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I decided to try making a small Island because the 2 natural floating Islands in my pond attract so much wildlife. Took a 12ft piece of 1 1/4" plastic pipe, and connected it together with a wood plug. Then took the plug out, taped over each end, poked a small hole in the tape and put the nozzle of the foam can thru and filled it with foam. If you've never used spray foam, make sure you wear disposable gloves, it's sticky. I then put the plug back in and connected the hoop, then used a bungee to keep it oval shaped while the foam hardened, but I did push down too hard and one end crimped, but no problem. When the foam hardened I wired 2 foam noodles to the frame, then zip tied the 1/2" plastic netting to the frame. My next step was to use plastic garland for underwater structure, I had purchased 105 ft. for $3.00 at a discount store after Christmas and thought it might help attract more fish and bugs. I put 3ft lengths around the perimeter and some in the middle. I'll probably add a pvc pipe across the frame for strength. The frame is 5' X 3' and should have at least 40lbs. of flotation with the noodles and foam filled pipe. When the pond thaws I'll put it next to the dock and put in some peat moss and then dirt. My wife wants to plant flowers and grass on it, then we'll anchor it in the deep end. When I have something growing in it I'll post pictures. Here's the frame after filling with foam.  The frame with noodles wired on.  The 1/2" plastic netting was added here.  Here's the frame with garland attached.  I also need to buy longer zip ties so I can attach the noodles to the frame better. Any bets if it floats after dirt and plants are added? 
Last edited by adirondack pond; 03/27/09 08:22 PM.
 
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thanks for the photos and explanation, ap. That gives me ideas. You shouldn't need too much dirt. It should float fine. Do you think the foam spread out thru out the tubing?
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hey Burger, yea I'm pretty sure the foam filled the pipe, after putting the wood plug in and reconnecting the hoop, foam seeped out around the plug for 3 hours as it expanded, and when hardened the hoop held the oval shape.
If I was gonna build a bigger island I would use at least 2" plastic pipe.
Last edited by adirondack pond; 03/22/09 07:23 PM.
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Foam noodles have a good bit of flotation ability. I think it should hold a good amount of weight. What kind of plants does your wife want to pant?
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CJ, we really haven't decided on what plants would be good on the wet soil, I know instead of normal pond plants she would like some flowers, maybe Bee Balm would work, but we have to do some research.
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A few ideas for your floating island...
Canada Anemone, Anemone canadensis
Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
New England Aster, Aster novae-angliae
Bottle Gentian, Gentiana andrewsii
Wild Iris, Iris versicolor
Prairie Blazing Star, Liatris pycnostachya
Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis
Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica
Monkey Flower, Mimulus ringens
Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa
Crimson Beebalm, Monarda didyma
Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana
Blue Vervain, Verbena hastata
Ironweed, Vernonia fasciculata
Culver's Root, Vernonicastrun virginicum
And, they're all native like full sun, wet soils and are adapted to your northern climate.
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I like the addition of the garland, seems like a pretty cool idea, I wonder if that could be added to other artificial structure as well.
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MikeyBoy, I would think the garland would be a good addition to almost any structure, the problem is finding it cheap. We have a chain of stores called "Dollar Tree " up here, everythings a buck, after Christmas they were clearing out the garland 3 packs for a dollar, I couldn't pass that up. CJ, is that all the species you can come up with, not much to work with.  
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I'm telling ya, there are some cool plants in that list. I particularly like monkey flower... I mean really how can you not like a plant with a name like that! HAHA
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CJ, I showed my wife the list before she went to work this morning, (somebody's got to work in this family ) and she laughed when she saw monkey flower. We did have Bee Balm and Cardinal flower at the cabin last year and we'll probably have those 2 on the Island, plus we'll check out the other flowers on the list. I'll be happy if the darn thing doesn't sink. Here's her flower garden at the cabin. we used a deer repellent that used cinnamon and garlic and it worked great. 
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I was gonna ask how you kept the deer out. Those northern winters can be rough on them. Many moose your way? I figured they might like to take a dip in your pond... I want to hunt some snowshoe hares in the Adirondacks. My dad said that was some of the most fun he ever had hunting was for hare in the Adirondacks.
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We do have moose around here, one was spotted by 4 people about a mile down the road, I haven't seen one yet but it's only a matter of time. There are alot of snowshoe hares here and sometimes I see the guys at the trail head parking lots with their Beagles. Here's the deer repellent I used. http://www.hardtofinditems.com/product.php?productid=206
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Oh Dollar Tree. We have that here in southern california as well. I have made many a trip there. Seems like it would be a good idea to start stocking up on those when I can. I am probably 2-4 years out from being able to start a pond going. I like to collect things a little bit at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing how that island floats.
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Do the foam things ever lose their flotation ability?
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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It doesn't seem so Dave, I had them off my dock last year to help keep fish feed from blowing back under the dock, the only problem was ducks pecking at the foam because of feed floating up against the noodles. That's why I put the foam inside the circle of plastic pipe.
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I think over 3 or 4 years they will loose some of their flotation ability. Won't know til you try though!
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I've had problems with the swim noodle foam holding up for 3-4 summers. It appears the UV light is real hard on it. It keeps getting smaller each year.
Why not take thin wall 4" dia sewer pipe fill it with foam connect it into a square or rectrangle, cover it with seine netting or plastic netting. Then cover netting with sphagnum moss and plant the plants in it? All the plants need is a substrate to get rooted in and then the root mass interconnects.
I question how well your island will float once you get dirt and plants on it. Once the island has a significiant amount of plant growth, then by itself, it may have enough bouyancy to float on its own. They are called floating bogs in nature.
Does Eric(NY) have any new pictures or experiences with his homemade islands?
I included a short segment on floating islands during a recent Pond Clinic I conducted. Here is the list of plants I suggested to them.
Bog Plants – Bog Lily, Dwarf Cattail,
Water Iris, Sweet Flag
Herbs: Mints, Dill, Chives
Grasses – Rye, burr reed, Various Sedges, wild rice if one can keep the waterfowl away from it while it is still young.
Canna, Marsh marigold, Lobelia (cardinal flower)
Rushes: Soft rush, 3 Square, Giant bull rush
Water Plantain, Lizard’s Tail, Flowering rush
Spike rushes
Hydroponics Vegetables
Any species that you find in or on the side of a temporary or permanent drainage ditch should grow on an island. Most wetland plants would also be good.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/24/09 08:26 PM.
