Emily's Pond Build Log

Yes - places for the fish to hide from predators.

Any thoughts on driftwood?

I like the milkcrate idea, especially since I can use it for dual purposes with the planter. But just wondering what else might work.
 
Awesome and deep.
 
Thorns

So this is a picture of the thorns we fight in our back yard. Still have to get another 20 or 30' cleared to get close enough to the creek to possibly get some driftwood back there for the pond. These things are EVIL.
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Wow. What plants are those? You have to hack through this to get to the creek?

Well at least once it is done you will have a nice opening to get there easily.
 
I am not 100% sure what they are. The're vines that are EVERYWHERE. It took us a year to get through the first 3/4 of our backyard. We haven't even tried to get through the last 1/4 or so yet. I think they might be black raspberry vines, but I'm not positive. All I know is you can barely walk without bleeding. Even trying to cut them back is painful. We will get there eventually. But these things come back really fast, so I'm not sure how to eradicate it altogether.
 
Snowy pics

Well we got whacked with a snow storm down here in GA, so this is what my pond looks like today. This is after some of it melted off. It was prettier yesterday, but way to slick to get out on the patio with the camera. :)

I think the filter build is going to be postponed a bit still... LOL

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The vines made me think of the story of Brer Rabbit and the Bramble Patch.

Have you tried dipping the tips in a cup of diesel once they are cut. This could stop the regrowth or at least slow it done to a manageable rate. Perhaps finding the roots at the stem of the plant and uprooting that will help to clear lager tracts quicker as the runners will dry out.

Just a thought.
 
PS. How thick is the ice on your pond?
 
The runners go on for a LONG time. I've followed one underground all the way across my yard (90+ feet) and still not come to the end of it. We've been ripping them out, and roots as well as much as possible, but the only thing I can think of to kill them off is to plant something that will choke them out. Planning on bermuda grass, as it's relatively invasive, but not painful like this stuff... But that grows best from plugs or sod, which we haven't had the $$ for yet. We tried seeding the ground with it, but it never took.

And the ice was about 1/2" thick, maybe a little less than that. Really thin though. I was able to easily poke through it with a broom when I was checking the thickness of the ice.
 
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