First, You Need A Pond

By Dottie Evans

The Garden Club of Newtown heard from Brad Cooper of Cooper Mulch and More in Danbury about pond and water gardening at its April meeting at the Cyrenius Booth Library.

According to Mr Cooper, fish and plants can co-exist in a backyard pond very nicely “as long as you are careful of what might be traveling in with the plants” in the way of micro-organisms.

“Build an underwater shelf for the plantings and your ground cover can come up to the edge of the water, or even enter into it, for a more natural look,” Mr Cooper suggested.

He mentioned that a good size for a starter backyard pond would be 11 by 16 feet, and that a basic aquascape kit might include only 20 pieces.

“Find the right spot, where you can see it. Draw a few lines on the grass and imagine how you will interact with the pond on a regular basis,” he said.

The worst thing people do is build a pond somewhere away from the house where they never see it or enjoy it. The pond suffers and so do its owners, Mr Cooper said.

“Start digging where you’ve drawn the lines, going down a shovel’s depth or 12 inches for each layer.” At least three layers are recommended.

The addition of a liner and a piping and filtration system with skimmer box at the bottom and a bio box at the top was discussed in detail. Mr Cooper recommended establishing a small waterfall to aerate the pond and keep the water flowing.

“Fish like to swim against the flow,” he added.

Rocks lining the bottom of the pond give added surface area for green moss to grow, which offers additional food for the fish.

“String algae comes only in bright sun, and that’s something you don’t want,” Mr Cooper said.

Finally, water plants such as sea lettuce, water hyacinth, lotus, iris, and water lilies can be added after the pond has stabilized, and the fish are added last. They will hide under the shade of the water plants and may also nibble on their roots and leaves for food.

“Eventually, the frogs and turtles may come and dragonflies will eat the mosquitoes.”

The Koi will eat just about anything, he said, “even watermelon rinds.”