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Post by parker002 on Jul 19, 2011 20:38:59 GMT -5
The 1-gallon baskets are too small and don't allow plants like cat tails or cannas to spread out like they want.
The 3-gallon baskets, when filled with planting medium and plants, weight over 50 pounds and tend to splinter into shards of razor-sharp plastic. Twice in the last 10 days, I've almost lost a finger working with plastic plant baskets in my pond.
In addition, the baskets have to be set on varying levels of flat rocks to get them to the desired depth even though the pond has pre-formed "shelves" on two sides.
I would really like to create permanents planters that I could "build in" to the pond and leave hardy plants (cat tails etc) in year round. Any ideas if that's possible and how I might do it?
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Post by Carl on Jul 20, 2011 9:28:55 GMT -5
I have used simple plastic pots for Water Iris to simply grow out of on their own without any splintering issues. I have also used those pots that are made from a Biodegradable material which readily "dissolves" away, however with these you must support well with the volcanic rock, otherwise these can dissolve faster than the roots take hold.  Carl |
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Post by parker002 on Jul 20, 2011 16:38:47 GMT -5
For the biodegradable pots, I'm assuming you have to have an area that works for them, right? Because part of the problem is that the pond is basically a hole in the ground. The sides are steep, there's little to no "shallows" and the shelves that were built-in using dirt and the liner are not exactly easy to work with.
Otherwise, I think the pots you have pictured would present me with many of the same challenges I have now, without the splintering/injury factor of course.
Is using pots really the best way to go then? I was wanting to get rid of them altogether.
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Post by Carl on Jul 20, 2011 19:43:03 GMT -5
I only start the bog plants in the pond, by the end of the season or by the beginning of the next, the plants have grown through these pots and often noting is left.
I often hide these in the volcanic rock that I am embedding them in for the Veggie Filter, so they are hardly even noticed even in the beginning.
Carl
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Post by parker002 on Jul 20, 2011 22:51:31 GMT -5
You're talking about a veggie filter, so a confined area, yes? What about other areas in your pond? Do you have shallow "bog" areas?
That's my issue - I don't. I have some "shelves" but otherwise, I have straight drop-offs on all sides. The shelves are actually formed in the ground underneath the liner, so I really don't have many options.
In order to achieve a more natural look and the plant densities I want, would it be more prudent to plant individual plants in smaller, individual pots and cluster the pots together (rather than try to grow multiple plants in larger pots)?
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Post by Carl on Jul 21, 2011 0:10:05 GMT -5
In many of the ponds I have built/maintained, we had or made shelves (some shelves were actually part of the pond design/structure, others were as you described)
For these we used either plastic, ceramic, or biodegradable pots, depending upon the customers preferences.
For this use, the biodegradable is not a good option for slow growing plants
I have used mixtures of shelves, and actual bog /veggie filters.
Carl
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Post by parker002 on Jul 21, 2011 17:39:16 GMT -5
Actually I probably haven't described what I have accurately. My "shelves" ARE part of the pond design/structure. The pond was dug out of solid clay and a vinyl liner was laid over the top. The "shelves" were carved into the clay and are flat so they're not easy to use. Pots easily slide right off and into the pond.
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Post by Carl on Jul 22, 2011 18:13:18 GMT -5
I have used "fish safe" epoxy for other pond "stuff" & although I have not used them for a pot, I do not see why this would not work
Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Jul 22, 2011 20:42:26 GMT -5
Is it possible you could user pots that are biodegradable or other pots and bury part of them into the shelves? That way, they won't slide. But if burying them too deep down would cause a problem for the pond the way it is designed, maybe you could pack some thick/dense dirt or clay over the area on the shelf where you want to plant them. That way the plants will stay put, you can remove the dirt/clay around them when they've taken root enough, and you will not risk hurting the pond design.
I'm not experienced with aquatic potted plants whatsoever but thought of a few things after reading this post. Hope my ideas help.
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Post by parker002 on Jul 25, 2011 9:05:42 GMT -5
In order to bury them, I'd have to have something on the shelf to bury them in that was filled with gravel or sand - LIKE A PERMANENT PLANTER.  I think I'm going to build pot holders. You can buy metal versions to use with terrestrial potted plants..   Something like these (http://www.pondbiz.com/home/pb1/page_1082/plant_stand_underwater.html) only not $50 each! |
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Post by Carl on Jul 25, 2011 12:35:20 GMT -5
This is a good idea!
