Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site On Lassig Pond

Todd - great points.

Willows and Cottonwoods are notoriously thirsty and should be avoided. If shade or windbreak is goal to reduce wave action/erosion/evaporation on a pond, you have to plant conifers as they won't drop leaves and provide year round protection.

Red Cedars are IMO the least attractive, but are hardy, drought tolerant and usually free to landowner.

White Pines grow fast, are beautiful, disease resistant but don't provide a very dense break. Avoid other pine species - tip blight and other vectors are decimating pine populations nationwide. We're about to lose all our Scotch pines - years ago it was the Austrians and Ponderosas. IMO avoid them altogether for this reason.

Norway or Colorado Blue Spruce is probably the way to go for an all around great windbreak.

Deciduous trees could be planted in other areas to provide aesthetic impact. I plan to line my easement road in both ditches with Maples for the classic New England feel in Autumn. It will be a long and arduous process, but it will be worth it. Something to consider, at least.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The goals here (should of stated this earlier) is more for looks than a windbreak. I don't plan on planting the tress close enough together to create a wind break. I want to add some color/texture to the north shore and break up the view of the corn field in the background. The idea of the maples is to have 2 or 3 that will be great shade producers in the future. The river birch was to have something different. I will most likely have mostly norway/colorado blue spruce for the year around color and not adding anything to the pond. Any pines are out of the question, my deer will not leave them alone. I have planted over 500 in the last two years and not a one has surived. All trees planted will be caged to prevent animal damage.

I am thinking of adding a red bud or two and some dogwood for addition color in different seasons.

Gotcha - aesthetics are your primary concern. Depending on your annual precipitation you may want to consider drought tolerant cultivars of whatever you plant. Red Maples are more tolerant than Sugar - etc.

I can't wait for you to tell us what you choose - you could plant a wide variety - too cool.

TJ, I love the image in my mind that your planting vision has created. I can imagine your lane in fall with all the colors bursting off those trees. Really nice! Makes me think I should look at something like that in one area of my farm.

We have virtually NO evergreen trees in the area at all and I've been toying with the idea of getting a bunch of saplings and planting in some different areas. Anybody know of a good source for pine saplings? I know we planted literally (that's for you, Condello ) thousands of them while I was in Boy Scouts and I believe that we were given the trees for free. I'd love to find a decent local, or at least regional, source for pines.

Great sounding project, lassig. I think you'll make some great decisions and look forward to hearing how you resolve the selection process. It's great to have a clean slate to work with!

Todd:
Every Late Winter/early Spring this county and the surrounding counties have a tree sale. You can pre-order saplings from them pretty cheaply. I wonder if the same thing goes on out East?

Your state DNR agency will have several types available for Spring planting. Typically have to order sometime in the Fall to reserve. Saplings are typically 24-36" here and range from $.75 - $1.50 ea depending on the tree. Give them a call and see how to order.

Otherwise Matt Harris is a good friend, member of Pond Boss, and President of the Arbor Day Foundation. I could find out his source and could probably get a good deal. Let me know.

Never even thought of the DNR angle, TJ. Thanks for suggesting that. Scott, I've never heard of or seen annual tree sale days here, but I may start asking around about it to see if that's done here.

Appreciate the ideas, guys!

Todd, here's your first phone call:


CLEMENTS STATE TREE NURSERY



About the Nursery

Clements State Tree Nursery is located about 10 miles north of Point Pleasant, W.Va. The nursery is situated on approximately 125 acres and is capable of producing 20 million seedlings each year. Clements has been growing seedlings for more than 40 years to help West Virginia grow and stay beautiful.

With the addition of a new cold storage unit and new packing facility in spring 2000, the nursery is able to complete orders and ship them out in a more timely manner.

Tree seedlings may be ordered each year from Oct. 1 through April. Orders will be mailed from mid-November through April.



To contact the nursery


Clements State Tree Nursery
624 Forestry Drive
West Columbia, WV 25287
(304) 675-1820

Hey, that's great, Scott! Now that you've found the place for me, do you think you could run over and get them then plant them all for me, too?


I've never found that operation when I've searched, though I haven't put a whole lot of time into looking up to this point.

Thanks for the lead!

Lots of rain in the last week at the farm. The rain guage had 5" in it. I know it rained last Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, so this is a combination from all of those times minus evaporation. The pond has just under 10' of water in it and this is almost double the amount of water ever in the pond. So far the reapir is looking good. Of course time will tell but I am hopefull.



The only problem with it filling so fast is I didn't get the fish structure back in the pond. I am converting the PCV trees to procupine structures and having finished (started) this yet. Maybe I can walk them out where I want them but afraid the water is too deep. If I have to I will wait for winter and just set them on the ice and let them fall into place.

Awesome, lassig! Congrats on the progress and the stability of your water level! That's gonna look fantastic when you get it filled!

Congrats on getting all that rain. Glad to hear the water level is holding!

We sit here and watch the major rain go with North or South of us.

I hope to get the wood duck box for the NE corner reinstalled this weekend and get the fish structure back in. Would it help to throw a couple of pallets in just below water level and 5lbs of fatheads?

If the pallets sink and the water level comes up quick, no, but if they float, yes.

I believe that they will sink, but I have been wrong before. I could attach ropes to the pallets and pull them up to shallower water if needed. Just really wondering if it is worth while getting some forage started in to pond yet this year. Long term I doubt the fatheads will survive.

I think the FHM would pull off a spawn or 2 before it got too cold, increasing the forage base. Go for it!

So what temps are we thinking the FHM would stop spawning?

What about Shiners have they already spawned this year and what size do they have to be to spawn and where can you get some that large?

I was thinking about trying to add some more if I can find somewhere to get them besides the bait shop.

Most places around here are done until this fall.

Thanks

Your pond is looking great! Got my fingers crossed things keep going well, although I think you've got it licked now.

OK I now have a good problem. We got 1.5" of rain last night and the pond is up 2' to 11' 3". Full pool is around 15'/16'. My plan is to replace my PCV trees with porcupine structures and just got the sheres in the mail and haven't gotten them assemble yet let along into the water. I am now thinking the water is too deep to put them in this weekend and may not be able to the rest of the summer. I am thinking I have to place them on the ice this winter (if we have any) to get them where I want them. Any other suggestions on how to do this?

FYI on the suggestion of Herman Brothers I added 2 pounds of fatheads to the pond tonight. I will add pallets to the pond tomorrow and I hope for a couple of hatches yet this year. This should create a good forage base for next years stockings.

lassig, if you have a boat getting them in place will be easy. Or, put a float on them, go swimming and sink them where you want them.

No boat at the farm yet, beyond this I not really seeing a need for one in a pond this small. That may change with time. I guess I am trying to be to precise in my placement of the procupine structures and was going to put them out in 2 groups of 4, with one group to the left and one group to the right of the future pier.

fill 4 or 5 tubes with sand, all on the same side, and drop 'em in

I am using the 2 brick method on a shorter piece of pipe.

OK I did a little work on the procupine structures today. Thinking about using 2 different pipe lenghts. 30" and 48" with the 48" being placed in deeper water. Here is a picture of what they look like.



Bigger picture here http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll243/lassig/IMGP1522.jpg

See an issues with doing it this way?

I have 8 5' long 4" PVC already drilled for PVC trees, free to the first taker.