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The Pond Doctor |
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J. S. Nelson Fish Pathologist Consulting |
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Donated to: |
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The City of Estacada
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Interview and Your Objectives
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I was called by a concerned citizen that had been working to clean up Wade
Park. He said he had been wondering how to handle the pond and
what could be done to make it look better. He was concerned about the
steep banks into the pond and lack of water clarity. I explained that
I have had over 30 years experience in the fishery and agreed with him that
banks at a 1:2 grade will slough off eventually and are unsafe. All of
the banks are steep and require ground covers. I told you plants were
key to restoring the pond (See Ornamental Plants and
Native Plants). And that planting
would alleviate many of the problems of the lake. I encouraged you to examine the river ecology
and try to bring some of that to your pond. I will now
report on these entire components and how you go
about achieving them for Wade Park.
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Introductory Letter Dear Folks, The POND DOCTOR determines what you want and during our visit we find out what your pond needs. We now have to report to you on how to meet your objectives and more importantly the needs of the pond. Your major problem is to establish a balanced ecology around the ponds and waterways. Creating a balanced ecology will make a permanent solution and the water feature will be self-managing. If you perform this work on a continuous basis, within about three years, good pond ecology will be established and the pond will start to self manage. You must in the mean time use artificial methods to attain this balance while the pond is establishing itself. The following prescription will help you achieve a healthy ecology for your park. The recommended measures will make the Wade Pond visually attractive and a clean pond for your citizen's enjoyment. Jim Nelson PonDoc |
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| Findings of The POND DOCTOR | |||||||||
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When
Built/Natural/How?
Glenn Park who owned the adjacent mill property reconstructed the pond around
1960 and installed the rock stairs. Recently some volunteers had removed the blackberries and cleaned
the property.
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Size (Ac.) and Acre
feet estimate:
The pond is approximately 1.3 acres with an unknown depth.
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Depth Profile in foot average (Banks Steep or shallow, Deep or Silted): The banks are very steep. However, there is a lot of silting on the upper end of the pond adjacent to the inflow where the depth is no more than 2 feet.
"Pond depth could reasonably be described as 5 feet, except the narrow, eastern portion, by the inlet that is heavily silted resulting in 1/2 foot depth increasing to two feet opposite the inlet. Soundings at various places make it clear that the Pond was excavated to a uniform (5') depth in a "bowl" configuration. That is, steep banks that continue so beneath the water with a mild taper to final depth.
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Water Sources
(Agricultural) (Forested) Effluent Destination (Creek, River):
Wade Creek flows through a
residential area for about two miles beginning about 5 miles East beyond the city in
logged foothill land. The creek flows through the pond and into the
Clackamas River approximately a half mile from the pond entering the river below the dam.
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Construction? The pond
is constructed in clay and does not have leaks. Steel culverts used for
the inflow and outflow are showing signs of wear but the entire system should
function.
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Temperature:
64. You should monitor the temperature. Un-necessary spikes
of hot temperatures will lead to further algae blooms and an unhealthy
environment for the fish. Temperature spikes lead to die offs and thus
high nutrients in the water.
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Fertilization
Deactivation necessary?
This is the primary problem of the pond. There is absolutely no way for
fertilizer to be consumed. Bacterial nutrient replacement is
mandatory for a year or two with liberal planting.
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pH: 8.0 to 8.5, very high. This is a typical algae bloom pH where algae release a sex product that raises the pH. This allows their gametes to fuse. Upstream pH (balance of acidity and alkalinity of the water) is about 6.0. But when the water reaches the Pond inlet, the pH has increased to 7.5 as a result of nutrients entering the stream. As most of the nutrients are heavier than water, when they enter Wade Pond, they settle there and algae blooms occur. Removing the algae and improving the quality of the water requires reducing the level of Pond nutrients. The initial reduction will be accomplished by Artificial Nutrient Replacement, as described later in this report. Subsequent, and continuous, reduction in nutrients will require extensive plantings in the Pond.
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Hardness:
8 or
very hard. Some plants will not grow in hard water but generally this
does not interfere with plant growth or fish. However, herbicides may need a
surfactant to work well with hard water and affect the performance of water and
air pumps.
