With the growing trend of taking vacations at home to save money there is also a growing trend in adding a water garden, water fountain or koi pond to the backyard to add a more relaxed feel your private oasis.
The thought of adding a water feature may be a little daunting but with the right information and guidance, it is really pretty easy. A properly set up pond is easier to maintain than a lawn. It also uses far less water and adds a beauty that influences the entire backyard, garden areas and the home.
Here are a few points to consider before taking the final steps in choosing the location and starting the project.
Children and pets. Are their young children that will need supervision around the water features? If so place near the home and in eyes view from all locations. You may want to consider child safety features near a pond.
Some people are concerned about mosquitoes. However, ponds can be the best defense against mosquitoes because the fish in the pond will eat mosquito larvae. A properly set up pond will not breed mosquitoes.
Neither a concrete pond nor a pond liner is a wrong choice. The advantage of pond liners is that it eliminates cracking problems that can happen with concrete. Most concrete will last a long time without cracking but a tree root can grow 40 feet and end up under a concrete pond, which will crack the pond.
Filters and pumps play an important part in pond maintenance and the choices in filters and pumps can be confusing. Do you need expensive equipment, or can you just use plants to clean your pond?
Just keep in mind that the key to a successful pond is balance. If you use a bigger filter that means you do not need as many plants, and you can have more koi or other fish. And if you add more plants that means you do not need a large filter.
You can also go with an “all natural pond,” with only plants, which will work well too. But go easy on the fish in an all-natural pond. This is particularly important if you are raising koi. Too many koi fish can lead to the spread of disease.
Most important when adding any water feature, no matter how big or small is to match it to your families needs to make it a wanted and valuable feature in your backyard oasis.
