It’s essential to our survival. Because it is necessary for our survival, water has a powerful pull on us. Maybe we need to keep water handy because we can’t go more than a few days without it. Most people want to be close to water, whether it’s a creek, river, lake, or ocean.
Those who can afford to live near water have a smaller pool of potential neighbors than those who cannot. Beachfront real estate is priced accordingly because of its scarcity and great demand. There is a vast cost-benefit trade-off and several drawbacks, even for those lucky to own such property.
No one would oppose having a fruit orchard on their property stocked with citrus, apples, plums, pears, peaches, lemons, avocados, and a water garden, flowers, and vegetables. Perhaps a horse or two in a corral. It would have been a waste of time to plan a park there. If you have enough space to walk between your homes, count yourself lucky!
It’s clear why ponds and waterfalls are so alluring to gardeners nowadays. If you can’t move your house near the ocean, then move your house near the sea!
Why is it that being at the beach can be relaxing yet refreshing? Is it the salty air, crashing waves, or all three? You may be shocked to learn that the ocean itself has little to do with the calming effects of being near it. Substantial evidence suggests that water in motion releases more negative ions into the atmosphere. The benefits to our health from breathing this energized air are significant. The ocean generates the most negative ions compared to other bodies of moving water.
As a result, it has the most significant positive impact on our emotions and attracts the most people. The same may be said for waterfalls’ calming effect on their surroundings. Again, negative ions are responsible for the air’s pleasant aroma and pleasant feeling right before, during, and after a rainstorm.
A waterfall and pond in the backyard can provide many of the same benefits as living by the water on an oceanfront or lakefront property but at a fraction of the expense. Whatever the budget allows, from an intimate setting to a superb one. Almost anybody can have their very own piece of nature’s finest. Falls come in as many sizes, shapes, and kinds as there are cliff faces. Because of this, no two ponds built by the same homeowner will ever look identical, and each will uniquely reflect the owner’s personality.
Waterfalls can drop into koi ponds, streams, swimming pools, spas, or even just a great covered in rocks that lead to a catch basin underground. If you have young children, this backyard pond design is perfect because it eliminates the necessity for a potentially dangerous pond. It’s also ideal for individuals who want to minimize yard work while enjoying outside space.
The dirt taken out when digging a pond can be reused to construct a berm or mound to raise the cascade level. To reach a pond at ground level, a waterfall can use terraced retaining walls. It will appear that the retaining wall was built after the waterfall was already in place if it is passed through instead of over the top.
Having a pond in your home is like having your own Discovery Channel in your backyard. The pond’s inhabitants give endless variety in the form of amusement and information. Every day is a new chapter in the story of your pond, from the antics of a pair of acrobatic turtles to the claws of male crayfish clacking and chewing over the prize of a beautiful female. Do you tend to make sweeping generalizations, such as “I don’t want to own fish!” before you wind up with dozens and name them all? Many pond owners develop emotional attachments to the aquatic life in their water garden ponds, treating them like family members or beloved pets.
If your backyard pond is well-designed, adding lighting to it at night can turn it into a whole new experience. The lights and the sound of water crashing and splashing together form a breathtaking symphony. The fascinating and captivating effect of dancing light on the surrounding rocks, plants, fence, or house. This ambiance is typically only found in really pricey hotels and resorts. At last, you can have the same thing in your backyard!
I want to offer more advice if you’re considering purchasing a water feature for your home. In the long run, these measures could spare you the distress of dealing with unclean, murky, green, stinky water, sick or dead fish, a leaking pond or waterfall, or astronomical maintenance and energy bills:
1. Don’t rush anything.
Prepare thoroughly.
3. Invest in an in-depth study of the topic.
Seek the advice of a professional. Having some work under your belt is crucial.
5. Verify that the professional is credentialed and insured.
Only buildings made of concrete and steel rebar will be considered. Don’t ever border a pond with one of those things. Advocates of pond liners often boast that the material comes with a 40- or 50-year guarantee. No way! If the pond liner stays in its packaging, then yes. It might work if there were no gophers, squirrels, chipmunks, rats, tree roots, sharp rocks, pebbles, or other such objects. Once a hole has been made, it cannot be located. Water can travel through a pinhole at 5 gallons per day.
Submersible pumps should not be used. They are challenging to operate, costly, and inefficient. They need regular cleaning since debris accumulates in them. Oil from a submersible’s engine could destroy pond life or cause an electrical short.
Eight, remove nitrates and nitrites from the water with a biological filter. (A pressurized back-flushable filter, as opposed to a gravity-flow one, is what you want.)
Set up a skimmer to collect floating leaves and debris from the water’s surface.
To avoid having fish or turtles sucked into the drain along with whirlpools, install two anti-vortex gutters on the pond’s bottom near the suction line.
11 Make sure your pond is at least three feet deep to prevent the water from getting too hot during the summer and keep herons and raccoons from using it as a food source.
Create nooks and crannies that fish and turtles can use as refuges.
The presence of odor-causing bacteria, fish-killing diseases, and green water caused by algal spores can all be eliminated by installing an ultraviolet lamp.
Use only electronic auto-fill valves, such as the AquaFill System, rather than mechanical ones. It won’t become stuck or break, saving you the trouble of cleaning out a pond full of dead fish caused by chlorine poisoning.
Water plants should be used liberally in ponds and waterfalls (15). They’re natural filters that help keep the water clean while feeding and oxygenating the fish.
Consider installing an energy-saving, high-efficiency pump outside the pond in step 16. Running a high-quality biofilter (like one made by Aqua Ultra Violet) around the clock ensures that the anaerobic bacteria inside always have access to the oxygenated water they need to thrive. Bacteria play a crucial role in water purification by metabolizing hydrocarbons, nitrates, and nitrites.
To prevent silt, fertilizer, pesticides, and other contaminants from entering the pond during rainstorms, providing good drainage around the pond and waterfall is essential.
Learn the fundamentals of caring for a pond. As the adage goes, “Prevention is better than cure.”
When I suggest that “everyone should have a waterfall,” I’m not just advocating for my interest. If you want to spend your money wisely and live a long, healthy, and happy life, a water garden and waterfall is the best investment you can make.
Spending the money on a well-designed garden pond and waterfall will undoubtedly bring you more long-term pleasure and joy than anything you have ever purchased, as I have learned from speaking with hundreds of pond owners in the San Diego area.
Without water, life as we know it would cease to exist.
Check out a YouTube tutorial. Throughout his 30-year career in California, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer, and builder Douglas C. Hoover has created over 2,000 waterfalls and ponds. The price of the author’s e-book, “Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual,” has dropped from $49.00 to $14.95. Discounted from $149 to just $39.95, “The Ultimate Training Course” is a steal. Electronic Water Leveler [http://www.aquafill.com] controllers were developed by AquaFill for water features such as ponds, pools, fountains, and spas.
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