Tip #5: Pond Construction Step # 2: Time to Build the Pond

Now that the concept of Pond Construction is deep inside your brain, next comes the fun part...making the pond!

These are the basic steps for pond construction:

                                 1) Measure the area for the pond.

                                 2) Dig a hole.

                                 3) Fill the hole with either the rubber liner

                                     or prefitted plastic pond and add water.

                                 4) Add a pump with a fountain feature.

                                 5) Add rocks/stones and flowers/plants for effect.

                                 6) Get creative by using underwater egglights!

                                 7) Coy or no coy? The most important question.

Now, for some detail.

I created this pond after attending a 2 hour seminar at Fairfield Garden Center in Fairfield, New Jersey. For information on pond seminars, visit http://fairfieldgardencenter.com/. 

1) Measure the area for the pond. Here is the tip. Make the pond manageable in size. Use a garden hose to measure the area for the pond. The experts will tell you to make the pond large enough so that next year you won't be tempted to make it larger. However, my unexpert advice is make the pond manageable. Ponds are beautiful and add a real charm to the yard. However, ponds require maintenance. The larger the pond, the more maintenance. What do I mean by maintenance? Ponds are an artificial body of water in your backyard and are subject to algae, dirt, leaves, debris, twigs, and good old fashioned dirty water. Yes, there are filtering systems and many products that are available for sale that can help keep the water clean. However, my objective is to enjoy a beautiful water feature while keeping the costs down.  Bottom line, every two to three weeks, I vacuum out the water and debris and add fresh water.

2) Dig a hole. It actually sound funny, but the basic requirement for a pond is a hole. Get a shovel and dig inside the area that you measured out with the garden hose. Now, here is a big tip. What do you do with the excess dirt? When I started digging, I noticed that the dirt and grass from the hole was getting all over the lawn. I laid down a blue tarp on the grass and collected all the dirt and grass from the hole. That way, once I was done digging, I could either use the dirt to build a mound to be used for a waterfall (which I didn't do) or I could use it in areas of my yard that needed some fresh topsoil (which I did).

3) Fill the hole with either a rubber liner or a prefitted plastic pond. From my last posting, I discussed the pros and cons of the rubber liner vs. the prefitted plastic pond, and I chose to use the rubber liner. First, however, there are some important tips about what to do when the hole is dug. Some of these concepts sounds very basic and logical, but they do come in handy. For instance, remove any rocks, sharp twigs, roots, etc. basically anything that can and will penetrate the rubber liner. Once all the debris is removed, place newspaper in the bottom of the pond. The newspaper will absorb any excess moisture between the hole and the rubber liner. After lining the hole with newspaper, spread the rubber liner to fit snugly against the hole. Don't worry if air pockets appear. Fill the pond with water. Once the water is filled up against the rubber liner, the pockets will smooth out. Finally, use flat rocks and dirt to cover any rubber liner that appears at the top of the pond. The rocks and dirt will also eliminate the artificial look of the pond.

4) Add a pump with a fountain feature. Stagnant water will get dirty, attract mosquitoes, and smell. In order to avoid this, you will need a water pump. Most water pumps are relatively inexpensive depending on the size of the pond. Remember, the bigger the pond, the bigger the pump, and the bigger the pump, the more expensive the pump. My pump cost around $40 and has lasted for three years and counting. A pump is easy to install. Another very important tip about ponds and pumps is that you will need to run some large extension cords from the pump to an outdoor GFCI receptacle in order to get electricity for the pump to run. The outlet should be GFCI, because water and electricity don't behave well together. If the outlet senses water where it shouldn't be, the outlet will shut off and prevent electric shock. Once the pump is hooked up, add an inexpensive nozzle to the pump with a fountain head water feature. There are many types available - from the mushroom look (see picture above), to spraying water, to a simple fountain head that just shoots water into the air and back into the pond. This is the fun part. Some kits have various features so that you can change the look anytime you want.

5) Add rocks/stones and flowers/plants for effect. Again, this is the fun part. The more stones, plants, and flowers that are added, the more the pond will look authentic and less like a rubber lined kiddie pool.

6) Get creative by using underwater egg lights. Egg lights are underwater halogen lights with different colored lenses and are covered by a rubber lining. They are easy to install, can be used either above or under water, and can add a beautiful look to any pond.

7) Coy or no coy? The most important question. Coy are those big orange fish that you see swimming in ponds. There are many positives and negatives about using coy. Here is a list of the pros and cons of using coy.

