permaculture

[Alia Tsang <alia@dietrick.org>]

I'd stay away from water hyacinth, it can be a terrible invasive. I
remember it completely carpeting the river at some points when I was in
Florida.

>From wikipedia:

"When not controlled, water hyacinth will cover lakes and ponds entirely;
this dramatically impacts water flow, blocks sunlight from reaching native
aquatic plants, and starves the water of oxygen, often killing fish (or
turtles)."

Alia

On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 6:50 AM, Lawrence F. London, Jr.
<lflj@bellsouth.net>wrote:

>
> Rob Crook will have many good ideas on this subject. LL
>
> This post addresses the issue of purifying water in a creek that has
> flowed through residential and livestock grazing areas. My solution
> addresses rainfall flowing through gardens, across watersheds and down
> slopes into catchment ponds where it would eventually replenish the
> aquifer.
>
> <>
>
> Pool or pond, wetlands and turf (any order) before use as irrigation
> water as needed for purification.
>
> Build a permeable dam and expand width of creek at that point,
> crenelated edges, shallows and standing water adjoining area with
> constant flow. Plant waterlillies, duckweed and cattails in an area
> where they can survive and have the creek pass through this. A small
> pond, wet weather, permanent or even a deep pool. Water flowing out of
> this could pass through a shallow wetlands with similar water-tolerant
> plants then into and through permanent turf then back into the creek
> and garden watering.
>
> The trick is to have the water pass through zones with plants that can
> stand the extra moisture and absorb and use nutrients it contains, i.e.
> N, P, K. This could be a broad expanse as in a pasture (you will be
> creating a quasi-wetland this way, the zone will have no other use)
> or direct nutrient absorption in a pond. Duckweed and cattails are very
> hardy as long as they have enough light and will absorb large quantities
> of nutrients. In Zone 6 (possibly) and warmer you can use water hyacinth
> for purification and it works very well.
>
> Think beyond water purification in a wetlands zone to wildlife habitat
> for bats, dragonflies, birds, toads and frogs, snakes, lizards.
>
> I don't have a creek on my property but I do have to deal with a lot of
> rainfall and a desire to contain it on my property, purified by turf,
> wetlands and ponds.
>
> Here are pictures of my three wet weather ponds at the bottom of long
> slopes that collect nearly all the rainfall that falls on 5 of my 6+
> acres of farmland.
>
> Pix of my farmland:
> https://plus.google.com/106181639516457096425/photos
> many photographs, raised bed
> Venaura Farm
> https://plus.google.com/106181639516457096425/posts
>
> Recent pix of ponds:
> July 5, 2013
>
> https://plus.google.com/photos/106181639516457096425/albums/5897213626298378017
> shows ponds with waterlillies, duckweed and cattails
>
> Videos: 1) guineas and 2) dragonflies around waterlillies in pond:
> https://plus.google.com/106181639516457096425/videos
>
> LL
>
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