"Written for the serious layperson, The Pond Manual explores the wide variety of pond ecosystems available, and their function; topographic and soil requirements, design and construction techniques, wildlife management, fish species and their cultivation, algae and plant control, parasite problems, chemical and physical parameters of water sources and water control/erosion devices." -- Publisher's description.
The bible of pond-making in a fully redesigned 30th-anniversary edition. There is nothing like a pond. What else can simultaneously increase your aesthetic pleasure, offer recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase the value of your property? Earth Ponds is the standard resource for building and maintaining these important and lovely landscape features. For thirty years now Earth Ponds, with some 100,000 copies in print, has guided an entire generation of pond makers on everything from site planning to soil sampling to drainage and wildlife management. It’s a complete overview of the country pond. Illustrations guide the pond builder through every step of the process; chapters carefully describe the issues and decisions in a wonderfully personal way. It’s the condensed wisdom of a man who has spent a lifetime building, restoring, and maintaining ponds.
My aim in this book is to give essential advice on all the main aspects of freshwater garden fish ponds. I have tried to include some of the science of ponds while keeping the information easy to understand. Each chapter begins with an outline of the main points of the topic. Each point is then expanded on.My experience with ponds has mainly been in the warm temperate climate in Perth, Western Australia. The principles for fish ponds are similar worldwide but warm temperate climates like that of Perth intensify some of the problems in ponds. This book will therefore be particularly useful to pond owners in sunny climates. The book begins with pond design, starting with the position of the pond in the garden. I discuss the consequences of different pond sizes and depths, and of natural and artificial ponds. I talk about the advantages of a dual pond system. I give guidelines for these and for self-cleaning ponds. I also say why I recommend designing the pond with a sump, overflow, leaf skimmer, and automatic top-up valve. Lastly, I give my colour preference for the pond bottom and sides. Next, I advise on pond construction. Ponds can be built with concrete, bricks, rigid polyethylene, fibreglass or liners. I write about my experiences with ponds made from each of these materials and also my preferences for pipework materials.In the following chapter, I recommend various pumps, filters (including ultraviolet clarifiers), water features, underwater lights and copper ionizers. Choosing the right equipment will give you the right effect for the lowest cost and for the least effort. The chapter on fish gives information on types of fish, especially goldfish and koi. I advise on when a new pond is ready for fish and on the number of fish a pond can support. I give information on the handling, transporting, and feeding of fish, and on diseases and predators.The next chapter delivers general information on water plants, why you should have them and their role in the ecology of the pond. Plants provide shade, oxygen, food, habitat and cover from predators. They filter toxins and excessive nutrients from the water. I give advice on keeping plants, including information on fertilizer and pests.Finally, I give recommendations for pond maintenance including a routine. My advice is directed at pumps, filters, pond cleanliness, exchanging water and maintaining the pH and hardness. The maintenance is largely directed at algae control. I discuss the various forms of nuisance algae and control methods for microalgae, blanket weed, and slime algae. Other advice includes information on water testing and water treatments. Maintaining good water quality is fundamental to the success of any fish pond. "Good" water quality means the water's suitability for its proposed purpose. Water quality is affected by every aspect of a pond, from its design and construction to its pumps, filters and maintenance. Each chapter of this book tells how each aspect of the pond affects the water. Every fish pond is different. The solutions to one pond's problems may be very different to another pond's.
