I have always wanted a larger pond in my new garden, and it was time to plan for it. It would be located at the top of a hill, next to a wooded area. This is a very natural area that has not been cultivated for many years. The design of the new pond had to fit into this environment and look as old as the mature trees and shrubs around it.
Pond building was not entirely new to me. I had built a few small traditional ponds in the past, and my last project was a large, multi-level waterfall and pond combination. These had all followed traditional designs and used pumps to keep the water clean. My new pond would be in an area that did not have electricity, and I didn’t really want to run a new electric line to the location. I wondered, is it possible to build a pond with no electricity?
Why not just build a pond, fill it with water, and let nature take care of things? That seemed like a simple solution to the electricity problem. After much research in books and online, one point became very clear. Everybody agreed on one thing. A natural lined pond without pumps and filters would never work. In no time at all, it would become an algae cesspool of stinking organic matter. These so-called experts gave some vague reasons why it would not work, but nobody said that they had actually tried it.
My background is in chemistry and biology, and I have been studying plants and gardening all my life. I understood water chemistry, and the biology of water life. I maintained aquariums and bred fish for over ten years. One of my projects was to set up two five-foot long aquariums with no air and no filters. They contained a limited number of fish and lots of plants. All I did was feed the fish and replace some water once a month. After five years, they were still going strong with no water quality problems and no need for chemicals. In that time, they were never dismantled for cleaning. The plants and fish grew so well that I had to remove some every six months. The key to these self-sufficient aquariums was the plants—lots of them. They were my air pump and filter, and they cleaned up the fish poop for me.
Why could I not replicate the self-contained aquariums in a pond? Mother Nature does it all of the time. Everything I knew about ponds, water chemistry, fish, and plants told me that it would work. Everything I read told me it would not.
After a lot of thought, I concluded that the experts must be wrong. I convinced myself that if a pond was designed correctly, following nature’s guidelines, it would work. So I set out to prove the experts wrong.
That was eight years ago. Almost from day one, the pond was a success. In the first couple of years, I did have some algae in the pond, but that was because the plants had not yet established themselves. To be honest, I cheaped out and did not buy enough plants. Each year as the plants multiplied, the amount of algae decreased. I’ll explain this key relationship later in more detail.
About four years into the project, the water was crystal clear. I could easily see to the bottom of my four-foot-deep pond. Algae were no longer a problem. The plants were healthy. The pond had lots of frogs and other insects. The fish were growing and breeding. I did nothing to maintain the pond—I didn’t even feed the fish.
It has now been eight years, and I am totally convinced that man-made ponds can be successful without pumps, filters, and chemicals.
Why did my pond work when all of the experts said it wouldn’t? The key is in the design of the pond. If you follow traditional pond designs and just leave out the pumps and filters, they will fail. You will have created a great place to grow algae. In a traditional pond, the pumps and filters play a critical role, and you can’t just remove them.
This book will explain how to design the pond to work without equipment and chemicals and why the design works. You will gain a new understanding of natural biological systems and how nature solves the algae problem.
As a garden designer, I always look at such projects on a more holistic basis. It is not just about adding a pond. To look right, the pond has to be part of the whole garden design. That is why I added a section to the book that talks about designing the look and feel of the pond. It is one thing to make the pond function and quite another to have it look natural.
To better understand the characteristics that make a pond look natural, I’ll analyze some ponds that are not man-made. I call these “native” ponds to distinguish them from “natural” man-made ponds.
This is not just a how-to book. I am a big believer in understanding the “why.” If you know why things work, you will be better equipped to solve problems as they arise. You will also be able to modify the designs to fit your own situation. The chapter on balanced ecosystems will take you back to school and provide essential background that will give you a deep understanding of the life in your pond. Consider it essential reading.
The information in this book will contradict much of what you find in other pond books and websites. In some cases, that other information is just plain wrong and is presented mostly to sell products that are not needed. In other cases, the information will be correct for traditional pond designs but will not apply to my natural designs. I have included a section about some of these issues so that you understand why the discrepancies exist.
Do traditional ponds work? Absolutely. My issue with traditional ponds is that they are not environmentally friendly. Buying expensive equipment that you don’t need is not good for the environment. Using electricity when you don’t need it is a waste of resources. Adding unnecessary chemicals is just bad for the environment. My natural pond design requires none of the above. Except for some water, it makes no demands on the environment.
I hope you enjoy this book and that you complete your project. A pond is the most enjoyable thing you can add to your garden.