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Dissolved
Oxygen: 8 or very high. Three will not
sustain much life and 12 is saturated. This high dissolved oxygen is from
the ongoing algae bloom.
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| Water Clarity: Army green. Poor clarity. | |||||||||
| Further Water Testing: Because this is going to be a public park, a total coliform count should be performed on the pond. A kit can be obtained from the Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University for a fee of about $50. If the source of the low pH cannot be found, then total inorganic and organic chemistries should be performed. Columbia Laboratories in Corbett, Oregon are reasonably priced. The bottom line here is to assure yourself that the pond water is safe. | |||||||||
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Plants
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Shade?
There are trees on the South side and shading to the West. Further
shading is necessary on the North bank of the pond.
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Weeds or Algae?
Presence of filamentous algae.
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| Riparian Plants: Identify those present: There are soft stem bulrush. There is a stand of iris, some Douglas Spirea. There is not enough riparian plants. | |||||||||
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How many do you need? Primary Problem! You should write down the location and name of each plant you are planting and keep a close record on their success or failure in the pond. This will save you much money in the future as you will tend to use the most successful plants tending towards the hardiest for your climate.
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Animals |
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Fishes:
An uncontrolled fishery where the local children come for the warm water fish in
the lake. A controlled fishery is needed.
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Macroinvertebrates
(Crustacean) (Insect) (Worm) (Brachiopods): Mother Nature's fish
food. Your local environment suggests that there is a huge variety of
larval forms. Careful placement of habitat for them such as logs in the water
will enhance their presence. There was some activity in the pond.
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| Wildlife: Have Nutria, Muskrat, Mink, Ferret or Beaver been detected? The presence of these pond predators should be monitored. You have a large population of deer and typical foot hill inhabitants such as squirrel, raccoon and chipmunk. After the fence is removed, you should carefully watch if pond predators show up. | |||||||||
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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Douglas Spirea |
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Diagnosis |
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Because the pond is man-made a balanced riparian ecology has not been established. There are several things that will have to be done before your pond can be healthy and meet your goals: |
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Prognosis |
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Your pond and waterway can be healthy and your objectives can be achieved. The best way to do this is in stages. The Pond Doctor will recommend a series of work projects to achieve pond health. To begin in this report, each one of the aspects will be described. At the end of the report each of the work days will be described in detail listing the costs for each. The entire procedure will be instituted this year and proceed for approximately three years. By that time, you will understand how to manage the pond and most probably the pond will start to self manage where very little work will be required. |
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| The Prescription - A Step-by-Step Overview The slow walk... | |||||||||
| In about three years plan on doing the following: | |||||||||
1. Bank Restructures.
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2. Artificial Nutrient Replacement Until a riparian ecology can be established, nutrients will have to be removed from the pond to limit algae growth and clarify the water. |
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3. Plant riparian.
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4. Create regulated fishery. Establish a considered controlled fishery in your pond. |
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5. Establish bottom ecology.
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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Prescription Bank Restructure |
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Beginning on the North
bank near the inflow, restructure the bank to have no greater than a 1:3 (33%) slope
or even shallower 1:4 (25%) starting beyond the fence into the water. Where trees are present, leave
the slope steep but plant willows under the trees to stabilize the bank.
Slopes greater than 1:3 are unstable and allow silt to flow into the pond.
On the West side, a gravel path at pond edge will capture silt from the exposed
soil on that bank. Liberal plantings of ground cover are recommended there.
Establish rock paths around the pond to keep erosion of the banks to a minimum. Dredging (drag line) the East end of the lake should be considered or the shallows can be used as a bog garden. Some suggestion of having an island has been made. Islands tend to be difficult to manage. Likewise, any restructuring of the bank, mowing need be considered. No slopes should be constructed that a mower cannot transverse. Create a pond that requires no care. |
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Prescription Algae Control by Nutrient Replacement |
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Man made ponds do not have the structure to use nutrients and organics. Until you can install this structure, this is how to use them. Nutrient replacement is the method of taking nutrients out of the pond. By removing the organic component in the pond, the water will not support weeds or algae. There are three mandatory components as this is a recipe. If any component is left out, it will not work. |
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| INGREDIENT #1 | |||||||||
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INGREDIENT #2 |
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INGREDIENT #3 |
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HOW THE TECHNIQUE WORKS From the bottom up...
