# Finally, Pond Pics



## garryc (Jan 21, 2006)

From the South










From the North










West side pointing south east











Across the Middle


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Looks like a nice little fishing hole Garry. It will be interesting to see how the tilapia do for you.

There _are_ a lot of trees around the pond. I would not be surprised if you don't see much reduction in duckweed. My best guess is the tilapia will be more interested in the muck.


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## garryc (Jan 21, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> Looks like a nice little fishing hole Garry. It will be interesting to see how the tilapia do for you.
> 
> There _are_ a lot of trees around the pond. I would not be surprised if you don't see much reduction in duckweed. My best guess is the tilapia will be more interested in the muck.



I can live with that. If they eat the muck the total nutrient load will go down. The trees have been a bit of a hot button issue. A few want them clear cut out, others say don't touch them at all. I try to be in the middle. Remove all the little stuff and brush and take out the two willows on the one side and the two cottonwoods that don't shade the pond at all. One step at a time I guess. I found that much of that brush is growing from old stumps, that makes it a maintenance issue. 

In one spot a building and lands guy and me cut a big clump of brush that was growing into the pond. It was coming from two willow stumps and was in the water. The branches were casting off roots into the bottom. It was 10 feet out into the pond and wide. I found the small stumps that were the origin of all the suckers coming up, so we cut it out as maintenance. More to follow.

The ones that don't want them cut out at all bellow the loudest. No application of logic, they just bellow. Many members just vote with who bellows the loudest.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

When I first built my pond I only had evergreens near it. Then it was too hot and I wanted some shade. I added some shade trees on the East side so prevailing winds would carry the leaves away for the most part. Problem with this is that it's easier to cast with the wind than against it and you don't get any shade in evening...unless you fish from behind the trees. Nothings perfect.


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## garryc (Jan 21, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> When I first built my pond I only had evergreens near it. Then it was too hot and I wanted some shade. I added some shade trees on the East side so prevailing winds would carry the leaves away for the most part. Problem with this is that it's easier to cast with the wind than against it and you don't get any shade in evening...unless you fish from behind the trees. Nothings perfect.



Our plan, at least mine and one building and lands guy, is to cut all that underbrush and many of the small trees. Some of he big trees are back a bit from the edge. We then intend to prune the big ones up 10-12 feet or so.

Those trees are on a sort of cove, which is dry right now. We figure that by opening up a portion of that cove to sunlight cattails will start growing. We intend to plant ditch lilly in the inflow area as a vegetative strip.. So it would be a mixture of lilly and cattails. 

The intent is part aesthetics. We want to be able to look through the trees and see the flowers. Right now I see it as an eyesore.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Sounds good to me. If you don't plant something you want, something you don't want will grow there. Grass can be mowed. Native daylillies will out compete most anything, don't have to be mowed and are pretty. My original pond plans incorporated daylillies but I never got around to putting them in...I just used grass mainly because it would establish a dense stand quick and prevent erosion. Iris can be found and performs similar to daylillies, miniture cattails can also fill this niche, tolerating wet feet a bit better but they'd have to be purchased probably.


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