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Bill, with all due respect, please remove Reed Canary grass from your list. There is enuf of that crap already.
if you want canary reed you dont even need to make an island, it will make its own.
Yes it grows but it grows way too much and forms monoculture desserts. And universities are improving it.
ohmygod.
and although native i dont think the strains generally available and invading are native.
it is time for me to spray mine and i have plenty. my strategy is if its grass that remotely looks like canary reed, its canary reed and it gets sprayed.
ohmygod, please, please please do not recomend that. please show me plant community where you have had canary reed for more than 3 or 4 years and we can compare to where i have been spraying canary reed for 3 or 4 years and take a poll. and if it isnt all canary reed, then your picture is not truthfull. maybe i will post my picture anyway. i can post pictures of canary reed desserts in the beautifull Iowa river valley.
you are way more than me but i have to change your recomendation, i am begging, please
i would like to start campaign to banish it from seed market, it is toxic, i have spread plenty of it (mowing) and am ashamed and will not mow canary reed in seed anymore. mowing after Jun1 is forbidden until into august because of it.
so, yes, it makes a difference, but there is not a single place that is better for it after a couple years, when it is all bad.
please
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cliffb- okay. But is does grow well for those that are green thumb challenged.
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I built mine just as Bill described, except they are not foam filled. They have been in the water for about 3 to 4 years. Flotation has never been a problem, but balancing the plant life is.
I have a predominant plant that is slowly squeezing everything else out. I made 3, 1 meter square sections and bound them into an L shape, the ever aggressive plant has cloned a forth section, almost a perfect square and is now filling in the center.
I let the island free float and it finally anchored itself. It is now closer to a peninsula than an island.
1/4 & 3/4 acre ponds. A thousand miles from no where and there is no place I want to be...
Dwight Yoakam
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Sagittaria, speedwell, scarlet pimpernel,and ranunculus are not invasive, and would look pretty nice on an island.
Sams Club has some nice non woven 20 year UV proof fabric in 4'x200' rolls. I think I'll get a roll and make me an island over a PVC frame. I'll stuff the 4" PVC pipe with styrofoam peanuts and shoot Great Stuff foam into it for flotation.
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There's a hundred different ways to make these Islands, and thats what makes it fun. I used some materials I already had, it might not be the best way, but the garland was the only thing I had to purchase for it. I put the noodles on the inside to protect them from critters and sunlight, but no matter how you build them they can be a valuable asset to pond habitat. These are my natural floating Islands 
Last edited by adirondack pond; 03/27/09 08:23 PM.
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thanks for the great ideas! I was looking at buy a floating island, but was not happy about the price. Does the garland in your picture have metal? Is this a problem? if it just plastic won't it float outside the island instead of hanging down?
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise! 
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Yea Brian, the garland is plastic but the stem is wire with plastic coating so they sink. I've had some in my fish tank for 4 months and it's doing ok, but long term who knows.
If you build your own Islands no matter how you do it there really isn't much expense to it, and they add alot of value, both environmentally and aesthetically .
Larry
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What's your experience with the floating islands... What benefits have you seen? I have no experience with them, so I am curious!
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CJ, my experience is accidental, when I started to fill the pond 2 small Islands popped up and their held in place by the roots from the trees I cleared out of the gully, how's that for luck.
The ground in that section of the pond was wet and boggy and the soil up here is pretty thin.
As I've mentioned before, all around the Islands are plenty of fish,insects,frogs, not to mention the occasional Herron, but I think they're after the frogs cause it drops off into 5 ft. of water.
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Have you thought about wrapping the mesh around the entire frame, creating two layers? I would be afraid that the mess will pull away from the frame. this happened on netting I put over my kids sandbox. It was a mess until I wrapped it above and below the frame.
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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Brian, you have a good point, maybe put the peatmoss and dirt in, then zip tie a layer of fencing over it, but I would have to cut holes in it to put the plants in. If you started everthing from seed then you wouldn't have to make any holes.
I think with the height of the noodles and pipe on the outside it should keep the dirt and plant mass together, but if my pond was subject to high wind and wave action I would definitely put a layer of fencing over the top.
I'm also planning to put pvc across the frame to give it more strength.
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The first plant I put on the natural floating Islands I have was a pickerel weed. 2 years ago I got a scrawny half dead pickerel plant at the Lowes garden section, It was on sale for 3 bucks (I'm kinda cheap), so I got it to put on one of the islands. Later that summer I gathered about 8 pickerel plants from the lake nearby and put them on the Islands. All the plants survived and grew well like everything else growing on those Islands. Here's that scrawny little plant after 2 years. 
Last edited by adirondack pond; 03/27/09 08:21 PM.
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That picture is of a floating island? That looks great! What do you do with the islands (or the one you are making) in the winter? I would think they would have problems with the ice.
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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Those natural Islands are smart, they sink in the late fall, I guess because the gases help keep them up when It's warm, in the spring they pop up again. during the winter you can only see some of the tall cattails sticking up. The Islands stay in place cause of the roots of the trees that use to be there.
I'm gonna leave the artificial Island in next winter to see how it holds up.
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Those are smart islands. You are lucky to have something like that naturally in your pond.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake 
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Would you believe it if I told you I planned it that way. If you look in the background of the pond you can barely see some of the Islands taller cattails above the ice. The picture was taken March 25, still 12 inches till full, and open along the bubble hose.  I decided to reinforce the frame with 3/4" pvc. 
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I dug up some pics of the natural floating Islands to show how gases help hold them up and they sink when the water gets colder. Early Sept.  Early Nov., they've sunk a little over a foot. 
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Very neat natural floating islands. So they sink to the bottom in what 3-4 feet of water?
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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blair, I don't think they sink to the bottom, their in about 4-5ft of water and appear to sink 1-2ft before they freeze in.
As soon as we have ice out I,m going to check their depth, maybe next week, we just got a couple inches of snow up there and they're predicting cold temps. all week.
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IMO, the most bang for your buck comes by planting local native species that are already established in or near your pond. This decreases mortality and tends to attract more critters due to natural relationships within the ecosystem/community. On the other hand, if the wife wants flowers...don't argue with her. This might disrupt your own human community.
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Yea Richard, like the saying goes, if the wife ain't happy nobody's happy. She really doesn't care, but said she would like to see more color on the pond. Right now were thinking cardinal flower, bee balm, monkey flower, and aster. I don't mind putting some colorful flowers on the artificial island cause the natural islands have plenty of pickerel weed, cattails and other bog type plants. If this small island works out I'm gonna make another one bigger and use flexible pipe to give it a more natural irregular shape. Now just waiting for ice out and warmer weather. 