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Plants grow in and around ponds because there are enough nutrients for them to survive. The idea of this technique is to remove these nutrients. It is called "nutrient replacement." It works like this: The bacteria eat the sugars in the barley leaf cellulose ferments to humic acid. This lowers the pH of the pond. Algae and weeds raise the pH when they release sex products. Weeds and algae use sex to multiply. Sex is the fusion of two cells forming a gamete. Basic pHs soluabilize membranes (why soap is slick) and therefore the low pH from the fermentation blocks sex and the algae and weeds are not allowed to proliferate. This is why it is very important at temperature spikes in the season to monitor pH. But this does not solve the problem, the nutrients are still trapped in the water. The bacteria in the Lake Pak are specifically selected to take the nutrients in the pond and degrade them to gasses: acetic acid, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane. The carbon dioxide and ammonia are fantastic fertilizers and will stimulate further algae growth. They need to be released from the pond. The aeration is key to this whole recipe. Carbon dioxide and ammonia are heavier than water and accumulate in the bottom of the pond. By creating a bubble curtain from the bottom, the gasses are lifted and the surface tension is broken and this fertilizer blows away on the wind. This is called "Nutrient Replacement." You take the fertilizer and change it into a gas and then blow it out of the pond.
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| Review Pond Respiration in website and below. | |||||||||
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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HOWEVER: Yearly application of this method is expensive ($300-$500). There is an inexpensive method but it takes time to establish. Plants also perform Nutrient Replacement: See below. However, by using pond bacteria now will establish bottom ecology, a beginning for your pond...
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Prescription Specific Recommendations
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The rest of this report shows how to set-up an ideal pond situation. You have some of these attributes but to complete the picture, I will report on all of them. Remember, an ecology is a combination of systems that operate in concert. So you must consider all aspects not just one or two. Planting is just the beginning of maintaining a pond. You must consider the entire pond environs. Your primary problem is to construct all of these components in a concerted effort. You can obtain the appropriate plants and animals to do this. We will consider the following.
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1. Riparian Plant Ecology 2. Pond Respiration and Aeration 3. Wildlife and Fish Ecology 4. Bottom Ecology
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Specific Recommendations You can immediately start planting plants. At the same time restructuring, respiration and nutrient replacement should be considered. Wildlife and fish ecology will be discussed including bird habitat improvement. Then the whole key: Bottom Ecology will be described in detail. This report will conclude in showing you how much each aspect is going to cost and outline some work projects for you to accomplish bringing the pond to health.
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| We now begin our discussion of pond health with plants. It is the foundation of ecology. Ecology is a mixture of plants and animals. Because plants provide the food for the animals, we will start here. However, you must not look at an ecology as any one thing, the concept is still an orchestra. Plants are an integral part of the pond as well as are the animals to the minutest creatures in the pond. Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. | |||||||||
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Prescription Riparian Plants
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Without moving plants around the pond and waterway, decades if not centuries are necessary for the pond to attain a balanced ecology. Your pond does not have a good riparian ecology. The native plants growing in your environment are the best to use for your pond. However, to increase the diversity that increases the health of the pond ecology, you are going to either have to buy or search for some of these plants. You start by moving and cutting the plants you already have and inventorying what you need. The approach to planting: Most man-made ponds do not have structure and require an economical approach to establish this ecology. You can collect many of the plants and take cuttings to stock the pond. However, to obtain some of the beautiful flowers, you will need to buy them. Likewise to obtain the biomass necessary to control the weeds in the pond, you may have to buy some native plants. As the native plants are inexpensive, I recommend their use. Although perennial ornamental flowers are a little expensive they are very desirable. Your pond planting will ultimately beautify the entire property.
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Herbaceous Riparian Water Perennials:
Level I.
