permaculture

[mangodance <bmn@iglou.com>]

FranksFarm@aol.com wrote:
> Good day:)
> In a message dated 9/16/02 1:03:32 AM, eco_living@yahoo.com writes:

> <<2) Go find a nearby pond in a relatively 'natural' setting that's full
> of diverse life and seems 'healthy' as ponds in your area go, and
> inoculate your pond with bucketfuls of water and life (visible and
> microscopic flora and fauna) scooped from the nearby pond. >>

Actually, you really won't have to do this.  Birds and atmospheric 
deposition will seed for you.  Turtles, frogs and salamanders will find 
the pond.    Anyway, you really don't have to do much.

> Hmm...I have a small .2 acre spring fed pond but it too doesn't seem to have 
> a lot of plant life in it. Cattle use it at times but less so than large 
> pond. Frogs, heron and other critters use it. I'll scoop up some buckets 
> ...who knows. 

> << larger water plants for the shallows around the edges(what exactly would 
> depend on your climate, can't give specific recommendations).>>

this you may have to help along...

> Yes...I agree. I'm trying to figure out just what kinds of plants to use down 
> here in south central Kentucky. I need to plant to control erosion on banks 
> which are very susceptible.
> With neglect fescues, and spiny amaranth, some weeds have covered some of 
> area, but I'd like to work toward naturalistic pond plantings that will 
> enhance pond's water, and add interest, and beauty.
> I like the idea of putting in water hyacinth but I'm in USDA Zone 6B, which 
> might get a little too cold in winter. Pond has frozen over a couple of times 
> in past two years.
> Rather than a plant here or there I'd love to work toward a holistic pond 
> planting that will also work with the eventual stocking with fish, etc.

Frank:

Go to the Kentucky Nature Preserves website (or write or call them) and 
pick up a copy of the Aquatic Plants of Kentucky.  As I remember, it's 
less than $20.  Use that to help you when looking at other ponds in your 
area.  Also, you might check with an organization called the Wild Ones. 
 They deal a lot with native plant resto and salvage operations. 
Salvage is always great because it is FREE!  KY Fish and Wildlife has a 
native plant program as well.  I wouldn't recommend water hyacinth as it 
is a royal pain.  If you're lucky, a cold winter might kill it.  One 
thing you'd be better off doing is not allowing cattails to take 
hold..or at least not much.  Arrowhead and a few other emergents are 
much better for  wildlife.  You'll need finer stuff for fish nurseries. 
 Baby fish like shallows and cover.  Reptiles and amphibians like 
gradually sloping banks and some floating vegetation.

However, if you do not make most of the water deep (deep enough to 
prevent light from reaching the bottom - usually in the centers), you'll 
end up with algal imbalances.  Let me explain.  The big problem people 
have with dead fish/algae/ponds tends to result from a vicious cycle of 
imbalance.  The two largest factors to worry about are sunlight, and 
nutrients.  You need both, but both can start the cycle I mentioned. 
Fertilizer runoff or stormwater runoff is usually the vehicle for 
bringing excess nutrients (depending on your location and drainage). 
However, a lot of nutrients are deposited atmospherically.  The next 
thing I see people do is fail to plant decent shade-producing trees. 
I'm not sure how big you pond is.  Anyway, take a body of water, add 
excess nutrients and the immediate response is an algal bloom.  Add hot 
weather, and it happens quickly!  So, you can get these large mats of 
filamentous algae, or you can get sheets or blooms of single-celled 
blue-green algae.  When you get thicker areas of algae, the bottom cells 
are unable to get sunlight and they start to die.  Water only has the 
capacity to hold so much oxygen.  The warmer it is, the less it can 
hold.  Dead algal cells will decay and the decay process further saps 
oxygen from the water.  The decay also releases the nutrients tied up in 
the algal tissue.  Oxygen can actually plummet to acute levels such that 
organisms start to die (invertebrates, fish, etc).  The decay can 
further drop the O2 levels.  Coupled with this is that oxygen levels are 
typically at their lowest between dawn and about 15-30 mins after dawn. 
   This will be the period of most stress to organisms needing higher 
oxygen levels.  This is all pretty simplified, but you can see what 
happens anyway.  Healthy functioning ponds sometimes just need to be 
left alone.  Algae is in all healthy systems.  Too much algae is a 
problem, and is really only solved by addressing the nutrients and 
sunlight where possible.  Failing that, get a boat and a rake and rake 
out the mats as much as possible...it makes good compost after drying. 
Raking also helps keep decay of all that tissue (resulting from the 
imbalance) to a minumum as well as removes the nutrients that would 
normally be made available again from the decay.

And anyone with an orchard can benefit GREATLY from ponds (even small 
ones).  Flyways around ponds and edge habitats are perfect for 
bats...and most bats really relish the scourge of tree-croppers... moths 
and beetles.

anyway...I'm rambling.  You can get a lot of great info from the various 
 state organizations here in KY.

Also, if you're close to Louisville, please let me know.  I don't mind 
helping.