Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Benefits of a bog-like refuge?

Greetings,

This is my first post. I've been browsing this forum for a couple of years, and I've purchased & read Bob Lusk's Basic Pond Management.

I live on Maryland's Eastern Shore. My property is VERY low, very sandy, and the water table remains very high... with some areas on the property having surface water nearly year round... enough to support aquatic snails, gammarus & other inverts, and lots of tadpoles. The land had been row cropped for many, many years. I'm in the process of turning 8 acres or so into a native grass field and pond site for the enjoyment of wildlife (and me).

I have recently begun excavation of a one acre pond, with a water depth of around seven to eight feet. I have about 1/4 of an acre done. Though the bottom is like beach sand, and we've had little rain, I need to constantly pump out the pond to facilitate excavation. The 1/4 acre can be pumped down, and then completely fill up over nite!

My goal is to enjoy recreational fishing (and a few meals). I will likey focus on LMB and BG, however I've thought seriously about trying my hand a HSB. I would also like to pond to simply serve as an attraction and habitat for various wildlife.

I've been contemplating the benefits of adding an additional 1/2 - 3/4 acre bog to one side of the pond. A shallow, say 2ft, heavily vegetated area to provide refuge for inverts, fry, and forage for the main pond, where heavy predation would be limited. I thought this area could also aid in the removal of excess nutrients from the pond, and increase the diversity of inhabitants.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this? Any suggestions regarding design, plantings, etc?

Thanks,

Brian

Pot Luck Pond,

Welcome to the Forum. You clearly have some good ideas about what you are after. That is very good.

A couple of comments from a deep in Texas pond meister:

First, give very serious consideration to HSB. For example, read George's recent post on the same. He speaks truth.

Second, your description is of a very sandy area. Sandy generally isn't good for holding water in ponds, however you may have such a high water table that it won't matter. If you have already addressed that concern, then fine, but if not it is something to check out before going too far.

I look forward to reading your future posts as you achieve your pond objectives.

PLP, I have a pond in Thailand that averages 5 acres in size depending on the season. I did the same thing with my pond and left app. one acre that I term the "swamp". Most of the pond was dug to a sloping depth of 10 feet (from the plain) however the swamp was only dug out to 3 feet. At the height of the rain season it gets to about 7 feet deep then has been dropping to 1 1/2 foot at the end of dry season. I planted tall grasses and lotus plants in this area. The tall grasses are doing well so far and are somewhat controlled as they are stunted every year by the flood, the lotus have not been successful as I have a fish called Pacu that has destroyed them.

My pond is only a little over two years old so I don't have much background on whether building a swamp was a good idea yet or not, so far it is working well and does provide habitat for the forage fish. I don't have many birds that frequent the area as in Thailand, Thais hunt and eat any winged creature. Several folks on this site have had problems with Herons and Cumarants in their ponds, being on the east coast and major migratory routes you may have problems in this regard also. Another concern that may or may not come about will be siltation over the years and whether or not the area will eventually fill in.

Glad you asked the question and happy to share my limited results thus far with my experiment. Hopefully we both we get more postings and enlightenment from all the expertise/experiences on this site.

Thanks for the responses thus far!

I don't believe that maintaining water in the pond will be a problem due to the water table and topography. The area I'm digging in has had about 6" of water standing on the surface, covering an acre or so, for several years. Heron and other waterfowl already visit, so I'm sure they'll continue and eat their fare share.

Brian

Brian,
I think it's a really good idea. I have no experience with bogs but I would consider making the bog several levels to accomidate various wildlife, animals, fishes & plants.
It should indeed be a great place for fish fry to hide!

My thought is that on the back side of the pond I'm going to do a VERY gradual slope... taking about 180ft to go from three feet of water to a wetland-like, soaked to the surface bog.

Pot Luck, while I am in a totally different part of the country but my pond is cut out of a bog. That is to say that I have a 1/2 acre pond that was dug out of a bog. There remains about 5 acres of bog adjacent to my pond. I also have predominantly sand bottom once I got the bog material dug out. The water table is what keeps my pond full. I've had my pond since 2000 and have had fish in it since 2002. The only problems I've had that I can associate with the bog is that it stains the water very dark and I have to lime the water every year. You get a lot of acidic runoff from the bog. Otherwise I think the bog provides tons of insect and other life as forage for my fish. I've had good growth rates with minimal supplemental feeding. I currently have about 1000 HBG in the pond that average 3/4 pound and I only feed them about 150 lb of food per year. I have some FA and duck weed problems just like most others and my latest approach has been to pump water from the pond far out into the bog in an attempt to let the bog eat up nutrients. We'll see how this works.

I haven't read anything about the bog or swamp inviting unwanted guests, like snakes. I don't know if you have any problems with poisonous snakes in your neck of the woods, but it would be something to hash out before proceeding.

You also don't want mosquitos to infest the area of low lying water. Again, that may not be a problem near you, but I know it would be where I live.

Just two more things to think about.

Don't have any poison critters to worry about but we have lots of mosquitos. I don't worry about that though since where I live there are about 2 square miles of swamp all around me. My 5 acres of bog doesn't contribute squat. Mosquitos are a down side though.

PLP,

I think a lagoon would be great. They can only be good for general prey species diversity and health. I think every pond would benefit from ~30% shallows, thickly weeded in. A large lagoon may cause some darkening of the water, but I wouldn't think
30% or less would. Mosquitoes are not a problem, as gambusia and shiners feast on the larva. I think lagoons are not popular because they are considered unsightly or unmaneagable. During dry spells, they contribute a lot to evaporation. During real dry spells, they may even dry up entirely in some areas. My pond is over half finished. I wish I had made it 30% larger and included about 1/2 acre of lagoon.