This should also allow for good water movement around the pots, and thus the added benefit of nitrification, de-nitrification, & green water control.
Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Jul 25, 2011 13:37:05 GMT -5
That is a good idea Parker. One thing I want to note is metal can rust in an aquatic environment- even a stainless steel or non-rust kind. I discovered this with so called non-rusting pieces to a tank divider. I'm not sure if minor rust would harm fish or not but rusty metal flaking into the water might. That's my 2 cents.
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Post by parker002 on Jul 25, 2011 15:35:29 GMT -5
Yeah, that was my implication by saying they make metal versions for terrestrial plants.
I would have to make them out of a non-corroding metal (ie. aluminum) or an inert material like resin or plastic.
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Post by cashay on Jul 26, 2011 15:05:02 GMT -5
just becareful of the wind blowing them over! I can't tell you how many times i have had to go into my pond and clean up the mess!
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Post by parker002 on Jul 27, 2011 12:21:19 GMT -5
Yeah, they'd be submerged and probably weighted as well. We have wind problems here...
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Post by parker002 on Sept 9, 2011 17:18:43 GMT -5
I ended up temporarily solving my problem with different pots.
There's a seed and nursery place here in town that also sells pond and aquarium supplies. I go in there every once in a while but they don't have a great selection and the prices are really high. The thing about them is that they carry some stuff nobody else around does and the quality of their plants and landscaping supplies are superb.
I went in there the other day to buy some large field stone and a sheet of flagstone for my pond work and talked to them about my pots. Long story short, they let me pick through the throw-aways on the loading dock and I walked away with a dozen assorted sizes of those black pots that trees and shrubs ship in.
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Post by cashay on Apr 7, 2013 18:59:01 GMT -5
Parker do you have pictures of your pond? I think Im going to dig mine out a little more this summer If I can find the time. i want to put a few more shelves in mine also but I was thinking about making my shelves wider then putting maybe a piece of plywood or something sturdy to make it flat on the bottom. to put plants. I know I will have to cover the wood with something soft on the edges so not to puncture my liner. maybe some air conditioner filters or something, and just cutting a hole it it wide enough for the bottom of planter. I don't know any ideas, I dont think the planters in the pictures would help me because we get some pretty good winds some times and I have found my plants knocked over in the pond..
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Post by cashay on Apr 7, 2013 19:09:45 GMT -5
Parker do you have pictures of your pond? I think Im going to dig mine out a little more this summer If I can find the time. i want to put a few more shelves in mine also but I was thinking about making my shelves wider then putting maybe a piece of plywood or something sturdy to make it flat on the bottom. to put plants. I know I will have to cover the wood with something soft on the edges so not to puncture my liner. maybe some air conditioner filters or something, and just cutting a hole it it wide enough for the bottom of planter. I don't know any ideas, I dont think the planters in the pictures would help me because we get some pretty good winds some times and I have found my plants knocked over in the pond..
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Post by parker002 on Apr 8, 2013 10:32:34 GMT -5
Plywood is going to rot, plus it's treated. I wouldn't put it in my pond.
I actually ended up using mesh planting bags, like these:
[url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UJZ3MG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1532201582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00424KRX0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14X98BXFEK4R694SEAN1[/url]plant bags[/url]
Because they're soft-side, they conform to the shelf below them which is CONSIDERABLY easier than trying to make the shelf itself conform to the pots sitting on it.
I fill them with a thick layer of planting medium and then cover that with about 5" of lava rock. They don't move, even when the 20-lb monsters mess with them.
I will post some pics of my pond in a few weeks. We just came out of the last freeze here and my pond isn't fully up and running yet.
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Post by cashay on Apr 16, 2013 1:11:45 GMT -5
Plywood is going to rot, plus it's treated. I wouldn't put it in my pond. I actually ended up using mesh planting bags, like these: [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UJZ3MG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1532201582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00424KRX0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14X98BXFEK4R694SEAN1 [/url]plant bags[/url] Because they're soft-side, they conform to the shelf below them which is CONSIDERABLY easier than trying to make the shelf itself conform to the pots sitting on it. I fill them with a thick layer of planting medium and then cover that with about 5" of lava rock. They don't move, even when the 20-lb monsters mess with them. I will post some pics of my pond in a few weeks. We just came out of the last freeze here and my pond isn't fully up and running yet. [/quote]Pod tour completed all appears safe and secure A/C 18 H/C 18 It would be under the liner, not in any water, but I guess over time it would rot sooner or later. |
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