Water Gardening Information

Ornamental ponds and waterfalls are becoming an everyday part of our landscape. Homes, businesses, parks, zoo's, apartment complexes and office buildings. Everywhere we look people are wanting to add water to their landscape! And for good reason since few other things are as relaxing as the sound of splashing water. For centuries other parts of the world, such as Europe, have used water as the focal point of their landscaping. This trend is now catching on in the U.S. as well.

EasyPro is one of the countries largest suppliers of pond and waterfall products to the landscape contractor/garden center market. We have seen an explosion of interest and demand for pond products over the last few years. Because this industry is young there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation about the proper way to construct a pond. Your pond is an investment that, if properly done, will provide years of enjoyment, or if improperly done will provide years of headache! EasyPro has been in the fish and pond business for over three decades! Combined, our staff has nearly 100 years of experience that you are welcome to draw from when designing your "dream pond".  Whether building a new pond of maintaining an existing one, you can rely on us for all your aquatic needs!

POND LOCATION

Your pond should be located in a spot where it can be enjoyed the most. Locating the pond near a window or along side a deck will allow you to enjoy the pond more than if the pond was located out in the middle of the yard.

Ponds should not be located in the low spots in your yard. These low spots gather rainwater runoff, something you do not want in your pond.

Most books will tell you ponds need at least four to six hours of sunlight per day for proper plant growth. While aquatic plants (lilies, cattails, etc.) prefer sunlight they will do just fine in shady areas as long as slow release aquatic fertilizer tablets are added a couple of times per year.  Shady ponds tent to have less algae problems.

Do not build a pond too close to a tree. Building a pond inside a tree's "drip zone" can damage tree roots. Tree roots will not grow through or puncture a pond liner.

A pond is not complete without landscaping. Locate your pond so there is ample room to landscape around it. It will take some time after your pond is installed for the plants to fill in and complete the setting.

A waterfall and/or stream should be located at the back of the pond. This will allow you to see the water feature as you approach the pond as well as increase the sound of the splashing water. 

Waterfalls are a beautifu addition to any pond. The sound of splashing water is  amazingly relaxing. Waterfalls add oxygen to the water and provide a large area for beneficial bacteria to grow on.

Don't over do it! Often people try to create too large a waterfall. If your ground is flat, your waterfall should only be two to three feet tall. If your ground has a natural slope to it, you can build a much larger waterfall and still have it look good.

Ponds and waterfalls need to be as natural as possible. A six foot high waterfall located in a flat yard will look out of place. Try to blend your pond into the surrounding landscape.

Don't build your waterfall and/or stream too narrow or straight. Again, make your stream look natural by creating twists and turns and by using different sizes of rocks. Often people stack flat stones on top of each other and in a straight row. This creates a "chimney" look and very seldom looks natural.

A separate piece of liner is typically used for the waterfall/stream. This liner does not need to be glued to the pond liner as long as the joint overlap is running downhill. Be sure the stream liner is over the pond liner.

Use expanding foam! Traditionally people use mortar to secure their rocks. Instead, we have found that expanding foam works better and lasts longer.

Few things can be as confusing to a pond builder as choosing a pump. There are many different sizes and styles of pumps. We will try to help you understand the differences between pumps and how to select the best one for you. Many dealers and home improvement stores choose pumps based solely on price. They want to sell you a pump as cheap as possible — the problem is that while "cheap" pumps may work fine to pump out your boat or basement now and then, they will not last when used in a continuous duty operation like water gardening. Always choose a pump that is rated for continuous duty operation. While these pumps may cost a little more to purchase initially, they will last much longer and actually save you money in the long run.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE CORRECT SIZE PUMP

Next to each of our pumps on this web site will be a chart showing how many GPM (gallons per minute) that pump will provide at 5' of head, 10' of head, etc. To understand this you need to remember the water is heavy (8 lbs. / gallon) and the higher a pump has to push the water the less volume it will provide. Important — the feet of head is the distance from the water level in the pond to the top of the waterfall. To create a nice average looking waterfall or stream, it takes 30 GPM for every 1' of width. To determine GPM needed multiply width if ft. x 30. 