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| Water plants need to be selected to be placed in the pond to reduce nutrients. You need these plants in order to have habitat for fish and to condition the water. Water plants remove nutrients from the water so algae and weeds will not grow. Plants that should be considered are wapato (arrowhead or duck potato)*, water plantain*, pickleweed, water lettuce, hyacinth, elephant ear, yellow, white and blue iris*, pickerel, water marigolds*, dwarf lilies, white callas*, blue bells and lots of marsh grass sedges* and cattails, both regular size and miniature. You also can have water hawthorn and water mint. Of course in the deeper areas you can have your lilies. I have enclosed a catalogue in Plants of native Oregon riparian perennial plants. These are nursery plants that are propagated from healthy hardy native Western Oregon stocks. They are the best to use because once established they will continue to protect your pond and meld into your natural ecology. You must be careful. I have included warnings on certain plants that can become invasive. Many must be planted in pots and placed in the water to keep them from being invasive. | |||||||||
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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Sedges and Rushes: Level II.
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The next level of planting is at the pond edge. At water's edge and about three to four feet up the bank should have sedges, nature's barrier between the terrestrial and the aquatic environment (erosion control). These plants offer the best buffer between the water and the bank. They should be the dominant plants in the ecology growing very dense and low. There are quite a few to choose: Dense Sedge, Dewey's Sedge, Wooly Sedge, Lyngby’s Sedge, Slough Sedge, and Sawbeak Sedge. They each attract different birds that diversify the ecology.
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Bulrush Level II. |
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Likewise, there are many rushes and bulrushes to select from. Bulrushes can grow as high as 12 feet in a tight clump. This provides some height to the pondscape. Besides offering a show, the rushes are great water conditioners providing fish habitat and detoxify the water by removing heavy metals and pesticides. You need at least five species of rushes. Each throws seed at differing times of the year attracting many birds. You should consider Single sided sedge where you want to walk as it is soft and a sharp leaf (Slough Sedge) on the rest of the pond to discourage people and animals from degrading the bank. These plants provide a barrier from invaders such as canary reed grass and water primrose preventing nutrients from entering the pond. |
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Planting Suggestions Level I and Level II deal directly with water plants. Because the pond is man-made, it is often wise to start bank planting at Level II first as you can control the use of plants there. Then start adding plants to Level I. As each can be a concerted effort, I would recommend using some of the non-invasive ornamental water plants to begin such as Canna and Lobelia. You can also use many of the ornamental plants shown in the website.
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| Costs: Begin by using an inexpensive sedge and native perennials and add some ornamentals. This is very well described in the Web Site under Plants. | |||||||||
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Prescription Trees and Shrubs Provide Shade and Habitat Level III.
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Your pond needs an amphitheater of trees and shrubs. Beginning with the willows and shrubs at pond edge and reaching back 50 – 100 feet from the pond results in a gradual increase in the size of the trees. Emphasis should be placed on the pond to protect the pond from solar heating. This shade will inhibit weed and alga growth in the pond. Consider putting the pond in 60 – 80% shade. The Pond Doctor believes storied planting of trees and shrubs is the best method of obtaining the correct shading. For example, plant more cottonwoods, broad leaf maple and poplar. The cottonwoods will offer lower shade in the first few years followed by poplar and then maple. The under story should be planted with shrubs such as willow and rhododendron. Careful selection will make it so the view to the pond will not be blocked. You should consider the following for Level III riparian tree planting: |
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Trees, Willows, Shrubs and Ground CoversLandscape the BankLevel III. |
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| You need to consider several types of ground cover with extensive root systems that do not go very deep for dike bank. This will stabilize the bank. Just below the crest of the dike bank, you can use Arctic Blue Willow: | |||||||||
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| You can use Vinca minor: | |||||||||