Last edited by adirondack pond; 04/06/09 03:14 PM.
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They calling for snow in the Adirondacks tonight? I was going to head up to our hunting cabin in PA this afternoon and fish the creek this evening and tomorrow in between work up there, but with the 2-4 inches of snow they're calling for tonight and 1" of rain they're calling for tomorrow, I decided to pass...
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CJ, It's suppose to be in the 20's every night for the next week, not to mention the snow tomorrow, I was hoping for early ice out this year, but not to be. 
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I guess Punxsutawney Phil lied this year... This is my least favorite time of year. I just want winter to be over, those rare days here and there when we get into the 70's is just a tease and I am in VA far from northern NY weather!
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I checked the floating island on friday and measured the depth to the stump on the island, it was 19 inches lower than during the summer when it's above the water. Ice is gone now and it should start surfacing soon. Island 2 days ago.  Large Pickerel weed under water. 
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Just wanted to check to see if you have launched your new island yet?
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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Coach, I'm planning on launching the ss minnow this weekend, I've been busy finishing my electric otter fence and waiting for warmer weather cause I didn't want any frost killing the plants.
If I get it done I'll post pictures when I get back, I'm gonna look for some water loving plants tomorrow.
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I got the artificial island launched this weekend, put 70lbs. of peat and dirt in it and floats great, I'm still looking for flowering water plants for it, Lowes was suppose to get some in this coming week, when I get them put in I'll post pictures.
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Great! I am planning on building one this summer. I look forward to the pictures.
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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I did make some small additions of foam noodles to the island which will be shown in the photo's.
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Looks great. Can't wait to see you posting pics of some monsters out of there.
Future Pond Boss![[Linked Image from i53.photobucket.com]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/33truballa33/007-1.jpg)
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Thanks RB, but I've got to lick the winterkill problem first, hopefully this will be the year.
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Well here's the explanation and pictures of my low cost floating island. Believe it or not it's still floating after 2 windy and stormy days in less than a week. This first photo shows the garland attached beneath the island.  Here it is finally wet, as you can see I added some foam noodles to the center support and also 2 small pieces to the cross support. In the finished photo's you can see that I added foam at each end of the island to completely enclose it.  I'm putting newspaper down to help reduce initial loss of peatmoss and dirt untill the plant roots take hold.  First I put 40lbs. of peatmoss on it then about 30 lbs. of dirt, later after putting the plants on I put another 20 to 30lbs. of dirt on, for a total of about 100lbs. peat & dirt.  Here's some photo's of it with the 5 water plants I got from Lowes, there are 2 asst. Canna, 1 hardy water Canna, 1 Calla Lily, and 1 Iris. I put grass seed on it but I'm not sure it will grow so I'll get some grass off my natural islands and try that. One other suggestion, if your island is subject to high wind & waves you might want to add another ring of foam to the bottom to help it float higher. I built the island with flexible pipe and noodles to see how it works cause I would like to build a larger one with a more irregular natural shape. I'll update this as the plants and grass grow. Hope this info helps. P.S. Paint the noodles before putting in the water.    
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Your fish are gonna like hiding under it for shade... It'll start to look real nice once it starts filling in.
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Wow, what a cool project. Nice touch on painting the float noodles.
JHAP
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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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Looks great! I am going to try to put one together this summer. thanks for the inspiration!
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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Coach, good luck it should be a worthwhile addition to your pond.
I like using the flexible pipe cause you can make different shapes, the next one I make will use 1 1/2 or 2 inch flex pipe, I'll make a frame with 2x4's and put nails in it in the shape I want the pipe bent to form the island, then I'll make 3 foam filled pipe island shapes and stack them on top of each other and zip tie them together. I'll probably use pvc reinforcement under the bottom fencing like the one I just built, but no foam noodles.
Please post info and pictures when you build your island.
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Another NY masterpiece. Another guy from your way made some nice islands. I need some for this summer, as the sun will get pretty blistering hot. Thanks for the pics and techniques.
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I bet the islands will be major fish magnets come summer time with that beating hot sun shining down on them...
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Burger, I'll bet your fish would love to get some relief from that blistering Texas sun, I was there years ago at Fort Wolters for helicopter training, HOT HOT HOT !!! CJ, we had 3 days below freezing this past week so the fish are just starting to thaw out. Probably the quickest way to make an island would be with a sheet of styrofoam, put some edging on it to hold the dirt, and punch holes in it.
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I think the 3 mornings below freezing did some damage to a couple of the plants, we'll see. The clump of swamp grass I put on seems ok, the extra grass seed will hopefully grow some grass. Even with the island swinging around in the wind the garland underneath is still vertical. 
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I supposed to be 85 today. A few days ago we had frost warnings though...
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I supposed to be 85 today. A few days ago we had frost warnings though... Cold weather always seems to bother Senior Citizens the most.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling ![[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ed/b5/e7/edb5e7f935843b996cf52be593c9ebd2--smoothie-smooth-collie.jpg)
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The grass on the island is finally filling in, and the water plants are doing good except the 2 Canna which got some freeze burn, but their coming back, we haven't had a bad freeze since june 1.  I put a Bee Balm plant on one of the natural islands to see if it'll take. 
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Looks good, hopefully the plants will fill in as they mature and multiply...
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Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/04/22 09:00 PM.
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Well, obviously I need to read the pic posting thread again..I can't get the picture to appear in the post and im not that bad with computers.
Sorry,
Hal
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Hal, thats a great looking island, just proves there's no end to the ways you can make an island.
What type of cover material did you use and did you put any more floatation in it.
P.S. The pictures came thru ok.
Last edited by adirondack pond; 06/14/09 10:10 PM.
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Hal, when you type in your photo address delete the, ?action=view¤t= , part of the address. 
Last edited by adirondack pond; 06/14/09 10:31 PM.
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Thanks, Forgot a pic... http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss66/hjohn529/100_0540.jpgHe got some screening material from his grandad. Just about everything except the foam and swim noodles was stuff in my dad's barn. I didn't get any pics but yes, he did add floatation when it got heavier than he thought. Believe it or not there are nothing but plastic bottles under the frame. Luckily are golf course has an ample supply every day.
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..Sorry, I saw your post about pics too late ..I will get it, Eventually..and I type like my mother (haha). Let's get speelcheck.