Pros:

• A pond cries for fish. After all, how cool is it to see your new pond with bright orange fish swimming around in there. 
• Nothing looks more authentic and less artificial than seeing something alive swimming in your pond.
• Coy are expensive fish. Some people raise and breed them as an investment.

Cons:

• Coy breed faster than rabbits. A small pond will quickly be overrun by Coy babies.
• Coy are messy. With Coy, you will need a filtering system that will clean the water and pump the appropriate mix of oxygen into the water for the Coy.
• Cats and raccoons love Coy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Coy are year round fish and can live underwater in the Winter. However, a heating system will be required to monitor the temperature of the water. Otherwise, come March, you will have a block of ice with frozen Coy. 
• Coy are expensive. Japanese Coy can cost up to $10,000 per fish.

 As you may have already guessed, I passed on the Coy. If you want fish, buy an aquarium, and keep it in the house.

I hope you enjoyed this pond construction segment of my blog. If you have any questions or comments, email me at rhilston@aol.com.

Thanks for viewing.

TIP# 4: When Everything In The Yard Finally Looks Good......It's Time to Build a POND!!!!

It is the heart of the Summer now. The temperature here in the East, as most of you already know, has been in the 90's to 100 degrees with very high humidity. All of those projects that you had planned for the Spring are hopefully complete, and if not, most likely they will be pushed back until the Fall or next Spring.

The Spring flowers are in bloom, trees are full, and the grass has finally come in and looks good unless you haven't been watering regularly. In that case, the grass is orange/brown, and there is nothing to do but wait until the Fall to re-seed.

So with everything complete, why not make life complicated and build a pond? A few years ago, someone told me that they put a pond in their backyard. I thought, "That's nice, but that seems like a lot of work, and I don't want the trouble." However, the thought stayed in my mind, and sure enough, one day I decided to build a pond.

I visited Fairfield Garden Center in Fairfield, New Jersey (http://www.fairfieldgardencenter.com/) and learned everything you ever would want and need to know about building a pond. I will attempt to summarize what I learned in the next few tips.

Step 1: The Basics

1) Pick out a spot in your backyard where you would like to have a pond. The ideal spot should be away from a tree. I, of course, didn't take this advice. I picked a spot under a tree. The positives: less bacteria and algae; the negatives: more leaves and twigs.

2) Select an area that you can manage and is proportionate to your backyard. My yard is relatively small, and I did not want the pond to dominate the entire yard. A pond is somewhat like having a train set. Some people have a small manageable train set around the Christmas tree, while other people need entire rooms to contain the train set and accessories. My pond is 2 1/2 feet deep by 3 feet wide. In fact, my pond would be considered just more of a water feature than a pond. To me, it's a pond. 

3) Decide whether you want a prefitted plastic pond or a rubber liner pond. Prefitted plastic ponds look like black kiddie pools that you place into your hole in the ground.  The positives are that they look really sharp. After all, they are plastic and have built up areas that you can place underwater plants. Some have different levels to allow the water to flow downwards. This gives the pond a flowing waterfall feature. Plus, the plastic ponds come in all shapes and sizes (ovals, pear shapes, circles, etc.). Of course, the biggest negative with a plastic pond is that it has to fit snugly into the hole without air pockets. Otherwise, the rain will get into the air pockets and during the winter, the water will freeze and pop the plastic pond out of the hole, thereby giving you the black outdoor kiddie pool look in your backyard in February. The other option is the black rubber liner. The positives with the rubber liner are as follows: 1) the rubber liner molds directly in the hole and expands and contracts with the ground, thereby eliminating the pop-up effect of the plastic pond. 2) the rubber liner fits into any size and shape you dig. 3) rubber liner are less expensive. Needless to say, I chose the rubber liner.

I will allow you to digest the Basics and will continue Pond Construction Tips in my next blog. In the meantime, digest the basics and start thinking about where you can put a pond in your backyard.

Tip #3: What's in my shed?

Isn't the shed the coolest place for a guy to store all his grown-up toys? Lawn mowers, Snow Throwers, Power Washers, Hedge Clippers, etc.

This is like toy chest you had when you were a kid. All the trucks, games, and gadgets all in a cool box with a lock. At the end of the day, you could put all your stuff in it and not neatly either! It is where you kept your baseball cards and your GI Joe's. Well, the shed is the grown-up equivalent.