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Willows and shrubs should be placed around the pond and in the waterway to further defertilize the pond. Shrubs are great to remove nutrients from the pond limiting weed growth. The waterway draining into the pond should have a dense shrub population. Any area that has exposed soil should be considered for ground covers, willow and shrub plantings. I would encourage you to find interesting contrasting willow colors (kinikinik). There are both high-growing varieties and low-growing shrub varieties. The choice here is important because the willows you pick will be the backdrop in your pondscape. I would highly recommend the red-stemmed Pacific Red Willow (Salix lasiandra). A stand of them looks dramatic when placed against a green background. |
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Other natives to use are sword fern, Douglas spirea, black twinberry, Nootka rose, vine maple, choke cherry and elderberry. You should select plants from your own microenvironment because they will be successful in your area. You can use low growing varieties of hedge plants that will not block the view to the ponds and will beautify the pond i.e. rhododendrons and azaleas with dwarf fruit trees would work. The shrubs around the pond offer further habitat and feed for wildlife. Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. Question: "How close to the pond can you plant trees and shrubs?" PonDoc: Many willows will grow in water as will many trees such as the white alder on the South end of the pond. Trees such as cottonwood will grow directly next to the pond. Many trees in Oregon will survive being submerged part of the year. Therefore the answer to your question is you should try some directly in the water and others at pond edge. Willow cuttings can be taken in such numbers that their liberal use is encouraged along the waterway and at lest five places around the pond. Select willow cuttings from natives and ornamentals in your neighbor's yard. A few cuttings will not hurt a thing. |
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Prescription |
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The water plant flowers are the most beautiful in the world and add a lot to the ecology of the pond. They attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bees that pollinate many plants. Perennial flowers such as mallow, wapato, calla lily and veronica last season after season. The flowers also have water-conditioning abilities. There are many varieties with brilliant, vibrant colors. We will help you select some. |
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Water Garden & Wetlands Plants |
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Acorus - Sweet Flag Nice Aeschynomene - Botswana Wonder Caltha - Marsh Marigold Great! Canna - Marsh Flower Nice Ceratophyllum - Hornwort Colocasia - Black Taro (Elephants Ear) Cyperus - Umbrella Palm Eichhornia - Pickerel Rush Elodea - Anacharis Equisetum - Horsetail Houttuynia Hydrocleys - Water Poppy Hygrophila Iris Be careful! Limnocharis - Velvet Leaf Lobelia - Cardinal Flower Great! Ludwigia - Primrose Willow; Mosaic Plant Lysimachia - Money Wort Menyanthes - Bogbean Myosotis - Water Forget-Me-Not Nice Myriophllum - Parrot's Feather Do not Use! N. crenata - Water Snowflake Neptunia Nymphaea - Water Lily Be Careful! Orontium - Golden Club Sagittaria – Arrowhead Good Salvinia Saururus - Lizard's Tail Scripus Typha - Cattail Xanthosoma - Taro Zantedeschia - Calla Lily Great!
A complete catalogue of water plants is available here: (Click)
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| A good base plant is the Slough Sedge. This tough grass-like plant can be used as the base plant in the ponds and waterway. Slough Sedge will protect the pond from incoming run-off and remove nutrients from the pond preventing weed growth. For all of the plantings, pea gravel can be put into the waterway and pond and act as the substrate. The plantings can be top dressed with sand to stabilize them. This is a very water tolerant plant and can be directly planted in the water. | |||||||||
Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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| After getting a base planting, you can dress the pond using beautiful flowers. You should add a few every year including this year. The following ornamental water plants can be considered for use in the pond. However, the selection is huge. Consider a large number of these as single plants are lost in large landscapes. For instance, a colony of blue iris is healthy at around 25 plants. Likewise, small bouquets of Canna look ridiculous. Here are a few examples. There are many, many more colors and plants to choose from. A good general rule of thumb to use when planting is to only partially submerge the crown of the plant. | |||||||||
| Louisiana Game Cock Iris (Slightly invasive but not as bad as the yellow) and I love the color. | |||||||||
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| Canna. Big fleshy plant that is wonderful for removing nutrients. Large bouquets should be considered. Consider it as a bodacious show but a necessary one. | |||||||||
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| Canna Thalia A great rush like large leaf plant. And it has a beautiful small delicate flower. | |||||||||
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| Calla Lily Always a Northwest Oregon favorite. A great show well into the summer. Should be placed on a steep bank so it will not invade the pond. | |||||||||
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| Umbrella Palm A wonderfully successful plant that stays in a single large clump near the pond. | |||||||||
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| Rain Lily A beautiful accent plant for any wet spots on your property. | |||||||||