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Finally getting some flowers, the Canna is blooming but with the cold, cloudy summer not much else. The Temp. at 5ft is 59.4, and the Trout have been real active. We could use a little Texas heat. 
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Adirondack your pond looks like a postcard. I can imagine you've had some pretty good times surrounded by rising fish wtih a bent fly rod in hand...
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Thanks BB, My wife gave me a fly fishing set for fathers day, but I've only practiced in the yard, soon I'll try for real.
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Hope you've been practicing your roll casts!
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For me it's more like a flip and fling cast.
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Looking good... The cool water has to be letting those trout grow big! How are the growth rates looking? Have your PS spawned yet?
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CJ, the rainbows and browns have gained 2 to 3 inches, but the PS's in the backyard pond still haven't spawned.
I have a friend nearby with a tiny springfed pond and their PS's haven't spawned yet either.
Probably due to the cold summer.
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The sunnies in our creek by the cabin just started their spawn... I watched spotfin shiners and bluntnose minnows go nuts eating the eggs out of their nests when I would catch a male from it until he was able to swim back and begin guarding it again. For the first time ever, there was a decent number of bluegills in the creek. I think they made up a good quarter of the sunfish we caught. I was amazed at how much our trout have grown. The browns have put on at least 3 inches and the rainbows at least 2. Not bad for not being fed pellets. Now the question is can they make it through the next 2 months without dying!
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CJ, I guess your gonna have to buy Rainmans aeration invention for the sake of the trout.
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If they die, they die... For that kinda money I can buy more trout next spring! HAHA
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Hey guys, how about posting updated photo's of your man made islands, they are a real asset to a ponds biodiversity.( I'm not exactly sure what it means but it sounds good.) Here's my island in May. Here it is now. 
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I like it, it really filled in nicely!
JHAP
~~~~~~~~~~
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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The cold weather has finished off the plants.  The natural Islands are starting to sink. 
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Do you know if the plants on your floating island when froze into the ice will regrow in spring or will you have to replant the island in spring?. When your natural floating islands sink they may get protected under the ice by the 39F water near the bottom?.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 10/30/09 08:40 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
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Bill the little island has an Iris, Calla Lily, and 2 different kinds of Canna's. According to info that came with the plants the hardiest was the Iris to zone 5, I'm in zone 3 so they're probably history, but the grasses I transplanted to it should survive if the ice doesn't destroy the island.
I've measured the height of the natural islands from summer to winter and they only sink about 20 inches. I planted pickerel weed on them but the cattails, grasses and other plants were put there by nature and survive well. As you said the sinking probably helps protect the roots.
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Interesting how your natural island floats and sinks with the seasons... You definitely gotta plant more monkey flowers next year!
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CJ I have a monkey flower in a pot on the porch, I'll see if it lives over the winter.
I'm hoping the small island survives the winter, but it's just an experiment and I won't lose any sleep over it.
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anyone ever thought of using Great Stuff foaming insulation to make an island? got my wheels to turning!!
Scott Hanners
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I think it'd work, but you'd have to protect it somehow (i.e. paint it) from the UV rays.
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Ebay; flotation foam link will eventually fail; search "flotation foam"
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That Urethane foam would work great for an Island, you could make whatever shape you wanted out of cardboard, spray a release agent on it and seal it with tape then pour it in. You can also shape it by using a hot wire, that's the way some composite aircraft are built. I've used it to fill cavities in boats and it's amazing how much it expands. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxXgdInnpLw&feature=player_embedded
Last edited by adirondack pond; 01/12/10 08:50 AM.
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After almost 5 months under ice and snow the small island is still there. It's pretty raggity looking but the ice didn't destroy it. You can see some green plant shoots on one end and I believe it is an Iris, which surprised me cause they show hardy to zone 5 and I'm in zone 3. The mallards seemed to enjoy picking around it for bugs. 
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It is awesome to see it again. Does everyone leave there island in during the winter? We are looking at getting one, or building one, this Spring. Don't they get torn up by the ice?
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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I would also like to hear from people who had their islands locked in ice and how well they fared.
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I never thought of a man made island like that. Originaly my pond had an island (made when the pond was dug) It kept deteriorating over the years so I took it out when I deepend the pond last year. I used to have a pair of Canadian geese that nested there every year. One year they raised 8 young to maturity. They still come back every year looking for that island.
Last edited by Dantheman; 04/07/10 08:11 PM.
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  Her one I built. Will mawmaw built but I told here how and over seen the project
Just working my pond for Grandkids GET THE NET PAWPAW  
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Looks good Rick, putting in artificial plants really gives it nice color, I should add some to my island so it looks better.
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No matter what she say about it, It was my idea
Just working my pond for Grandkids GET THE NET PAWPAW
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Island starting to green up, the Iris on the left side and swamp grass survived the winter but I need to add plants, maybe some artificials to give it color. 
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The island has greened up pretty good, the Iris and water Canna on the right side came back from last year, and naturally the swamp grass, also have a monkey flower plant in the middle but it's hard to see in the grass. Lots of minnows underneath with the garland providing cover in 8ft. of water.  The Pickerel weed is growing well on the natural Islands, the one in front was planted 4 years ago as a scrawny discount from Lowes, the one behind it was planted 3 years ago, it came from a lake a mile away. 
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They look great. How is the garland doing? I ask because I remember that it had metal in them and want to see how it is holding up.
Brian Retired Coach Just another day in paradise!
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Brian the garland is holding up well, I even had some of the garland in my mini pond and RAS over the winter, no real sign of deterioration other than slight color fading.
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I have a question. I looked over these posts and followed instructions pretty closely. Built my island and it floats fine - but the plants seem to be in standing water inside the island - that is, the water is wicking up thru the pete moss and such - and there is quite a bit in there.
I was expecting the soil to be damp - but it is just flat wet - with standing water clear to the eye.
Do the plants like having their feet so wet?
Am I doing it ok? Anything else I should be aware of?
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I have a question. I looked over these posts and followed instructions pretty closely. Built my island and it floats fine - but the plants seem to be in standing water inside the island - that is, the water is wicking up thru the pete moss and such - and there is quite a bit in there.
I was expecting the soil to be damp - but it is just flat wet - with standing water clear to the eye.
Do the plants like having their feet so wet?
Am I doing it ok? Anything else I should be aware of? It depends on what plants you used. There are some that'll handle being in water over a foot deep. What plants did you put on the island?
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My island also has mostly standing water on it, it's a balance of enough flotation vs how much dirt you put on it.