Example: We are building a waterfall that is 3' wide and 10' high above our pond. Multiply 3' (width) x 30 = 90 GPM @ 10' of head. Now look through our selection of pumps and find one that pumps close to 90 GPM @ 10' of head.

DON'T RESTRICT YOUR PUMP!
Often times pond owners use too small of a hose on their pump. Always use the same size hose, or even one size larger, as the discharge port on the pump. 

Example: A pump with 1-1/2" discharge would need a 1-1/2" or 2" hose. Following is a guide for maximum water flow per pipe size:
    * 1.5" pipe 60 GPM
    * 2" pipe 90 GPM
    * 3" pipe 225 GPM
Each fitting in your plumbing system creates resistance and can slow your flow. We recommend using our flexible PVC pipe which eliminate most fittings.

The depth of the water where the pump is located does not count towards ft. of head. Ft. of head is the distance the water is lifted above the pond's surface.

FILTRATION

Ornamental ponds often need supplemental filtration to maintain proper water quality. Filtration involves two parts: the first step is mechanical. This step removes particles from the water like leaves, grass clippings, dead plant foliage, etc. The pond skimmers are by far the best mechanical pond filter we have seen yet. Biological filtration is the second stage and is especially important for ponds with fish. Biological filtration keeps the water healthy and clear. The filter media inside a bio-filter collects beneficial bacteria which cleans the water as it passes through the filter.

POND LINERS

Flexible pond liners are by far the material of choice for the do it yourselfer. Using a flexible liner does not limit you to a specific size and shape as the preformed ponds do. EPDM Pond Liner is the #1 choice for water gardening because it is very flexible, very puncture resistant and is long lasting. For lining large ponds we recommend the polyethylene material because it is light weight, easier to handle and costs less than rubber. Also, polyethylene liners can be made up to 60,000 sq. ft. in one piece!

Measuring For Your Liner:
For a water garden, add the depth twice to both the length and width, then add at least 1' to both numbers for liner overhang. For a large pond, add the depth at the deepest point to the length plus the width. Then add 5' to each figure to allow for burying around the edges.

Example: Pond size 30'W x 50' L x 10' deep
  Width = 30' plus 10' (depth) plus 5' (burying) = 45 '
  Length = 50' plus 10' (depth) plus 5' (burying) = 65'

Always try to line your pond with a one-piece liner. There are special tapes available for seaming liners together but do this as a last resort.

Choose a Quality Liner! Our EPDM liner has a 20 year warranty. Think about it — trying to save a few dollars on a cheap quality liner may well cost you a lot of time and aggravation in the end. If your liner cracks of punctures easily, you will have to drain the pond, remove all stones and the old liner and start all over. Save yourself the time and money, use quality materials the first time. Our 45 mil rubber liner, when installed with the protective underlayment beneath it, will provide years of enjoyment for you. 

We have found that covering the liner in a water garden with natural fieldstone will help protect the liner from sunlight, animals, etc. Ponds also look better with a natural stone bottom and if your water level drops a few inches you won't see a strip of liner exposed around the top of the pond. The stones also provide a large surface area where beneficial bacteria will grow and help clean the pond's water.

BUILDING "SMALLER" RESERVOIRS...

It's common knowledge that a reservoir has to be built large enough to hold adequate water for the size feature you are building.  On large projects like the one to the left the reservoir can get pretty big.  Making a natural looking stone bottom can be a challenge.

Throughout 2009 EasyPro designers often have oversized the liner on the reservoir which allows you to wrap liner over the top of the cubes and greatly reduce the size of visible stone area (see illustration at right).

This 50' long stream has a reservoir that is much larger than the small visible rock area at the bottom suggests!  Extra liner was wrapped over top of the res-cubes shrinking the size in half.