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| Japanese Sweet Flag Large rush that offers a color accent to the pond. | |||||||||
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| Water Hibiscus Always the pride of any garden and easily cultured around ponds. | |||||||||
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| Queen Victoria Lobelia A wonderfully showy pond plant. Always a nice addition. Groups of 5 - 10 plants offer a riot of color with purple stems and bright red flowers. | |||||||||
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| Marsh Marigold A wonderful spring flower with nice wide foliage. | |||||||||
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| Blue Sedge A dusty blue sedge that accent Arctic Blue Willow and looks great against green sedges. You should plant this directly in the water. | |||||||||
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| Camus Deep blue flower blooming in the spring. | |||||||||
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| Veronica will bloom in the summer and loves damp banks. It liberally reseeds and grows from its roots. | |||||||||
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| Hardy Water Lilies Should be considered after the restoration is well underway. The reason is lilies require a little study. I love the larger varieties and can help you select a few. | |||||||||
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| As always, your preferences are the final decision. By adding these plants, you will have approximately 25 species of plants in the pond. As many as 50 may be necessary but this is a great start. The greater the diversity of species, the healthier and more resilient the pond becomes. | |||||||||
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Both native and
ornamental plants can be obtained from
The Pond Doctor. See catalogues in the
Plants section of the
website. Questions?: email The Pond Doctor.
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| Positioning of Plants | |||||||||
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In and Near the Pond: The first story, Level I. |
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| Next to the Pond: The Next Story, Level II. | |||||||||
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| Taller Trees: The Top Story, Level III. | |||||||||
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| This concludes our discussion of plants. I should emphasize one more time that plants are the total answer to a healthy pond. If you need help selecting pond plants, please contact me. I will help. This should be an ongoing project for your entire property. With a little continuous work, the plants will offer all sorts of forage for wildlife and dramatically improve the health of your property. | |||||||||
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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Aeration for Pond Respiration |
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| Your pond requires a small aerator. See Aeration section of Web Site. | |||||||||
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Advantages of Aerating Water:
Fountains or Diffused Air |
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Prescription Aquatic Animal / Wildlife Ecology |
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Our prescription so far is to encourage the pond to support animal life by adding plant structure. Methods to reduce the fertilizer and silt need to be considered because this soil carries the largest number of fish disease microorganisms. Your fishery should be monitored and balanced. You can diversify your fishery by planting small rainbow trout. Your pond requires habitat structure using the plants and dead tree wood substrate. Predator control methods need to be reviewed. For example, establishing bird houses for songbirds to distress the Great Blue Heron and Osprey. Ponds provide the key ingredient in wildlife ecology: they offer water. Providing forage and housing completes the ecology. By adding wild rice and millets to the riparian ecology provides forage for many animals. All of the forage seed crops are available at local feed and seed stores and can be planted near the pond. By attracting birds and wildlife to the pond, you complete the ecology of the pond, making for a healthier ecology for all including yourself. The idea is to diversify the various populations of fish, wildlife, plants and bottom ecology. With a little study, you can establish habitat beneficial to property management practices such as owl boxes for rodent control. A single owl pair acts as top predator covering as much as 10 square miles. Your entire environment improves. Although other fish hatcheries are available, this one is the best in the state and will deliver anywhere from their unique position on Mt. Hood: Brian’s Trout Ranch (Gary and LG) 26259 SE Brian Trout Road Sandy, OR 97005 503-668-4733 |
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| Your pond might not sustain a rainbow trout fishery but it is worth the try. I believe after the proper flora is installed that this system will sustain a rainbow trout fishery. However, until that happens, you can experiment with a few trout. You could start with 50-8" trout. The trout must be managed. | |||||||||
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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Prescription Managing the Rainbow Trout |