As long as you put water loving plants on it no problem, of the different water plants I put on it last year the hardy water Canna, and the Iris survived the winter. I also have what I call Swamp grass on it but it's just stuff I found growing in wet areas of the property.
Another good plant that should make it thru the winter is pickerel weed, I have those on the natural islands.
How about some pics?
Last edited by adirondack pond; 08/09/10 06:25 PM.
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This may be a route I need to go as well, would love to see some pictures.
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MRHELLO, If you go back to the beginning of this topic I explaine how I made the island, It's not the best way to make an island but I used materials I already had.
If I were to build another one I would use 4" corrugated plastic pipe, then bend it to the shape you want and add pvc crossmembers to hold the shape, then fill the 4" pipe with expanding foam, after that put your screening on with zip ties.
The 4" pipe will give you more flotation without the degradation of exposed foam. Good Luck
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The Island is filling in pretty good and there's even some cattails growing on it now. 
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It's time to plan for a muskrat fur coat, I haven't seen them but they enjoyed the Iris on the small Island and have been munching on some Cattails on the larger islands, not that cattails are endangered. 
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Now is the time of the year that they start to get active, enlarging their dens and putting on the feed bag in preperation for winter.
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The Rats have cleaned out the Iris & Catails on the little island, but the water Canna and swamp grass are hanging on despite the hard frosts. 
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There's about a month or so to go yet before the 'rats are fully prime, then go get 'em! Depending on size and demand (of course) they're supposed to bring $6-$8 this season.
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Muskrat season opens up next week and otter season the week after so I have a friend who will be trapping at the pond and stream, last year he got rats and some mink, but no sign of otter, the electric fence is doing it's job.
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Made it thru another winter.  
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Man, I can't believe winter is still holding on up there. The morels are starting to pop here, and youth turkey season just started today. The fruit trees are starting to show 3/4" long buds.
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The Island looks pretty ratty but it grew back in last year so I'm not gonna put anything on it this year and see what grows. 
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The suspense is killing me -- did the plants grow back again?
No pond yet, not even land. But working on it. ![[Linked Image from i1196.photobucket.com]](http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa406/stickjacksonuga/I_subscribe.gif)
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Yeah the Island is filling back in, naturally the swamp grass grew fast, but the cattail is growing and the hardy water Canna is starting to grow. Even though the muskrats chewed up the Iris last fall you can see it is starting to grow back on the far left side. Of the 5 different plants I bought to put on the Island 2 years ago only the water Canna and Iris continue to survive our nasty winters, I got the swamp grass from wet areas on my property and the Cattails planted themselves. Some of the swamp grass is pushed down so I think some of the ducks have been sitting on it. 
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The island filled in ok, a cattail in the middle, the Iris came back on the left but the hardy water Canna didn't make it, and swamp grass all around. If the Muskrats are around they haven't bothered the Iris like they did last year. 
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I've pulled this thread up too many times over the years and plan to build one myself this summer. Could we get an update? Especially regarding status of foam noodles and of soil loss through the .5" mesh.
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I've pulled this thread up too many times over the years and plan to build one myself this summer. Could we get an update? Especially regarding status of foam noodles and of soil loss through the .5" mesh.
The small island made it thru it's 3rd winter still intact., even the foam noodles are still there although getting rough. The only visable soil loss was at one end where the muskrats chewed on the iris, I'll just put some paper over the plastic mesh and add some dirt. The only plants that made it thru each winter are the iris, cattails, and swamp grass. If I was going to build another island I would make it out of a 4'x8'x 2" sheet of foam, then carve a rounded shape, paint it with an exterior latex paint to help preserve the foam, drill lots of small holes thru it to allow roots down and water up, then attach a framework of 3/4" PVC to give more strength to the island, next attach some of that vinyl garden edging around the perimeter of the island so you have a 1 or 2 inch lip to help hold the dirt on. You can attach a cable to the PVC framework and run it down to an anchor. If I didn't already have 2 large natural islands I would build more, I really believe they are a great asset to the fish and pond health.
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I have some old 4" pvc and a lot of 1.5" pipe. Was thinking about building 10' x 4' frame with 4", using some of the 1.5 pipe (with ends plugged) across bottom to provide flotation / support throughout the middle, then using the .5" plastic netting with burlap / old blanket / towel / curtain or something over it to help retain soil; but not prevent roots from going through, then spagnum moss, potting soil, etc. seeded with grass seed or something. Was going to paint the PVC either brown or green once together and before put dirt on. Considering hanging other pvc pieces off 4" frame to serve as structure for fish about perimeter. What do you think?
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Sounds like a good plan, just for insurance the only thing I would add would be to fill the PVC with great stuff foam big gap filler, you can get it in the 20 oz. cans.
I used paper to hold the soil on the mesh but burlap should work well.
Last edited by adirondack pond; 04/07/12 09:45 PM.
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I have an idea for one and it is to use plastic pallets upside down so that it have walls. I have a couple in my pond being weighted down with stones for FHM. They are 4' square pallets with pre existing holes. They are pretty expensive to buy. so If I had to buy them I wouldnt use them. But being that I already have them and they float very well I will make my attempt with those.
3rd acre fertilized fed and aerated
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I have an idea for one and it is to use plastic pallets upside down so that it have walls. I have some of those plastic pallets too and they are very strong, but if your gonna put dirt and plants on it you'll need more floatation, maybe epoxy some strips of 2" foam on the bottom or foam filled pvc pipeing.
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I just stumbled onto your island making and I gotta have one. A couple of things. Don't use the white beaded foam as it will soak up water and is open celled. Use the blue or pink. They are closed cell and won't soak up water. Just to test the real hardiness of the blue foam,,,, last July I took a square foot of it, heat melted the outside top and sides with a heat gun and that makes a tough outer plastic skin,,, and tossed it into the pond. It is setting in the pond now and is just fine. One other things comes to mind. There is a rope material that draws water up to the plants. I could see punching holes through the plastic and threading the rope through them into the soil and letting just a little bit dangle into the water to keep the plants moist. A good growing medium is a mixture of equal parts of potting soil, perlite and vermiculite. That would keep the growing medium lighter then just soil alone and the perlite keeps the soil airy and the vermiculite keep moisture in the soil. I really like your idea.
When I was boat building I punched clean holes into blue foam by taking copper tubing and twisting it with hand force through the foam.
