Add a Koi Pond to your Landscaping Project

Author: Steven Cancel

Landscaping your lawn could entail a number of things. It could be as simplistic as having several plants and shrubs surrounded by various rocks and woodchips or even a water garden complete with fountains and flowers. The largest, most elaborate form of landscaping is a Koi pond.
A Koi pond is a project that will require a large surface area, and even more research. This illustrious landscape is very stimulating, but also may require some work when the changing of the seasons occurs.
Once the weather breaks and the leaves appear to be changing colors, it is generally a good idea to install netting over the Koi pond to eliminate the amount of leaves and sticks that will land in the Koi habitat. This will drastically lower the amount of debris to be removed at seasons end. Another precaution that should be taken during the break of the weather is winterizing the Koi pond.
In winterizing the fish habitat requires several pieces of advice. One of the most important steps to take into account is the cleaning process. It is wise to physically take the fish out of the pond, place them into a bucket full of the water in the pond, and clean the excess bacteria from the pond. However, completely removing all the bacteria will destroy the harmony of the pond through the summer months; the plants feed off the bacteria while the fish feed off the plants. Other things that need to be removed are the remaining leaves and sticks that were not caught by the netting. Failure of removing these materials will result in creation of methane gas, a byproduct of the decomposing that will occur. Lowering the amount of water will allow the pump to circulate water, allowing the fish to survive below the level of ice that accumulates in the cold weather. Another tip worth perusing is to create a hole in the ice when the winter season approaches. Do not use force when attempting to create a hole. The best method for this is to place a pot filled with boiling water over the ice to allow a hole to be melted into the ice. This will allow the gases that accumulate in the pond to escape.
The largest problem that occurs with the overall presence of the Koi pond is mobility throughout the surrounding area of the piece. Installing a bride over the center or an area of interest will serve a dual purpose. The practical purpose for this landmark is to be able to cross over the pond to access other portions of the yard or landscape. On the other hand, the second purpose of building a bridge is to create the effect of vastness and attractiveness. Bridges can come in a variety of styles with according costs.

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