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Oregon provides one of the best habitats for the rainbow trout. They are relatively easy to maintain. They have about a 3-4 year life cycle but will grow older if spawning beds are available. Fish can be purchased from private fish hatcheries. The rule of thumb in purchasing fish is to buy fish that are at least the half as big or bigger than the fish in the pond. Having structure in the pond is extremely important. A dead log or shore plants will offer refuge for young fish. You need about 20 - 30 yards of river run boulders for both fish and crustaceans. Feeding and care. Rainbow trout need to be fed only at certain times of the year. The fats go rancid in old feed and stunt the fish. So if you buy large quantities, store a portion in the freezer. If there are plants growing in the pond and insects, the fish do not need feed in the summer. To start the year; in the winter when the temperature is below 40, feed only once per week. Estimate the total weight of fish in the pond and feed 5% of the body weight (do not overfeed). If you see the fish are thin, put a little cod liver oil on the feed only in the winter. When the temperature starts to rise in the spring, feed every day until the first bloom of insects. Then start to reduce feeding. Don’t feed in the summer or just once per week. When the temperature starts to fall in the fall, resume feeding everyday until the temperature reaches 40, and then stop. If you have any question: Call the Pond Doctor. |
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Prescription Top Predator |
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Many people think that predators are bad because they kill other animals. This is totally untrue. They provide the balance that is required to keep a healthy ecology. About fifty years ago, an experiment was performed on Royal Island in Canada. The people near there were taking moose every year for meat and noticed there was a large population of wolves. Local biologist killed the wolf population. The moose proliferated and began starving to death after eating all of the forage on the island. What was learned was an ecology needs its top predator to provide balance. One of the best predators to have around a property is the barn owl. You do this by installing owl boxes and perches. You will not notice their presence. You should construct perches so the owls can easily patrol various areas such as the near large fields. I am enclosing plans for construction of the box. It should be placed high in a building either on your property or on a neighbor's property. Materials and general dimensions can vary somewhat depending upon materials available. Using 1/2" plywood: bottom, 12" x 40"; two ends, 12" x 16"; back, 16" x 41"; top, 12 1/2" x 41”. (For 1/4" plywood, back length should be 41 1/2" and top 12 3/4" x 41 1/2".) The barn wall acts as the front of the box. The top is hinged but kept securely latched. A 6-inch square hole in the barn (cut 6 inches above the floor of the box) provides access directly into the box from outside. Ideally, the entranceway is positioned high on the barn wall such as 20-25 feet above the ground. Mount the box against the interior barn wall and nail it securely in place. Use wire or additional boards to help support the box if the cross beam, on which it rests, is narrow. The same box design can be constructed with a front and hung (with heavy rope or metal brackets) from the climbing-well inside the top of a covered (inactive) Silo.. |
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If you build it, they will come." |
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Prescription Bottom Ecology Clarifies Water
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When bacteria are used in concert with aeration, the bottom ecology improves. The regulation of your pond environment includes improving the health of the bottom of your pond. The benthic or bottom environment is where the natural forage for your aquatic animals lives. This includes what are called the macroinvertebrates or the large invertebrates that include nymphs, insect larvae, and crustaceans. Just by scooping up a handful of bottom muck and seeing how much life is there will tell you if you have a healthy pond bottom: the more the better. Conditions that kill the bottom are silting and eutrophication (anoxia: dead algae in the pond). If these conditions are not stopped, the pond will fill in. Both can be aided by seeding the bottom of the pond with microorganisms. The bacteria feed on decomposing organic matter. They pose no health hazards to humans, fish, pets, plants, waterfowl or any other wildlife. This is a combination of naturally occurring bacteria that will eat the organic material and actually “compost" the bottom to be a more fertile habitat for the macroinvertebrates. What you are doing is extending the food chain to the smallest inhabitants of the pond that will feed your fish. Constructed ponds usually do not have this flora and need them to complete the food chain in the pond. Habitat for them includes dead trees. Because fish love the macroinvertebrates, a dead tree in the pond provides ecology for the invertebrates and thus for the fish. The POND BACTERIA SYSTEM comes in water soluble packets containing 100% non-toxic, non-pathogenic, non-corrosive dried bacteria. 24 half pound packets are $375. |
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor.