Build a natural pond for wildlife, beauty, and quiet contemplation Typical backyard ponds are a complicated mess of pipes, pumps, filters, and nasty chemicals designed to adjust pH and keep algae at bay. Hardly the bucolic, natural ecosystem beloved by dragonflies, frogs, and songbirds. The antidote is a natural pond, free of hassle, cost, and complexity and designed as a fully functional ecosystem, ideal for biodiversity, swimming, irrigation, and quiet contemplation. Building Natural Ponds is the first step-by-step guide to designing and building natural ponds that use no pumps, filters, chemicals, or electricity and mimic native ponds in both aesthetics and functionality. Highly illustrated with how-to drawings and photographs, coverage includes: Understanding pond ecosystems and natural algae control Planning, design, siting, and pond aesthetics Step-by-step guidance for construction, plants and fish, and maintenance and trouble shooting Scaling up to large ponds, pools, bogs, and rain gardens. Whether you're a backyard gardener looking to add a small serene natural water feature or a homesteader with visions of a large pond for fish, swimming, and irrigation, Building Natural Ponds is the complete guide to building ponds in tune with nature, where plants, insects, and amphibians thrive in blissful serenity. Robert Pavlis , a Master Gardener with over 40 years of gardening experience, is owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden featuring over 2,500 varieties of plants. A well-respected speaker and teacher, Robert has published articles in Mother Earth News , Ontario Gardening magazine, the widely read blog GardenMyths.com, which explodes common gardening myths and gardening information site GardenFundamentals.com.
"It's up to every single one of us to do our bit for wildlife, however small our gardens, and The Butterfly Brothers know just how that can be achieved." Alan Titchmarsh Join the rewilding movement and share your outdoor space with nature. We all have the potential to make the world a little greener. Wild Your Garden, written by Jim and Joel Ashton (aka "The Butterfly Brothers"), shows you how to create a garden that can help boost local biodiversity. Transform a paved-over yard into a lush oasis, create refuges to welcome and support native species, or turn a high-maintenance lawn into a nectar-rich mini-meadow to attract bees and butterflies. You don't need specialist knowledge or acres of land. If you have any outdoor space, you can make a difference to local wildlife, and reduce your carbon footprint, too. "Wildlife gardening is one of the most important things you can do as an individual for increasing biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change. From digging a pond to planting a native hedge, the Butterfly Brothers can help you every step of the way." Kate Bradbury
In this colorful Garden Ponds Made Easy title, authors Dennis Kelsey-Wood and Tom Barthell have provided an essential guide for first-time pond enthusiasts. The authors outline all of the considerations for starting out with a new pond, including determining the site, style, size of the pond, and deciding on the construction of the pond (whether preformed, concrete, or fiberglass). Garden Ponds offers a chapter on water which discusses water chemistry factors, volume of the pond, and pond surface. Other important factors involve the aeration, filtration, drainage, and maintenance of a clean (algae-free) pond. Special features, including waterfalls, fountains, and watercourses, electricity, and landscaping are addressed in detail, all accompanied by color photographs and drawings. A chapter on pond construction details every step of the project from creating a blueprint to securing the foundation. The infinite choices involved with stocking the pond with fish and plants can be overwhelming for the first-time pond owner, and the authors give excellent advice about making smart choices for a harmonious, beautiful garden pond. A special chapter on seasonal pond care gives the pond keeper recommendations for maintaining the pond all year long. Resources and glossary included.
This friendly, practical guide includes everything you need to know to pick up a spade, put in a pond and help wildlife flourish right outside your back door. Ponds are vital oases for nature. They are nursery grounds, feeding stops and bathing spots. They are genetic superhighways and vibrant ecosystems each brimming with life, interactions and potential. And they are for everyone. In The Wildlife Pond Book, Jules Howard offers a fresh perspective on ponds and encourages gardeners to reach for a garden spade and do something positive to benefit our shared neighbourhood nature. As well as offering practical tips and advice on designing, planting up and maintaining your pond, Jules encourages readers to explore the wildlife that colonises it with a torch, a microscope or a good old-fashioned pond-dipping net. With a foreword by award-winning wildlife-gardening author, Kate Bradbury, this helpful new guide includes a section outlining the hundreds of organisms that may turn up in your pond and is packed with creative ideas that have been tried and tested by author Jules Howard, an avid pond-builder, prolific pond-dipper and passionate voice for freshwater conservation for more than fifteen years. So, no matter how big your outdoor space is, The Wildlife Pond Book is the guide you need to create your very own haven for nature.
