Since their roots are confined to small and shallow containers, their water requirements need to be checked often especially during hot and sunny days. This situation was brought to my attention months ago and we had to come up with a quick solution if our Lotuses are to survive in the garden.
Ideally I would have opted for a ground level pond complete with water features and landscaping for a more natural look. Eventually this is what I'll shoot for, but for now the well-being of the Lotus plants must be addressed as soon as possible.
Thus, we decided to build a bigger container in the form of an above ground pond. This is cheaper, easier to build and easier to maintain than an elaborate, natural-looking pond. So, Dad and his crew went to work and built the pond adjacent to the "mother" garden.
The Lotuses are now happily residing in the pond. Since there are room for more aquatic plants, a Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) and another yet unidentified plant were added. There are also Duckweeds (Lemna minor) which hitchhiked with Lotuses and began to float only after the Lotus containers were submerged in the pond.
To solve the potential problem of the pond becoming a breeding ground for blood-sucking, virus-carrying mosquitoes, we added some fishes as well. There are a few Tilapias, young Kois and Comets contently living in the pond.
To keep the color of the pond from turning completely green due to algal bloom and the water healthy for the fishes, fresh water is added daily delivered by a hose connected to a spring-fed source.
A pond can be classified as a fishpond, koi pond, wildlife pond or a water garden. So, is this structure a fishpond or a water garden? Definitely a water garden. Although fishes can be added in a water garden they are not the main attraction of the pond but rather the various species of aquatic plants. The plants take the center stage while the fishes are just extras.
Someday, if the forces from above are willing, there will be more ponds and water gardens in different parts of the farm.
oh this is beautiful! I would love a water garden, but just dont have the room.
ReplyDeleteThis is really, really nice. My lotus is still residing in a small pot. I have to add water everyday and it is still not very happy since it has been very hot these few days. I'm sure it'll love to stay in your new pond.
ReplyDeletewow...surprise to see this new pond...great!!!
ReplyDeleteI have already commented here last night, i wonder where it went. Maybe my other comments in other blogs got lost too. I had a horrifying thing last night, my blog was deleted at 12mn, and i stayed awake till 2:30am deciphering and doing whatever things i can to salvage it. But i didn't have the feeling that my comments get somewhere. Anyway, i said that the supposedly makeshift water garden doesn't look like it at all, it is very beautiful as is and can stay there. I bet you or your mom will learn to love it and will not remove it anymore! Because i already love it that way. How did they make the inside sealant so water will not leak out? I wonder how that is done. I've long wanted to do that too but because of our long dry season i just cant do it. You are more blessed because of that river in your property. I am envious again.
ReplyDeleteHey Solitude! Those Lotus plants are great! We only have waterlilies and I still can't afford to buy a lotus plant. heheh! We have a small pond in our village house and algae blooms was always a pain for me and my brother. But good thing that brother of mine enjoys DIY and is very fond of aquarium and pond fishes so he was able to create a bio-filter. We only have to refill the pond during summer and when water drips out of the pot due to excess growth of the plants. :) I'll send you some photos of our pond filter and for the mean time, this is the blog/site which my brother used to create his bio-filter.
ReplyDeletehttp://leisure.prior-it.co.uk/build-diy-pond-bio-filter.shtml
The Kois and Goldfishes are nice too!
Those are lucky little Lotus to have such a sweet pond to live in.
ReplyDeleteLovely new water feature. I also like the new photo feature and would love to use that in my own blog. Can you tell me how to do it please.
ReplyDeleteMo
Thanks Africanaussie,
ReplyDeleteA water garden need not be big. Any deep container which can hold water can be used. I've seen a clever use of wine barrels as water garden.
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Thanks One,
That's the reason why this structure was built. Our Lotuses were sitting on shallow basins too and they had to add water everyday which means someone needs to be home everyday.
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Thanks Ely,
I'm sure your huggable teddy bears would enjoy dipping their paws in this pond and try to catch the fishes for lunch or dinner :)
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Thanks Andrea,
Sorry to hear about the horrors you experienced with the temporary loss of your blog. I'm glad to know it's back online.
I didn't know that they were going to build the pond this way, what I thought was that it will just be a crude structure. But I was pleasantly surprised with the result. Yes, I believe this pond deserves to stay and be enjoyed for a long long time.
As for your question, the sealant is called "cement seal." There are different brands to choose from. It comes in powdered form, just add the required amount of water, mix well and brush it on any concrete surface that needs to be waterproofed.
Maybe you can build one of this as impound for rain water. Then come summer you have extra water to use for your plants. Unlike last year, this year we didn't have to get water from the river. The summer was not as terrible as last year's.
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Thanks Kingdom,
I bit the bullet and closed my eyes and bought the Lotus despite the commanding price. That's why I was in panic mode when Mom had difficulty propagating this plant at first. But when she got the hang of it, she was able to grow them from the seeds they produced. Then came the time that they needed bigger space, so that's how this pond came to existence.
Thanks for the link you gave on how to build a bio filter. I will definitely look into it for our future koi pond project.
The pond right now may not need a bio-filter. Since this is a water garden there are more plants and few fishes in the pond. Hopefully there's enough bacteria to convert the fish wastes into nutrients the plants can use for nourishments. Also, part of the stagnant water is replaced with fresh water periodically. They just dip the garden hose inside the pond and let the water run and excess water drains out.
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Thanks Carolyn,
Yes these are indeed lucky plants. The pond was built specifically for them :)
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Thanks Mo,
I can surely teach you how the multi-picture was done. However, this is not as easy as the other tutorials I've posted. But as long as you follow the example you can master this technique. I'll post the tutorial one of these coming days.
It is great to have a water garden! That's a dream garden for me. I only have a mini fish pond. I am even imagining a whispering willow and the Osmoxylon lineare by the side of your pond. I think these 2 plants will make your garden look like a spa cum resort. I just found out that Osmoxylon lineare is a native plant of the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteI am back, for a long time now I have been contemplating of a reservoir in the farm to be filled during the rainy season. However, i am also scared of mosquitos. Even without water around they still abound in our area because there are lots of plants to hide. We also don't know where they lay their eggs, because we don't see any exposed water around. What happened now to your ostrich?
ReplyDeleteThanks Autumn Belle,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can incorporate a water garden in your mini fish pond. You can even make container water gardens, as they say 'your imagination is the limit...'
It just shows that I'm a newbie in gardening. In the process of collecting, I've discovered that some of the plants we've collected are native to the Philippines. It's always a joy finding this out.
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Hello Andrea,
I've seen in youtube how some people harvest rainwater and collect them in underground reservoirs for future use. Maybe this is something you can do too. Also, as long as your reservoir is fully covered you wont have any problem of mosquitos breeding in them.
The ostriches are all OK, all three of them. Thanks for asking.