By the Editors of Ponds USA & Water Gardens
One pond planning element includes plants and their light requirements. These irises were planted in full sun so they would grow well. |
As with any large construction project, your pond needs to be planned in detail in order to make the process of installing it much smoother. To create the most pleasant and easy-to-maintain pond, you will need to consider the following things during the initial planning stages:
- Contact utility companies and get a site survey, etc. to know where you should not build your pond
- Consider low-lying areas and natural streams as places to not build a pond
- Decide your pond’s depth, considering the depth at which water freezes in your area, as well as the water table depth
- Consider routine maintenance tasks, and build the pond to make those tasks easier
- See how much light the area gets. This will help with plant choices.
- Check with your home association, if you have one, and consider how your pond may affect neighbors
- Consider which pump you will purchase
- Decide on a pump based on its gallons-per-hour capacity, head height capacity, wattage, noise and cost
- Decide what additives you may need to buy for conditioning the water for fish, algae control, tinting the water, creating a different pH and salt for fish parasites and wounds
To get more information about each of these pond planning considerations, read Stephen G. Noble’s “Pond Planning” article in the 2012 issue of Ponds USA & Water Gardens.