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hiya folks, i'd like to place a small pond in my garden to attract frogs that will eat the bugs that eat my veggies... but i'd like to go without an electric pump. is this possible? or will the water turn too anaerobic to support life? i've read about some aquatic plants that cleanse the water, but as far as adding oxygen i'm not having very much luck. thanks!
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Portland
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 12:17 PMif you put enough plant life in it, it wont require a pump. You can create a nice little eco system. I threw in a couple of feeder goldfish last year as well and they survived the freeze last winter. Plants will grow bigger and faster with the use of a fountain but its not necessary.
heres some do it yourself links, i belive i have a few more on my favorites list if you need them.
davesgarden.com/guides/art...s/view/215/
davesgarden.com/guides/art.../view/1199/
I just ordered a solar powered , floating fountain, It hasn't been delivered yet, but, I'll let you know how it works . -
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 1:17 PMDid you have any problems with mosquitoes, Jezabel? Or did the gold fish take care of the larva? -
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 4:21 PMfantastic articles jezabel. i'm super inspired! just so long as those frogs eat up mosquito larvae! thank you! -
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 7:34 PMya know...i really don't remember any mosquitos and hubby says he doesn't remember any either. I only throw fish food in the pond about once a week so the pond doesnt get foggy with too much organic matter. I am guessing the goldfish take care of the larvae because they have tripled in size eating something good. I also have a few snails and a bottom feeder in the pond. Yesterday, i stole some polywogs from a friend and hoping that I will get frogs this year. Yay frogs! -
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 7:38 PMheres another article regarding pond care.
www.pondlady.com/modules.php -
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 8:27 PMyou're very welcome. I forgot to say that i stop feeding the fish in the late fall. They slow down their metabolism in the winter.
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Re: pond?
Sun, June 14, 2009 - 7:39 PMThese two articles went a long way answering questions about how folks had ponds before there was electricity. Thanks for the sites. If you have any others, I'd appreciate seeing them.
MP & BB
John
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Re: pond?
Mon, June 15, 2009 - 12:10 PMin following some of these links i'm begining to see the importance of providing frogs with habitat as they slowly and mysteriously disappear.
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Re: pond?
Sat, July 4, 2009 - 4:20 PMjust thinkin bout pondage, thank you very mush. -
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Re: pond?
Wed, July 8, 2009 - 12:46 PMmaybe try spiders. they probably control insects alot better. not sure if they eat slugs, though.
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Re: pond?
Tue, August 4, 2009 - 8:06 AMThink small. Now smaller. The life forms I speak of we can't see. They live in water,volcano's,mud even in you and me. They are the little effective microorganisms(bacteria) that balance all life and eco systems.Find a good Pro(for)bio(life) probiotic formula and that should help create a sustainable pond. Happy day!
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Re: pond?
Thu, September 3, 2009 - 9:03 AMone of the oldest farm tools is the wind mill. a small old school wind mill will pump water and for free. even the a small one six feet tall. is enough. and as far as the tad polls if you make a shallow water where the fish do not go they will have a place to run from the fish. -
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Re: pond?
Sat, September 5, 2009 - 1:04 AMNot particularly authoritative, just my experience in Western Pennsylvania. I don't have a pump, the water is quality is quite fine, but part of that is having let plants overgrow in the pond. And part of the reason for that is I haven't wanted to disturb the frogs. Very soon I think I am going to bite the bullet and drain the pond so that I can remove the overgrown water lilies. That said the pond is very attractive to frogs, several species and also toad breeding. I don't have fish anymore, they are quite attractive to raccoons which ate them. The frogs seem to manage and are really a delight.
I don't mind not having much open water because the plant growth is nice and really quite easy. I also do not notice the pond is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, it may be, but I suspect the larva are eaten. The depth is about one meter in the middle but I made a shelf of dirt about a foot deep all around for marginal plants. And there are plantings around the edges of the pond. It's fantastic to watch the frogs early in the summer sunning themselves and resting on the lily pads. This time of year the foliage is thick enough it's harder to catch a glimpse of the frogs, but I hear them plop into the water when I get too close. The frog songs are great..
I have friends with ponds with no pumps too. One is quite a shallow pond. The water in their's doesn't get yucky either. But I haven't seen a pond quite so friendly to frogs as mine, and I think having lots of plants in my pond is part of the reason. I really love the pond and think you'll love yours too. -
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Re: pond?
Wed, September 9, 2009 - 7:10 PMHow late is too late in the season to put in a pond?
Location: Virginia, USA -
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Re: pond?
Wed, September 9, 2009 - 8:25 PMAs long as the ground isn't frozen, can't see why there's a too late. That said, it's much easier to dig in the spring when the ground is loose. Especially using a liner, the ability to "sculpt" the ground is important. Getting the ground just around the pond level is important, otherwise one side of the pond will be deeper than the other, so some of the liner will show. Also it's really nice to have a shelf for marginal plants, creating this shelf is easier when the ground is moist. The moist ground also allows tamping a bit if necessary to make a solid pons structure.
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