Building and Stocking
Building and Stocking Farm Ponds
While setting up a water lily farm pond is fairly cheap and simple to develop, it is not something you should attempt on your own. You will need professional help and in some instances even governmental approval. You can select a decent natural site yourself but before building speak to an expert.
Building the Pond
Once you have consulted with an expert, building your farm pond can begin. Ordinarily, around 10 to 30 acres of watershed are considered adequate for a farm pond. You can also build a farm pond where a stream or spring can fill the area in less than a year. Water amounts can be tricky and a professional should take charge.
You also need to consider the type of soil of which the basin of the pond is made. Additionally, you also need to think about government approval, dams and spillways. For advice order the following two leaflets issued by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C.:
"How to Build a Farm Pond" and "Managing Farm Fishponds for Bass and Bluegills."
Check the government websites for addresses and cost of leaflet.
Planting
Once the planning and building of your farm pond is complete, decide what you are going to plant. The purpose of a farm pond is usually to provide water for livestock or provide boating and fishing facilities, fire protection and to attract waterfowl. While many farm pond owners believe that planting decorative plants defeats the purpose of a farm pond, this simply is untrue. Obviously, if you plant indiscriminately the pond will become overgrown but careful planting will add beauty to the pond and have no effect on the functionality.
Water lilies are the first type of plant you should consider for your farm pond. The Marliac water lilies are all great for farm ponds. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes and require little attention.
Tropical lilies are also great for farm ponds because they do not easily spread out and they keep the pond free of unnecessary plant life. However, Tropical lilies require more work and will die in winter if not maintained.
Lotus is also another good consideration. Lotus add a particular beauty to farm ponds, although they are hard to start and difficult to curb. If you are going to plant Lotus, make sure the tubers are planted in boxes and tubs to prevent them from spreading.
While border plants are generally spreaders, they can be easily controlled and will add great beauty to your farm pond. Most border plants spread only on the outside or in shallow water. They can easily be cut and maintained. You can also plant them in containers to keep them under close control.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing is another important part of the farm pond building process. If you are going to have a productive pond for fish and plants you need to use fertilizer.
Commercial mineral fertilizer is the best, as more natural fertilizers like manure or bloodmeal will leave unsightly scum on the pond. For the best type of fertilizer, seek advice from the local Soil Conservation representative.
Fertilizer can be distributed on the bottom or top of the water, although if spraying on the top makes sure that it is during a time when run off will not wash away the nutrients.
Stocking with Fish
Finally, you need to think about stocking your farm pond with fish. If you want to add fish for aesthetics, goldfish are a good option. You need to make sure that you add enough goldfish so that they can be easily seen and also to make sure they breed fast enough to replace fish lost through the spillways. Goldfish can grow up to a foot or more in semi-natural ponds and you can establish prettier areas as feeding spots for the fish.
However, deciding whether to use goldfish really depends on your farm's purpose. If fishing is to be part of the farm pond use, then you should avoid goldfish. The larger game fish will quickly eat up the goldfish, which of course is neither cost effective nor practical.