitchM]

Hire some goats @MitchM

I don't think it will be too bad.
Even if I don't get all the weeds, what is growing there won't survive under water.
I need to remove that middle island though. I don't think I'll be able to properly seal it. We'll see.

 

[MitchM]

One of the best parts is that my wife is excited for us to get planting some submerged plants, marginals and surrounding plants like willows that will attract some wildlife.
Her support really helps.

 

[Lisak1]

I don't remember - did you tell us how you got the liner out? And what did you do with it?

 

[MitchM]

I sliced it into 3 pieces and the mini excavator grabbed it with it's bucket/thumb and pulled it out.
With the accumulated detritus left in the pond, it was just too heavy to remove neatly.

 

[Lisak1]

With the accumulated detritus left in the pond, it was just too heavy to remove neatly.

That's what I wondered - it would be quite the chore to haul that out!

 

[MitchM]

Yep.
I can't tell you how good it felt to remove that liner.
Having that liner went against my nature for wanting to have natural plantings.

 

[MitchM]

I don't remember - did you tell us how you got the liner out? And what did you do with it?

Oh, and we laid it out, folded it up and put it to the side. The material is still good. I'll find some use for it.
I still want to run a dry riverbed stream from the roof downspout to the pond.

 

[j.w]

Those big sheets of liner work great for killing weeds! Have to leave them lay tho for a long time. I made some of my smaller garden beds w/those leftover pond pieces.

 

[MitchM]

Those big sheets of liner work great for killing weeds! Have to leave them lay tho for a long time. I made some of my smaller garden beds w/those leftover pond pieces.

Great idea, but won't the use of the liner dry out the bed underneath?

 

[j.w]

You don't leave the liner there. After about a year you take it off and all the grass and weeds are gone. Then add compost, plants, trees and water! If you had put the liner on the bottom where those weeds are for a long time and then right away add the clay you would not have to be weeding now. I realize you had to take the liner away cuz you thought the work was going to get done sooner. Now too late as you want it done now and weeds are there. But if you ever want an easy way in the future to kill grass or weeds and you don't want to dig it all out the liner will work. People use cardboard, newspaper etc. too but that liner cooks everything really hot. When they use the cardboard, newspaper etc. they can just leave it on top of the ground forever and add the compost on top as it will all deteriorate. Liner won't but you can use it over and over again.