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Here are some pictures of my small island thoughts. Blue foam can be sculptured with a heat gun for as much melt sculpture or just a little for a tough plastic skin. You could use black flat paint first and then light sprays to simulate rock on the edges or glue up a hump in the middle of the island for a big rock. I would glue on maybe 2x3 inch edging around the edges on top of the main blueboard to hold in the growing medium. When I was building with the sail boat Paddle Duck forum they found that Dap Concrete calking worked better then most things they tried for glueing around water. The holes are punched in very easily in the blue board with 1/2 inch copper tubing and then water wicker rope could be inserted to bring water up to the growing medium.  
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Interesting ideas for making an island John, definitely agree on only using closed cell foam. If your island has any size to it, adding a lattice style inner frame of pvc would help keep the structure intact.
If your glueing anything to foam, 2 part epoxys are best, but are slow going when doing large area's, Gorilla glue is easier to work with waterproof and foam safe.
Looking forward to the construction of your island, remember photo's.
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I do have two part epoxy and fiberglass but mine is slow set and of course it is expensive. A brace down the middle would be a good idea. I have had a few experiences with Great Stuff foam. I sprayed it on the bottom of my kayak boat seat for a glove fit but over weeks it kept warping and changing in a shrinking way. I also used it around one of those rubber farm animal drinking pans to give it extra stability while floating in the pond and over time in the water it deteriorated badly. I think it must be open cell. Also I once put it inside a long aluminum sailboat mast. To get it the full length I drilled small holes at intervals along the mast and shot Great Stuff in them. Below is blue board foam that was glued with two part epoxy to build up a large chunk of it. 
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John I'm not sure about the other great stuff foams but I use the great stuff big gap filler, it's closed cell foam and it's real sticky.
I use the 2 part epoxy when building foam RC aircraft but it's in small amounts, that's why I suggested using Gorilla glue on the island.
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I have used gorilla glue but since if foams and expands I always clamped it. Do you think the blue board would need clamping to keep it from foaming an expansion gap? Moisture activates gorilla glue so I always wet the surfaces to be glued to give it a quick start. I have been testing ropes to see which on can wick water the best and this rope I bought at the farm store on a roll for the sail boats seems to be the best. It is a very limp nylon that wicks water up 8" to 10" with 4" submersed in the water. 
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If you can clamp or keep weight on the joint I'm sure that will help.
I like the idea of rope to wick water up to the soil and also providing some structure underneath the island for fish and bugs.
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On the plastic netting... I purchased some that was bird netting and was anxious about the strength. Found an old fish cage my brother built and it is comprised of some much heavier stuff. Wonder if it would be better?
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Go with the heavier fencing or add both, the dirt can be pretty heavy.
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I think I will hitch the trailer up this morning and head for Muncie, about 25 mi. to get some blueboard and get this project started. I was thinking of filling my island with red flowers to draw Humming Birds. I saw some the other day in the pond area.
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If you like to see hummers, plant some Rem Red honeysuckle near wehere you sit. They love the stuff.
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So would this stuff from Lowe's, or somewhere similar, be a suitable base for building an island?
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So would this stuff from Lowe's, or somewhere similar, be a suitable base for building an island? Todd depending on how big it will be I think it would be better to go with 2" foam or laminate two together so you have a 4" thick island, and then add a pvc pipe inner frame for strength.
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Geez. I didn't even notice that it was 1/2 inch stuff! I was thinking it was 2 inches. I agree that laminating 2 inch sheets would be ideal. I was actually thinking of laying two side by side then laminating an additional two sheets the opposite direction for an 8x8 island platform that is 4 inches thick. What size pvc would you think would work best?
And here's another question I've been pondering - the floating islands international product in the latest issue of PB boasts 300 sq. ft. of surface area per cubic foot (I think that was the measurement) for ideal microbe growth. This closed cell stuff wouldn't do that, of course, but what about attaching a whole bunch of wadded up deer netting underneath on the pvc where the plant roots could grow down in and intertwine with it? Probably still not achieving the surface area of the FII product, but would that help increase the beneficial surface area?
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Todd laminating four sheets of foam the way you mentioned sounds like a good idea, and making a frame of 1 inch pvc would probably be sufficient. It would look more natural if you rounded the corners and made the shape irregular.
Those premade International floating islands are made from some type of recycled plastic fiber matrix which allows more surface area for biofilm to grow on.
The deer netting would increase surface area but possibly trap larger fish in the netting.
If you drilled lots of small holes in the foam it would allow water up to the soil and roots down below the island giving you more surface area. If you could find artificial garland that could be attached to the bottom or even lengths of rope as John Monroe mentioned, this would give you more structure for the fish.
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Good thoughts, AP. I had figured that if I do this I would try to do something interesting with the shape - definitely don't want a big square floating around out there! With all the various pvc fittings available, I could probably even shape the pvc frame to pretty closely follow the shape of the island. And you guys recommend filling the pvc with that Great Stuff foam or something similar?
I hadn't really thought about fish getting entangled in the netting, but that's certainly a possibility. Might have to play around with the idea some to see if I can incorporate it to maximize surface area for the biofilm while not risking fish getting caught up in it.
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I've got my foam for making my island and have it laid out on saw horses but haven't cut into it yet. When I make my cuts I want to be sure I can make some of it look natural and perhaps like rock. I made a foam cutter by placing electric fence wire between two alligator clips of a battery charger but I may just use a sharp fillet knife. I bought a bag of growing medium that expands to 4 cubic yards for my plants. I've been afraid to start cutting because I can't visualize just exactly what I want and how it will look. But if it looks like hell at least it will still float I hope. I'll take some pictures as I go along and we will see what happens.
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If you use Gorilla Glue to glue your foam, wet the foam first and then clamp it. It holds very well and don't take much. I put the heads on my foam decoys with GG and haven't had any failures, and these decoys are carried to and from hunting sites in a decoy bag. GG is great stuff!
Good luck and good fishing,
Dan
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I've started the island using pink and blue foam. The picture will be the end of the island in kind of a layer so turtles can climb upon it. So far it is very simple to do. I cut off a foot of the 4x6 sheet and glued it on top using liquid nails. To make sure it sticks together I am also bolting it as you can see on the far end. To cover the bolt I use used a chunk of foam, glued it over the bolt and stressed it with the heat gun. From what I have read to get the rock coloring you start with a gray paint and then just sparkle it with different paint colors. We'll see. This is much easier then it looks. Just stress and cut the foam some and the heat gun does the magic. More photos later as I progress. 
