Progress is slow with my paid work taking priority-however my pond is slowly taking shape! The pond aspect is complete and work has begun on the peripheral seating, cascades and wall building.
For a recap: Part#1How to build a pond: building my own pond! Part #1 design & excavation. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ShPmiaBwnjU.html And part #2How to build a pond:building my own pond! Part #2 internal stonework and pond edging ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FrYVk70YXHs.html
just found you on u tube your pond looks amazing and i am catching up on your other videos. your a very talented guy. thanks for sharing. i have 2 ponds in my garden both have koi. i have lived here all my life 72 years so garden has evolved with me. oh and by the way the planes from Farnborough seem to fly over my house more these days also.
HI Dougie, welcome to the channel! Thanks for your kind words- I need all the encouragement I can get to remain motivated to finish my own pond!! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed
I personally wouldn’t step on that stepping stone. I don’t feel safe with the overhang. Freezing conditions could break the bond between the mortar and stone and it could flip someone who steps on the edge into the pond. It’s nice but I would have cut the diameter of the stepping stone down to match the base.
Hi there, thanks for watching and commenting- function over form/form over function….agreed no overhang would be the sturdiest/safest option, however when crossing such a step people naturally gravitate to stepping centrally on the stone for fear of falling in!! You’re right, in the future after a few winters the stone may come loose so something to keep an eye on. No problems so far though! Best, Ed
Morning! Thanks for watching and commenting and no- you’re not missing anything, I’ve just not yet completed my own pond!😢😂 however as I type I’m In my work cloths and have been working on it on and off for the last few days- it’s getting nearer and nearer to completion! The following video shows it a little further on from the last video you watched- but since this was posted it’s developed further. Thanks so much for your interest and watch this space….! Best Ed ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1-yx7wqfNEk.htmlsi=PlvXilgcbboJSfWy
That middle part should be removed so many gallons can be added if it’s not here and it’s like a trap for the fish when predators hunt them just a thought it is pretty to look at awesome job!
Thanks for watching and for your thoughts- indeed retrospectively I’ve thought that if I were doing it again id have forgone leaving the central shallow when undertaking the initial excavation and instead dug it all out and built up the foundation for the stepping stone from the base of the pond upwards. I could then have tunnelled right through the whole foundation/retainer for fish and livestock to have some refuge, rather then just the stepping stone base itself. My original plan never really included fish- certainly not colourful ornamentals, therefore Heron deterrents weren’t on my radar. The central shallows were important to me to bring you a little closer to the ‘action’ (shallow water being generally more productive to wildlife) and offering a different perspective for the kids to watch the pond and look for aquatic life. Of course that went out the window as soon as I had an opportunity to rescue Casper the goldfish!! Thanks for watching and your comment and all the best, Ed
Hi Kev, thanks for watching and commenting. Part 4 completion will be out later this season (I hope!!) sadly struggled to find time to complete my own pond but its nearly there now… stay tuned!! Best, Ed
HI there, thanks for watching and commenting and my apologies for the delay in my response. This is something I get asked quite regularly and have covered many times before!! No, the mortar isn’t treated with anything to prevent ingress of lime and other corrosive chemicals into the pond water and as such its very important that any work done below the water line involving cement based products is given a period of time to soak underwater, allowing the majority of the harmful chemicals to leach out. The pond is then fully drained and cleaned before being re-filled. In general one soak (over a period of perhaps a couple of weeks or so) is sufficient before the pond is then re-filled and allowed to settle for a few further weeks before fish introduction. Careful monitoring of potential water ph and hardness issues is advisable for a few months and potentially small partial water changes required, depending on quantity of cement used. As you can see from my videos however I have no issues whatsoever with livestock and after the first season ponds constructed like this settle down nicely! Thanks for watching and commenting and hope this helps! Best, Ed
Hi how did your pond fair with all the freezing conditions weve had? Im starting my pond build in spring just made me realise how deep it needs to be so any fish will be ok.
Hi there, thank for watching and great question- during the extreme prolonged cold spell recently challenges were certainly put on fish. My pond had a thick covering of ice over much of it, but a small area where the water discharged from the filter remained unfrozen. Although relatively shallow my fish all faired very well with out issue. Remaining pretty motionless at the bottom of the pond-once the ice melted and temperatures warmed a little they soon livened up again! Best, Ed
Hi Kev, thats a good question. As mentioned in the video, in general the addition of any form of substrate on the base of a pond would be generally advised against. For ease of maintenance keeping the liner bare makes vacuuming accumulated sludge much easier- cobbles and gravel can become a silt trap, creating dead spots of circulation and allowing detritus to accumulate more rapidly.( particularly so if larger cobbles are used). In addition a pond that has substrate on the base makes vacuuming much harder! However there are some advantages- obviously aesthetically covering the lining is appealing and certain plants will appreciate the aggregate into which they will send their running roots, allowing them to grow unhindered from the restraints of baskets. For me, as it is my own pond and I have cleaning equipment readily available to hoover up any debris should it settle and cover the gravel I was happy to potentially create a little more work and maintenance in the exchange of a more attractive feature. In reality I’ve been amazed actually at how little sediment has settled and I’ve not incurred any more maintenance as a result of adding the substrate. Hope this helps! Best, Ed