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Bottom Structure and Crustaceans
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Rock Pile: Built ponds do not have bottom structure. This is simply a pile of rocks or gravel in the bottom. The best is river run boulders, gravel and sand. |
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Cellulose Substrate: Deciduous logs are used as a nutrient substrate for many invertebrates. If placed away from the bank and partially submerged, they also offer habitat for the Western Pond Turtle. The cellulose adds a complex carbohydrate that replaces the need for barley straw as a substrate for the pond bacteria. Once a log is “infected” with the pond bacteria, it may be no longer necessary to add the bacteria to the pond. They will over-winter in the log and populate the pond by themselves in the spring. You will need a small tree to accomplish this like a small maple tree (cotton wood…). Conifers are not recommended due to the high levels of tannins in their woody structure.
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Crustaceans: The American Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is readily available in most rivers and streams in Oregon. They can be trapped or children love to catch them. |
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Prescription Getting the Work Done
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This is perhaps the most important portion of this “Prescription”. Getting started is the most difficult in a restoration. You now have all of the theory but now have to put it into action. You need to start planting. This should be done on a continuous basis a few at a time. It will take a few years for these plants to establish themselves and until that occurs you can use aeration and bacteria nutrient replacement. I would recommend buying a few plants every year for the pond. I will help you select them. Until this pond is completed, you should budget some money for it every year. That sum will be up to you but it is wise to do this as managing this water will be of great benefit to the pond.
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Questions?: email The Pond Doctor. |
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The POND DOCTOR Prescription Specialists in Aquatic Ecosystems
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The Pond Doctor prescription now needs to be implemented. 1. Bank Restructuring 2. Artificial Nutrient Replacement 3. Riparian plants 5. Create regulated fishery 6. Establish bottom ecology |
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Getting the Work Done: A Summary
In the following several pages, I will outline some work schedules and costs involved. You should consider doing a lot of the work yourself to save that cost.
The idea of all of the below recommendations is to increase the health of the pond so it will be self sustaining and eventually not rely on human intervention.
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Specialists in Aquatic Ecosystems
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Bank Restructure Purpose: After the fence is removed, the bank should be restructured. This will require heavy equipment such as a cat tractor or back hoe. The city should provide a donation certificate for at least $5,000 for the work.
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Artificial Nutrient Replacement Purpose: To maintain respiration in the pond while new plants are being established and the restoration is completed.
Barley Straw
Aerator aerator, hose and diffusers $760
Lake – Pak POND BACTERIA SYSTEM $375
Total $1,135
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Planting
You should go looking for wetland plants and familiarize yourself with the various wetlands plants you have access to and locate them and use them.
Marginal Sedge 2,000 slough sedge $0.40/start X 2,000 = $800 Ornamentals Canna, Lobelia, Blue Iris, Marsh Marigold $500 Planting Labor Total Approx: $1,300
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You can spend around a thousand dollars per year using a considered effort and in three years, you will have enough plants. You must inventory your plants to find out which ones survive and those that do not. |
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Dead Log Woody Substrate You have several dead logs to pick from. Use hardwood. A 12 to 16 inch log or bigger with some limbs will work. Select something that has some visual appeal. Place them away from the bank but anchored to the shore.
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Crustacean Collecting Go to a local river or stream and lift rocks and find crayfish. Put them in a 5 gallon plastic pail with some water. You should be able to find several hundred on each outing. If you have difficulty, consider building a trap.
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Bird Houses and Owl Box Owl boxes are easy to make and install. They do wonderful rodent control on a property and once established, generation after generation of owls will continue to inhabit the box.
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Fish Transplanting A call to Brian’s Trout Ranch should be made. You can arrange to have LG and Gary bring some fish over. I would recommend going to this hatchery as I know they have good fish that are healthy. Be careful in going to any other source as bringing one diseased batch of fish in will completely ruin the fishery.
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Dear Folks, I hope this report has cleared up many of the mysteries you may have had concerning the needs of your pond. If you follow the prescription outlined in this report, the pond will become healthy and a visually attractive pond. The Pond Doctor services are straight-forward and hands-on. All consultations over the phone and on the internet are free. I charge $100 per additional visit. I would recommend that you have me out at least once per year until the project is completed. It was certainly a pleasure to meet you. You have a wonderful pond. Your pond just needs a little help. We are here to help you. Please give us a call or drop me an email and stay in touch. I will help as much as possible. 541-258-3010 or email jnelson@peak.org
Sincerely, |
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