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"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Wow, that looks great, John! I haven't started mine yet but still want to get it done before Fall. Give me a little more detail on how you shaped the edges like that and what role the heat gun played - I'm not totally following you on that. Thanks!
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Todd, I believe the heat gun will melt the foam, but it's not hot enough to get it on fire.
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Todd I think I will do the other end about the same way and I will take better pictures from the start. I laid the 4x8 foot sheet of foam out on two saw horse and cut one foot off the end using a jig saw but you can cut also using a fillet knife. Then on the 7 foot long foam left I cut two roughly 45 degree of foam off the square edges, and two 45 degree edges off the 1 foot wide cutoff slab of foam to round them up some. Then I cut gouged a little here and there to make the foam a little irregular and also stressed it some with a wire brush and glued the small slab using liquid nails to the base slab. Nothing fancy because the heat melting the foam does all the art work for you. If you don't want to buy a heat gun, a torch would probably work just as good. The rock looking foam I covered the bolt nut with looked very much like the small triangular pink piece of foam in the picture. That's what the heat gun can do to an ordinary chunk of foam to make it look like a rock. We all become Michel Angelo.
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Very cool. I look forward to tackling this project at some point this coming Summer. Hopefully I can get it established before Winter hits so it will be set for a Spring emergence.
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Here are a couple pictures beginning construction. This is all the cutting and shaping I do. The heat gun does the rest. More later.  
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Update on the floating island. The foam rocks are done. Next I will drill holes on the black dots to insert rope to hopefully draw water up into the growing medium. Foam comes pre slited so long slabs can be broken off, so I will turn the foam upside down and put some fiberglass patches over them so they won't break apart in the water.  
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Nice natural looking structure, creative, but I'm not sure that your flt'n island plan has enough open exposure to the water column to get large masses of roots into the pond which is the concept of a flt'n island. Plants will grow in it but will they provide optimum or even good benefit to water quality? If your goal is just to have a novelty island your plan should work okay. The middle zone of roots between holes could become anaerobic.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/25/12 10:37 AM.
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John, That looks awesome. Can't wait to see that in the water. if I did something like that I'm sure I would have geese nesting on it. (give me something to shoot at though............During season of coarse)
"If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time"
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John
In aquaponics floating raft systems small "net" pots are put into appropriate size holes
In the blueboard and the roots of the plants dangle into the h2o
I think this would work well for your application, but would only work for water loving plants
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John that's a great looking island, especially the way you terraced the foam and gave it the rocky look, can't wait to see it floating and planted.
Also if you decide to have more roots growing out the bottom you could cut some larger holes and glue plastic netting over them, the netting I used on my island held the dirt well with just newspaper cover and by the time the paper disintergrated the roots and netting held the dirt.
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Last year I tried to grow a vegetable plant {Swiss chard I think it was} in a small floating island. The idea was to have the roots dangle in the water and draw nutrients from the water. Something like this plant holding cup.  The cup was set in this for a floating grow island experiment. The plant was green for a while and then turned yellow and died. To find out more about floating islands around the world and in the ancient past I did searches on the internet and mostly found the plants grown on the islands were planted in a medium above the water. I found one guy in the Philippines growing food on his floating islands in his small pond with the roots dangling into the water and no growing medium. The plants turned yellow and most died or were sickly. The roots turned black from the unfiltered natural pond water. Then he had a small section of his pond blocked off and filtered pond water was pumped into this section and these floating island plants were big and healthy, and had white roots. This is the reason that I decided to keep the roots from dangling in the water. Then the question I have is why do some floating water plants thrive in unfiltered water like hyacinth? Some commercially sold islands have a direct root to water system I think. So if they do work, why do they work? Special plants? Perhaps you could grow in a dirt medium and also have the root dangle down into the water and have the best of both worlds. Maybe I can run three experiments at the same time. The all dirt and no roots dangling as my island will be with water being wicked by rope to the plants. Also maybe on the island one plant growing in soil with root dangling in the water so at least some of the roots are filtered, and one plant with roots only in the water. I’ll think about that if I don’t get to side tracked.
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Here's another idea
In an aquaponics raft system those plants that "raft" above airstones
Grow bigger and faster than those not above airstones
This is not a DO effect as this has been measured
The thought is the disturbance of the roots stimulates growth
I think if you placed the island over the aerator/ diffuser you would also get better growth
And no black funky root balls
And yes only certain plants will tolerate wet roots all the time
Last edited by gallop; 05/26/12 05:54 AM.
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Gallop I think that is a good idea. If I had electric at my pond I would try it.
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Darn
I was already envisionIng you paddling to your island to harvest your dinner salad
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Looking great, John. There are some interesting thoughts in the other posts on how to set up your plants for growth. I was thinking of a growing medium on the island but big holes like your one pic that allow the pot to sit down in the water so the roots have exposure to both water and dirt (or other medium). Definitely interested in your progress as I haven't yet had time to even begin working on my island.
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John - are you still looking at red flowers for the hummers? I just started some Hibiscus Coccineus AKA Swamp Hibiscus - both the Texas Red Star and Texas White Star - and have been quite happy with them (have them sitting in a child's wading pool). You can start them by seed (I got 95%+ germination), they're perennials, happy in full sun to part shade, and they're hardy down to zone 6a.... just a thought if you are wanting something tall that will come back year after year.
That's going to be a great looking island!
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Perhaps tomorrow I can put the island in the pond and plant it. Full Circle I have two flats of petunias ready for planting but I am saving your idea for later consideration. Here is where the island stands now. The ropes for drawing up water into the medium are in as is the anchor rope. You can see the two cups for the experiments. The clear cup will allow the plant to only have it's roots in water and there is a foam insert in it that will hold the plant upright, while the red cup will allow the roots to be in the water and also to grow into the soil. The rest of the plants will just grow into soil moistened by the ropes. 
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The foam island is on the water and floats well while holding 4 cubic feet of medium. Before I plant it I will leave it for a day or so to see if the ropes are drawing water into the medium.  
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The floating island looks natural and nice. I'm interested to see what its 'life span' is. Sometimes the plant mass when thick can keep it floating.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
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i may have missed it when I read. That whole thing is a big chunk of foam? Looks good. Very natural.
Dan
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Bill I just got in from planting the Petunias on the island. The blue and pink foams are closed cell and should virtually last forever and not water log. I put a piece in the pond last summer and didn't take it out until a month ago and it was unaffected by anything. My bottom layer of foam is 1 1/2 inches thick and I believe I could lay on it and float. The outside of the foam is a rather hard plastic after using the heat gun on it and should take some puninishment. The paint might deteriorate but that would be a quick fix. After leaving it out over night the ropes did draw some water into the medium but whether it is enough, well see. I'll let the flowers grow for a week or two and post a picture.