After all, all the stuff you buy at Home Depot and Lowes has to go somewhere. It wouldn't look good in the living room. A family room wouldn't have a good look with bags of mulch in the corner or your lawn mower in the middle of the room. A shed makes a guy feel like a true home owner. You even get a small smile on your face when you say things like, "Hey wait, I think I have an extra shovel in the shed." It is an outdoor man cave.

The only problem with a shed is that sooner or later, it has to be cleaned out for two key reasons: 1) You can't get around in there anymore because stuff is all over or 2) You keep buying things you already have but don't remember because you can't get around in your shed.

Unfortunately, there is never a day that you feel like saying, "Oh good, it's a beautiful Saturday morning. I think it's a good time to clean out the shed." After work, no one feels like coming home and cleaning it out. Plus, once it's cleaned out, you have to put everything back, which also takes time.

So why are you reading this? And what is the point? I guess the point is sheds are cool because they hold all the grown-up toys we buy. But we have to take the time to clean it out so we can buy more grown-up toys to put in the shed.

TIP #2: Vinegar: The Ultimate Household Product!

Today, I would like to share with you a great product that has many household uses. And the best part is everyone already has it somewhere in their house. The product is white vinegar.

When I moved into my house in 2003, both the bathroom and kitchen had hideous old wall paper. A friend of mine told me to get a bucket, fill it with 1/2 hot water and 1/2 white vinegar, and apply the mixture to the wallpaper with a sponge. At first, I felt stupid. I thought this was nothing more than a bad practical joke. After all, the whole house smelled like a fresh garden salad, as I applied the vinegar soaked sponge to the wall paper. I continued the process for about 15 minutes with no results. I took a break, came back into the kitchen, and started to notice air pockets forming under the paper. The vinegar was seeping into the paper and loosening the glue. Within a few more minutes, a simple scraper was peeling back the paper with no damage to the drywall. After the paper was completely removed, I washed down the walls with soap and water. The walls were then ready to be primed and painted....thanks to the vinegar.

Did you ever have streaky mirrors or windows? No matter what window cleaner, nothing seems to clear the streaks or smears. In 2004, I needed new windows for the house. The installer told me the best way to keep windows, mirrors, and chrome polished is as follows:

Use a standard spray bottle: fill it with 1/3 water, 1/3 ammonia, and 1/3 white vinegar. Shake the bottle up and start spraying. You will never buy Windex again! Try it. It works.

Finally, this weekend I noticed that my backyard patio pavers are getting that disgusting moss/weed build up between the cracks again. This is something you are not told when deciding to get pavers for the patio. Every season, I have to scrape out the green moss and weed build up between the cracks before filling them with settling sand. However, I was told that the best way to get rid of the moss and weeds is "surpirse..................white vinegar!" I would like to thank my friend Julie Kent ahead of time for the great tip. I'm sure it will work. I will let you know the details if and when this horrible humidity finally disappears, and I can get to work on my patio.

If you have any ideas you want to share, feel free to post a comment or email me at rhilston@aol.com. Also check out http://www.vinegar.com to view other great uses of vinegar.

TIP #1: Never Mow Your Lawn at 1 pm!

Did you ever drive down a road on a really hot and humid day around 1pm and notice someone trying to start their lawn mower? What are they thinking? I guess they feel that the lawn needs cutting and that this is the only time they can get to it. I don't care how high you cut the grass or how careful it is edged, cutting the grass during the heart of the day with the temperature in the 90's is lawn suicide.

Lawns should only be cut either first thing in the morning or after 5pm. Also, the hotter the temperature, the higher off the ground you should adjust the lawn mower. Usually, in March or April, the idea is to cut as low as possible to let the lawn get a good growth start. But once the temperature gets really hot, the lawn should only be cut with the mower adjusted to at least 4 or 5 inches off the ground. Also, The lawn should only be cut once every 7-10 days depending on the grass height. I usually cut the lawn after 5 pm. Once I am done cutting, I usually water the lawn for 10-15 minutes to let the water hit the grass roots overnight.

The reason I know all this is from bad experience. I bought my first lawn mower in 2005, and cut the grass too low. That's when I learned how easily grass burns and how long it takes it to recover. Let's just say that yellow, orange and brown areas of your lawn probably won't recover until September or October, no matter how much you water the yellow, orange, or brown spot! Bottom line...don't cut the lawn at 1pm!

If you have suggestions or comments, please post them or email me at rhilston@aol.com