CWN Back Shops

Every garden railroad needs a water feature! Well that's not true, but I sure wanted one. Here are a few things we learned and are learning about pond management. Remember we are amateurs. These ideas worked for us, but are based generally on experience not science.

Shade is a good thing.

Water lilies need quite a bit of sun to bloom, but algae also does better in sun light. Our pond was built as a railroad feature and a method for creating the sound of running water, so blooming lilies were not critical to us. We therefore located our pond in partial shade. The fish like the slightly cooler water, the lilies are thriving, no flowers yet, however most importantly the water is clear. Some string algae is accumulating around some of our oxygenating plants but that's it. As our pond enters its third year, we are now getting blooms on the lilies! This is particulary exciting to us since we tried to create as low a maintenance pond as possible. The lilies we planted are a variety hearty to our growing zone that do not require wintering over even in our shallow pond.

Shade, in our case, does mean leaves though. I therefore built, out of old aluminum window screens, some frames to be placed over the pond in the fall and through the winter to help reduce the amount of waste material that gets in the pond. I made them out of smaller window frames so they are easy to store for the summer and easy to remove in the autumn when we are outside and want to enjoy the pond.

Skimp on the fish.

We only wanted enough fish in the pond to eat the bugs and entertain our children. The fewer fish you have the less waste is generated and the clearer the pond water will remain. No fish is not a good option however, because they do a great job of managing insects for you. If you want a large number of fish make sure you are considering a large pond and be prepared to include a filtration system.

Natural Filters

While on the topic of filters, a friend gave me a great tip that seems to be working very well for him and me. About five years ago he began filling his headwaters with Water Hyacinth. They seem to work well as a natural filter. Other than spring clouding which seems fairly common in ponds, he hasn't had an algae problem since. For my pond, I only have one season's experience, but I remain crystal clear so far. The best part of this tip is that I have no filter or filter media to clean or replace. I strongly suspect that this only works in smaller ponds or ponds with mininal fish and yard waste. As the number of fish is increased the required size of the headwater Water Hyacinth filter would, I think, become unmanageably large.

The Go Big Myth.

It's no myth, but it's not for everyone. My pond is on the large side of small. We are very content with it, but can see how people who particularly enjoy watching the fish or have a keener interest in water and marginal plants can get hooked on ponds quickly. Therefore, while I am perfectly happy with my modest size pond, if you are, or think you will be hooked by the water gardening bug, take some time to consider going a little or even a lot bigger than your first instinct tells you, . Remember, expanding a rail line is a piece of cake compared to changing a pond. Try very hard to get this decision right the first time.