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Part II - Free Form Pond: Landscaping Ponds are a constant source of enjoyment and work. They and the surrounding gardens require regular care to keep them from becoming overgrown. However, the enjoyment you get from watching your turtles in action is worth the little effort spent. As you can see below outdoor enclosures have the potential of taking on a life of their own, growing into something more elaborate than you originally intended...but isn't that true of any turtle-related project? |
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DIY Project - Free Form Pond |
DIY Projects - Plywood / EPMD Pondliner Tank & Nesting Box (90 & 150 gallon) - Flexible liner free form pond (540 gallon) Part I Part II - Biological Filters (5 gallon) - Rubbermaid Incubators |
Getting started again... Sometimes the hardest part of a project is picking up where you left off. As you can see the goal for this summer was to finish the wall and get some plants in and around the pond. It's still far from finished but I'm getting there. After careful consideration we decided that the wall would look best faced with rock. However after numerous trips to the river to collect rock by hand we opted to order the manufactured rock from the local home improvement store; it will be "easier." Work is work no matter how much easier you think something will be. Facing a wall with any type of rock is a king-sized jig saw puzzle that I recommend having a good wet saw handy for cutting the rocks to fit in those hard to fit places. Overall I am very pleased with phase II but find myself thinking about phase III already. |
Before you can attach rock to the face of a wall you need to provide a scratch coat surface for the rock to bond to. I started out by attaching diamond mesh along the face and top of the wall. For this part of the project a second pair of hands is extremely helpful. Start out by cutting the mesh to the desired width and height then fold it over the top of the wall (it helps keep it in place). Next have one person drill pilot holes for the masonry screws and have the second follow behind driving in the screws. You want to space them just far enough apart so the mesh stays snug against the wall face. Once the mesh is in place it is time to mix up the scratch coat. It is easiest to work up small batches at a time so they don't dry out before you can get it on the wall. For the actual mixture follow the suggestions of the manufacturer of the rock but the general idea is that it is rough enough for the mortar to bond to. The basic ingredients are portland cement, sand, and exterior grade thinset mortar (for rock and tile). You will want to play with the ratios a bit until you get a workable mixture that is thin enough to get into all of the spaces of the mesh and thick enough that it won't slide/run down the wall while it's drying. Allow the scratch coat to cure for at least 24 hours before attaching the rock face. I would strongly recommend doing a rough layout of the stone before mixing up a batch of mortar and trying to wing the layout. Keep in mind that it's just a rough plan and you will find that it needs numerous adjustments as you go along. As always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for the mortar depending on the look you want. |
Landscaping Natural basking sites add wonderful touches to the pond habitat. For both the fallen snag and floating site I chose well weathered pieces of wood as they do not leach into the water staining it dark. For the fallen snag I was fortunate enough to have a large limb come off a dead tree in the back yard. It measures about five feet long and is hollow, perfect for hiding the hose leading out of the pond to the filter. A personal favorite of the turtles is the floating log most likely because it is removed from the dangers of the shore. This piece took longer to find and was retrieved from a large local lake. |
Terrestrial Plants For the terrestrial plants the number one requirement is that they are cold tolerant. The ornamental grasses behind the filter have proven the most challenging and yet to get well established. The ground cover is doing much better and includes (below left to right): Ogon Sweet Flag (Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'), Lipstick Strawberry (cross between the Marsh Cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris, and the Garden Strawberry), Dwarf Bamboo (Pleioblastus sp.), and a mix of dandelion and other "weeds." |
Aquatic Plants The aquatic plants are a must in any pond, especially one loaded with fish and turtles. There are certain challenges with regards to choosing plants that will do well in your climatic region but that can also tolerate a fair amount of abuse from turtles. The water lettuce really never took off with the turtles pulling apart the roots. Pictured below (left to right): Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), umbrella papyrus or umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius), and Little Giant Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus 'Tutankhamun'). The common arrowhead (Sagittaria cuneata) did not handle the turtles well, we'll see if it comes back next summer. Both of the papyrus needed to come indoors for the winter; since coming inside the Cyperus papyrus has not showed any additional growth unlike the Cyperus alternifolius which is taking off. |
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