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This is yesterdays planting so when the flowers grow up I will post one more picture then. The island is attached to an old boat cement anchor so I can move the island to any spot and keep it there. 
Last edited by John Monroe; 06/05/12 01:48 AM.
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Looks great, John! Nice work!
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John, that is a perfect picture of serenity! It really looks good. How wet was your soil when you planted? Are you happy with the wicking action?
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This is what I have noticed so far. Originally I put the 4 cubic feet of a complete and fertilized medium on the island and heaped it up towards the middle somewhat and left it dry for two days while floating in the water. Then I checked if the ropes were wicking and there was moist medium of the bottom quarter, so it was working. I planted on the third day while in chest waders so I could stand up, bad back. I splashed water onto the medium and planted, then splash lots more water on it. We have not had any rain for a couple of weeks and the wind has been blowing but I noticed from shore that the medium was staying dark from moisture. I waded out to see if the ropes could be adding that much moisture and noticed that the middle of the bottom 1 1/2 inch foam was just under water so that would allow water to seep into the medium and make the medium really heavy. The flowers look really good so far and I don't see any yellowing of the leaves from too much moisture but I am checking closely every day. If there should be too much moisture I can do an easy fix by slipping a 1 1/2" x 12" x 4 feet piece of foam under the middle of the island to lift it some and then push some wires through the structure to hole it in place. But I got to thinking, maybe simple islands made this way to sink the middle just enough to allow water to soak the medium would make good growing float for salad foods. Just a thought. But so far all the plants look good including the plant with it's roots in water alone and the plant that has it's root in water and soil. I'll keep you informed guys and add a picture now and then as the flowers grow. And I wanted turtles to sun themselves on the island and I do have one turtle on the island everyday.
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It's been about a week since I planted the petunias and they are growing very well and the leaves are not yellowing from the constantly moist soil. The flowers seem to be thriving probably because the medium had fertilizer already in it. I planted some spinach mustard seeds along the ends of the island to see how they would do. Maybe strawberry plants next year in a setup like this. I did put a piece of 2"x14"x 4' foam under the center of the island to push it up a little so as to not flood the medium quite so much. 
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I was wondering how your island was doing - those petunias are stunning! Prior to your island, I had limited my plans to bog and water plants. Thank you for expanding my options/thinking. Looks great!
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That is simply beautiful!
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John that island looks fantastic, the foam really looks like rock, hope everything grows well.
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I will update the island every couple of weeks to see what is happening. Yesterday we had 90 degree heat with 15 to 20 mph winds and the growing medium stays moist all the time. I planted spinach mustard greens along the ends about 3 days ago to see what happens and they are up already. The seed package said germination would take 7 to 16 days so the moist hothouse conditions are great for quick germination it seems. I made the island with the ends stair stepped so turtles could sun themselves on it and the other day I had a turtle on one end and a big bullfrog on the other end but I didn't have my camera with me.
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Foam Island update. The island soil is staying nice and moist in this 100 degree heat. The turtles, (see three on the right side) with their sharp toe nails have not damaged the heat gun harden skin of the foam. I bolted the first two layers of the island foam along with liquid nail because I wasn't sure the liquid nail would hold up, but the third layer is just held together by liquid nail and nothing has come loose. The cup with one flower in it and the roots just dangling in the water is short and not producing any flowers and the roots are turning black. But it hasn't turned yellow. I will do a close up photo of this plant at the end of the season. On the left you can see the spinach mustard I planted around June 15th. I think a vegetable island would do just fine. 
Last edited by John Monroe; 07/07/12 03:17 AM.
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Great idea John. I was thinking along your same lines yesterday as my pond is filling, I have some fish that I feed, yet no plants to help with absorbing the nutrients. I figure a couple more weeks I will be close enough to final level to start planting.
My momma never accused me of being to smart....
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John - Any chance of an update? The picture of your island back in July is spectacular!
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I will update the island later with pictures. The flowers are not quite as pretty as they were as they are taller and leggy but still nice. When we do get a rare rain it beats down the flowers but they come back. The turtles love to lay on the island and one day I counted 11 on it. I had no idea I had that many in my pond. The melted skin on the foam is tough but the turtles have skinned up it some but not enough to even think about repairing. However that would be easy with a propane torch and a little spray paint without removing the island from the water. I'm pretty sure I can leave the island in the water all winter without any deterioration since I run an experiment with a piece of foam from the middle of last summer through the winter and it hadn't been effected at all. The liquid nail glue has held the pieces together ok. The original 4 cubic feet of potting soil will just be left over winter and I think in the spring I can just pull out the old plants, fertilize and replant. Practically no maintenance and super easy. The experimental plant I had on the island with it roots in direct contact with the water was only about 2 inches tall when I last looked and was almost dead. This shows that the root must be filtered from the pond water. I will take pictures of all this later, and on through the winter until planting next spring. So far this has been too easy.
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John glad to see your island is doing fine, another way to protect the surface of the foam is to coat it with some minwax polycrylic, it's clear and foam safe.
Looking forward to more photo's.
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Thank you for the update, John. You have caused me to see islands in a very different light, now. Prior to your experiment, I thought only bog plants would flourish in that environment. Thank you for expanding my thinking and my options!! I'm looking forward to the new photos...
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Any recommendations for type of rope?
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Rangersedge I had different kinds of ropes that I used for sailing that I tested. I submerged maybe 5 inches in water and seen which rope wicked water the highest. Rope that had a hard slick finish didn't do as well as the soft ones. I bought mine in a box farm store that had rope on rolls and the rope was very soft and limp. But it could be that rope isn't necessary to keep the soil moist. My island with moist soil is heavy enough that the bottom layer is slightly under water in the middle and this allows water to also seep into the soil. Also maybe if you just put in 1/2 inch holes without the rope that the water would wick up through the soil in the holes. This is just a guess.
Last edited by John Monroe; 08/16/12 02:21 AM.
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 Foam Island update, Nov.19. It has survived in good condition since early spring. It seem to be a magnet for turtles, frogs and birds. I have made friends with the Heron and let him hang around.
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John, how did it hold up over winter?
If you ain't gonna fart, why eat the beans?  . RES,HBG,YP,HSB,SMB,CC,and FHM. .seasonal trout.
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