Hello,
I just purchased a house in the thumb area of Michigan.. It is 10yrs old and the pond on the property is just as old. The pond has heavy algae growth with cat tails. So I decided to empty it out however it is taking a long time. My next step is to rent a small excavator and remove the cattails and fix the erosion (outer walls).
Can someone give me pointers as I have no pond experience?
Should remove all the water?
What chemicals should I introduce?
The only fish that I have caught are small blue gill.
I plan on spending some time on this board sucking up some of your knowledge..
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The pond is about 175' x 80' kidney shaped 12' deep
jcdfde5, first question is, how big and deep are you planning to expand that small pond?
To answer a few other questions:
1. Cattails are hard to remove, since seeds that had been spread by wind vectors that don't germinate right away will remain dormant for a few years. Based on right conditions, the seeds will germinate. Otherwise, the seeds will be rendered useless by weather conditions.
2. When expanding the pond, you have to remove all water content for safe excavation. Unless that pond is only 2 ft deep, that shouldn't be a problem. Ask the local contractor that will perform the excavation for you. If you are doing it yourself, drain the pond completely, wait until the bottom is dry before excavating for safety purposes. But you indicated fish caught, so, that pond would be between 2 to 7ft deep. To properly expand the pond, it's best to seek the proper contractor to do the job. But make sure to harvest the fish first! Good eating..or keep them in hydroponic tanks. Ask Cecil. He's the best man on the subject.
Thanks for the response Nguyen! Its 10ft deep at least in the center (via a pipe drop). Any recommendations for a contractor in michigan?
Sorry I couldn't. I live in California. However, there are various Michigan pond owners in here. However, contact the following members for more info for your area:
CoachB (Brian)
loretta
This is just a few. I believe Brian would be a good source to contact.
That better?
Once you renovate the pond, hit any cattails that pop back up with a glyphosate that is approved for pond use. That'll kill each one. It'll be something that at first, you'll have to do every month, but after a few years you'll get all the viable seeds under control, and all you'll have to worry about are seeds that blow in from any other areas.
About the only suggestion I have is hit the local NRCS office and ask them if they were digging a pond at their own house, which contractor(s) would they use?
What I see growing on and near the bank doesn't look like cattail but more like what we call roseau (pron. rozo)or roseau cane. Phragmites Australis also known as common reed. I don't know which herbicide would be most effective in eradicating it but Kelly Duffy probably does.
Dudly, you're right. I didn't really look at the pictures, I just threw them up on here for him.
First -- welcome to Pond Boss.
If you are going to rent a small excavator, that may be all you will need. Assuming you do, I don't believe you will need to remove all of the water -- just enough to reasonably see and work the areas needing help.
You should be able to get the majority of vegetation with the excavator. Small excavators are real heavy and do a great job of compacting clay with their tracks. They usually have a small dozer blade for doing final grading.
As for the algae -- that lawn looks extremely green, so I assume it has been heavily fertilized. That is probably the cause of the algae. Somehow you need to stop those nutrients from getting into the pond. If there is one main source where most of the water enters the pond, use the excavator to dig a small pond that can act as a filtering wetland. Put lots of waterplants in it to suck up the nutrients.
Ken
One more thought. If you rent an excavator, get them to put their widest bucket on it. You woolly be digging soft material, and being wider will allow for smoother cleaned up shore line. To keep future weeds down, dig the edges with at least a 3:1 slope, but not so steep and deep that a person, or even a deer wouldn't be able to safely get out.
Essup thanks for posting my pics! Cat/Dudley thanks for responding! I have some erosion issues at the banks.. Do I fill the holes with clay? I will post pics to my photobucket album.
Should I treat the algae with a chemical after removing as much as I can with the machine?
After clean out I will be looking for a inexpensive/effective aerator if one is available?
The end goal is a pond that can be fished/swam and not be an embarrassment..
To post pics from photobucket:
Hover over the picture in your photobucket accound. There will be a drop down box opening up. Where it says "Direct link", right click/copy that. It's easiest to have 2 windows open if you're using Microsoft IE. Once that's copied, click on the box that is to the right of the envelope in the "reply to message" screen. Follow those directions and you'll post the pictures. I always use the "insert a non-floating image" option.
