Now is the Time to Improve Your Pond (Water)

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If you have a farm pond which freezes over enough to safely walk on, now is a good time to improve it.

Gather old Christmas trees and secure the base to something like a concrete block. Put several out in the middle of the pond to where they will sink come Spring. They will provide fish structure.

If you know of shallow areas, put piles of rocks, gravel, broken concrete blocks, etc. in several places, according to the depth (you want about 12-18" of water over them once on the bottom). Once these sink they will be used by a sucession of species as bedding areas.

You can also pile up miscellaneous items. My pond contains a kitchen sink and a commode (I stocked it with crappies, so figured they needed a crapper).

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 03, 2001

Answers

Ken,

What a great idea for pond improvment making use of the COLD weather! Winter lemons into New Years lemonade. :-)

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), January 03, 2001.


Ken. Does that mean if some bratty kid falls through the ice this winter, you should leave him there to provide fish food in the Spring? :)

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), January 03, 2001.


Craig:

That sounds like more of a neighborhood improvement program.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 03, 2001.


Ken, I read that you shouldn't put concrete blocks into your pond for some reason that escapes me now. Something about the lime I think.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), January 03, 2001.

OK so I see.I just need an attitude adjustment.Instead of being all outraged at the ammount of trash pouring into our streams from roadside litter and old dumps,I need to look at it as a modern habitat improvement project.Well,I already feel much better.

The coating of aluminum cans on the bottom of the lake- just manmade gravel. Pamper trees(Disposable diapers snagged in the brush) are woodduck nest boxes. Kentucky ducks(milk jugs) are turtle resting sites.

I think I got the hang of it,now.The recycling coordinator will be so excited to hear all this.I must call her immediately.This will really bump her numbers up.

Here I thought we were just being a bunch of pigs and now I learn we're really way ahead of our time.Who'd ever thunk.

Still,call me a sentimental old fool, but I can't help but wistfully recall the pristine.

Oh,Ken-are you having, by any chance, ATV invaders? I thought I might have recognized the typically disgruntled reaction. That's the ONLY kids I see,anymore.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), January 03, 2001.



oh,I got so wrapped up in being sarcastic I forgot to say that cement blocks should be OK, unless you have really high PH waters.Some pond mgmt actually calls for the addition of limestone,depending on the species and area,so it would depend on where and what. Our natural water PH here tested out around 6.6,fairly limey but certainly not not high.

Tires were used alot,as well,filled with rock.But something in the back of my mind is saying that it's no longer recommended.Don't exactly remember why,tho.

We had the completely opposite problem with a pond,too much windthrow in it.Pulled out the trees this spring and piled all the brush at the edges.A JD gator will pull more than you'd think.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), January 03, 2001.


ooo....you have a Gator? I am so jealous!!!! :) Are they really worth the expense? (even used seem to be so pricey!)

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), January 03, 2001.

Sharron:

I didn't mean to imply a pond should become a water-filled junkyard. However, think of it this way. If you were a fish in an aquarium, would you want a completely clean bottom or would you like some structures to break-up boredom? They give little fish a place to hide from large fish, and large fish a place to lurk for small fish.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 04, 2001.


Our pond has a different problem. It is dying. I've ask several people what to do and their response is to bring in a drag line and dig it out. This is a spring fed pond. I wondered if I could put some kind of fish in the pond that would eat the vegetation. Several times muskrats have moved in but folks around here trap them so they arn't around long. Heard rats would eat the cattails and help to clean out the pond. If anybody has any ideas how to recoup this pond without using chemicals and/or machines would appreciate the help.

-- Betsy K (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), January 04, 2001.

Betsy:

Can you tell us more about your pond situation. How large and deep is it. Why do you specifically think it is dying? How extensive are the cattails? Is it covered with algae/skum? How extensive are the under water weeds? Are you getting fish kills in the hottest part of summer and/or finding dead fish in very early Spring?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 04, 2001.



Well I've done my part....I think. Does a tree top count? I had some of the larger trees taken out of my wood lot to make room for other trees and when they felled (felled..falled?) one the top happened to land in the pond. This pond needs to be sealed...not much water at all in it at the moment. I was sitting here looking at it today dreading scrambling up and down the slick slope to haul out the firewood until I remembered your posting. Thanks! Now my laziness has a purpose. Fish habitat!

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), January 06, 2001.

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