Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Large Boulders line the ponds edge.. Will it work?

Hi everyone,

I will be starting my pond project soon and I am kicking around all sorts of ideas. I was wondering if someone could provide input as to if I should line the banks of my pond with large boulders to prevent erosion or should I slope the sides...

1 acre pond by the way.

My last pond had sloped sides and it was a pain in the butt to keep up the grass near the ponds edge.

Also, does anyone know if having a stocked fish pond and a portion of it setup like a sand bar for recreational swimming and family fun? Would the fish population still be productive ?

Boulders in Louisiana? Seriously? :-)

Haha, I have a source that I can get the boulders dirt cheap and shipped here... Would be something different in louisiana LOL

Sand bar or shoreline can work in ponds but expect more work and maintenance to keep it from being weedy or turning black mucky.

Beaux I have a long term plan on maybe a couple of short
"boulder pathways" that go out several feet from the
shore into my 4 acre pond. It would look something
like this but have more space between the boulders
where you would need to jump slightly to get to next boulder:

Thanks For the heads up Bill, if you can imagine this with me, I am thinking to cut the sides of the pond straight down then have about a 3 foot deep and 3 wide shelf which is where I would like to pile the boulders on, up against the side of the bank... Seems it would be aesthetically appealing as well as easier than weed eating the grass down the slope...I heard that the weeds won't grow under water next to the banks if it was at least 3 feet deep, maybe I should go 4 ?


Zep, that looks very nice. I have somewhat of the same idea. To build up a pile of boulders and create a shallow creek with river rocks, pump some water out of the pond over to the pile of large boulders (somewhat of a waterfall) and let it drain back into the pond via the little creek...

My mind goes 100 miles a minute all day, thinking of cool ideas that will look nice and benefit the fish at the same time

I used 2" lateral rock (crushed limestone) to reduce bank erosion, but had the normal 3 to 1 slope. As you can see in the pictures below, it does not stop weeds. I think your idea would work until enough silt and sediment filled in between the rocks, then the weeds would be there. Might take it several years though. Just my guess, as no personal experience with what you are trying to do.

On the slope, to get the rocks to stay in place, I run the front of the loader tractor down the bank, angled the bucket so it dug into the bank, and pushed a ledge of dirt for the bottom of the rock layer to rest on. I also did this in various places deeper to make rock beds for spawning, if the fish so chose to use them. Some I then covered with finer material, some not. Just what I did, in case the ideas help.

The pictures below are of another idea a person can do with a big rock. My wife wanted a nice rock to set on as she did her morning walk around the pond. She wanted a rock the size of a pickup truck and I had to explain how much a rock that size would weigh and the logistics of moving and handling it. She settled for what is in the pictures. The big sandstone actually has some history on our farm. It was likely quarried around a hundred years ago from a sandstone hand quarry less than a mile from our house where a lot of local foundation rocks came from back in that day (sandstone for foundation, ashes and salt for mortar). It was the cornerstone of the west addition to our 1900 era barn, probably put in a few years after the main part of the barn was built. We took it out when we put concrete in its place when we fixed the rotted out portion of the wall. So it has some nostalgic value to us also. The water is about 20" low in the pond at the time we put this in. Below what you see in the pictures used a backhoe to dig out down to solid clay in the dam and put in a 4' diameter concrete foundation so it is not going anywhere. At full pool water will be a couple inches below the bottom of the big rock. When pond is full, will mostly just see the big rock from the water side. Water runs underneath it. Need to get a picture from that side.

SNRUB--- thats a nice looking pond and boulder.

I was thinking of hauling in sand to put on the 3ft shelf that the boulders will be on to hopefully help with controlling the weeds.

I don't know if adding sand will help with keeping weeds away. My pond has a lot of sand and fine gravel deposits, and weeds seem not to care. The pros would have to confirm, but the weeds are probably more related to nutrient load. Now having a layer of sand to walk on may be nice, if your trying to get to the boulder/s.

Edit- if your thinking weed control, look into that fabric Esshup mentions. I think that would work the best, spend the money up front and enjoy the lasting results.

Thanks. Wife likes it and that was the main goal.

My guess would be it will help for a while. Until enough sediment covered the rocks that the sediment layer is deep enough along with the sand to support plant life. But that is just a guess.

Landscaping fabric might be of some use also.

Thanks guys, I will try looking through Esshup's post to have a look at the material you mention.

Yes, i guess the sand is mostly an asthetic and preference thing. I wouldnt mind spending the money up front if it meant less headache for the future. I have had a pond before on my other property so i know it always requires work and attention but the less work you have to do the more time you get to enjoy it

The weed control and 3ft deep rule is for water with a plankton bloom with water visibility of 2ft. If the water has good transparency of 3 to 6 ft then the 3 ft rule does not apply. Others are correct pond weeds of some sort will grow in or on just about anything underwater; filamentous algae on rocks and vascular plants on sand, mud, gravel and stones once the organics collect and start decaying on the bottom. About the only place under water where the weeds do not grow well is among large rocks, broken concrete and solid rock.

Some sort of ledge or step is necessary to hold rocks - boulders from rolling or sliding all the way down steep banks. The ledge can be created as 'snrub' described or it can be cut into the bank with a small bulldozer by the contractor operating parallel to the shoreline.

Geotextile fabric, thicker is better. I'd be concerned about a 3' wide shelf with 2' or 3' dia rocks on it collapsing over time and the rocks rolling into the pond. Just a SWAG here, but I'd feel better with a 6' wide shelf with 2'-3' dia rocks.

I installed 2' to 3' dia rocks on a 1 ft ledge with 3:1 slope and have not have rock sliding issues after 15 yrs. My experience with fabric is sludge accumulates on top and provides a good substrate for plant growth. It is extremely hard to beat 'mother nature'; she seems to always find a way to get her way.

Well, that's all great points guys.

Esshup, I can definitely see your point, logically you thing that 3' shelf would eventually give way to some erosion.

Bill, thanks for reminding me of the fact that a lot depends on water clarity when it comes to weed and plants and I do plan on having pretty good clarity (hopefully)

Thanks for all the input on this topic