Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam The Baird Method

The liner is laying slack on the bottom of the pond, so there won't be any tension where the liner runs under the rocks.

Yes, we folded it over, but also so we can start tamping clay into the outer gap.

Correct, the liner has enough length on the upper end to lay entirely under the full height of the waterfall.

Pictures can be deceiving. It didn't look that slack in the picture. When to you think you'll be done with the entire project?

And are you going to put trout in it?

It could take a year before it's totally done, but I hope to have fish in it within three weeks.

Things to do yet.

Build waterfall in.

Build waterfall out.

Backfill entire periphery.

Plant edges with something. Not sure what. (Any recommendations?)

Put in underwater light.

Deploy floating islands.

Install heron control.

Build patio nearby so we can eat steaks and drink beer.

Stock with yellow perch and bluegill, although next year I might try my hand at smallmouth reproduction. Not sure how to do that either. Maybe a kiddie swimming pool full of gravel?

Underwater light? Why?

As far as what to plant I think others here are more qualified. However I would strongly suggest after you plant your seed to get some Burlap from Dayton Burlap or if you can find it closer, and stake it down over the seed. This will allow the grass to come up through the burlap and the burlap will prevent erosion. The burlap will eventually rot away. When you don't want any wash in of soil that is the way to go.

I think I got a 300 by 6 foot roll for about $100.00.

http://www.daybag.com/industrial/burlap.html#rolls

Dude you really need to put some trout in there! They are a blast!

Looking good, Bruce.

3 months after finishing my SMB beds, I found the perfect free bed container - empty cattle "range tubs". These come filled with 200 lbs of the 37% protein + minerals stuff for cows that I had previously only seen in 40 lbs blocks. The empty plastic tubs are about 32" wide and 24" high - I figure one could cut them in havlf, height-wise, and make 2 SMB beds out of them. After this Winter, I have 7 of them (I think) waiting on a SMB pond in need.

Maybe you can find someone feeding them to cattle around you before you try out SMB spawning in the future.

No doubt my Dad would love it!

The light just reallty seems like fun. N8LY has one, and it's the coolest thing.

Picture?

Manana.

What's with all the Spanish lately Dude?

Nobody here much understands German or Porturalian.

Warum nicht?

Hey Cecil,
I had always heard and often seen use of burlap to assist new grass seeding areas. I took your advice, called Dayton Burlap, and purchased a 300' x 6' roll. I used it to cover an area that I tilled, fertilized, and seeded around my primary spillway pipe. This thread details the issues I encountered with the grass as it grew under the burlap. The problem pic is nearer the bottom of the page. Have you ever encountered this?

Ich versteh nicht.

Brettski,

No I didn't! All the grass I planted came up through the burlap! Did you stake it down good? Maybe the grass I planted had a smaller blade? I used seed I got from Sam's club.

However if the grass is good and thick under the burlap it shouldn't be a problem should it? Seems to me the burlap has done what it was intended to (stopped erosion until the grass takes hold. Maybe remove the burlap now or just let it rot?

24" wide, 17" high - I actually measured.

Man Bruce, that looks very good - there's a lot of work that's taken place since I was there. Whats the next step?

Fill 'er up all the way on Friday, and plumb in a drain that goes underground at the dam. I planted seed already and hope for a nice gentle rain tomorrow.

Bruce,

Planting seed? Are you guys warming up that much? Here we are lucky to get above the 40's with hard freezes at night. When it gets into the 50's it feels like a heat wave!

Hey that looks great!

I'm in the process of draining down a pond so I can put a blocking net in it. I got the 1 inch polypropelene (I think that's what it's made of) that is used for raising quail. They say it's used in aquaculture and will last a long time in the water. I wanted to get the 2 inch to have less algae blockage but the 2 inch looks it would make a perfect gill net!

I'm going to attach chain to the bottom and stake it down once I completely drain the pond. I will run two metal fence posts into the ground on each side of the pond to attack the blocking net via a nylon rope strung through the top across the center of the pond. It will be about 3 feet above the water line as the netting is 12 feet high and the pond is 9 feet deep at the deepest. This will also prevent trout from jumping over.

Brooks on one side and browns on the other.

I'll take pics soon. I sure hope it isn't more difficult than it looks. You know how those projects are alway more complicated than they look.

Edit: I'll start a new thread on that. I don't want to hijack this thread any more than I have.

Cecil! It's a thread about you and your methods! I don't think it's possible for you to hijack it.

I'm planting seed because it's sprinkling every day and I thought it might give it a head start. I'm sure I'll be overseeding in a couple of weeks when this first crop fails.

Not sure if you can freeze out grass can you? I know one guy that swears the best time to seed is just before a snowfall. I was just thinking maybe you are warmer than us.

Lysenko claimed the best time was after a snowfall, on top of it, but that was Bolshevist.

I once told my wife she was wasting her time sowing grass seed in a snowstorm. The next Spring the grass sprouted.

That's what you get for trying to teach a woman who's part Portugese about farming.

She mostly taught me. I was just a dumb city boy who didn't know manure

Bruce,

Anymore developments and pictures?