These little ponds are so much fun and make a great DIY project! If you want to make your own, there are links for the materials I used in this video in the video description.
Lovely stuff! I stumbled my way into similar for my patio tub. Plain kitty litter with a gravel cap across the bottom of the whole 100 gallon tub. I put a waterlily in there, and fed it with broken up fruit tree fert spikes. For a marginal, I hung the basket that the lily came in from the rim in the same manner you did here, and filled with clay balls and planted a peppermint in there. It seems to have survived a short period of icing over, and is putting out new leaves, despite it having snowed a couple weeks ago. The gold fish are chilling in their cave, and the raccoons haven't made it through the net yet!
I always add extra holes in my pots (mostly recycled containers like the dark brown square hydrogen peroxide bottles) and I use safe-t-sorb, with a bit of top soil (to help feed the plants) near the bottom and some sand on top. I do not drill holes in the rim but just use S hooks over the rims to hold the pots. I love how I can hang the pots and move them around to new ponds are in different arrangements.
@@plantlifeprojectMetal ones and metal coated and plastic ones. Iron/rust (from the metal S hooks) is OK, it doesn't seem to hurt the fish and gives some iron to the plants.
I hope many people give this a try as it is so fun and enjoyable to have in the garden. My small ponds seem to work best in areas that get only partly sun. They can over heat if they get a lot of hours of full sun the summer months.
Wow, amazing. You’re one of the VERY few people I’ve seen who actually knows about using the spill absorbent flakes (or organic kitty litter)! I’ve been using the brand Oil Dri for over 10 years… it’s superb for houseplants in semi-hydro, as an alternative to LECA (clay balls) or the expensive Pon. The smaller pieces, the color, the price difference are all a step up from LECA, in my experience. Meanwhile we see all these various videos of people with their fancy philodendrons & anthuriums-which I have also- but they are complaining about the high costs of LECA. I just laugh… it’s like, there is a far better, more available and more economical choice! But keep on buying your $20 pound of LECA from IKEA, I guess! I use the clay flakes in a semi hydro substrate, similar to Pon, which, if you don’t know, is a fancy European concept by Lechuza. But completely DIYable. If that’s a word. It is essentially pumice, Osmocote, zeolite and small pieces of lava rock. I instead use the clay flakes, zeolite, pinch of activated charcoal, and a pinch of Osmocote. Works just the same, if not better, depending on the plant. I know LECA has benefits for epiphytic plants, as the large spheres and round shapes facilitate aeration, but many plants may not care for so much airflow. At the same time, clay flakes are perfect for all types of plants, tropical, cuttings, succulents will even root into it DRY! I’m obsessed with this shit. Lol.
No the pot came with no holes. But sometimes I will use a pot that has holes and I silicone the holes with a rock or even flat piece of plastic which works well
have you tried leca? or since the cat littler is clay it functions just like it? are all the plants at 3:30 , plants that can live just in water? I did some research and learned not all plants can grow in clay+water. Some actually need soil.
Just found you! 😊 what about these Benny ponds in Florida zone 10 A? Also I see there’s a pump is that just for a statics or is this the kind that doesn’t need a pump and filter? in addition what about adding any little fish or other critters? thanks in advance.
These can work just about anywhere during the growing season. In hot regions, keeping them filtered shade and afternoon in the shade is recommended. A pump isn’t critical necessarily, but good for circulation. Small fish like guppies or rice fish are ideal. If it’s 20 gallons or more, a goldfish could work.
Hi there. I noticed a year or so ago that 'fertilizer sticks' marketed for general houseplants had nutrients the same as root tabs at the pet store. (Canada) $2.99 for the general 'sticks' vs. $14.99 for brand name root tabs with slightly higher weight for the cheap ones too! I have tried in my tanks and a pond last summer and have noticed no difference at all. Is there a long term problem I am missing I wonder.
I have used the sticks before and had good results. Funny enough, I have thought about them recently and would like to try them again, I tend to be constantly experimenting with different fertilizers and just haven’t come back around to try them myself again. But yes they are so much cheaper than many other fertilizers, and they seem to slowly dissolve over time even in water constantly, which is good.
The nutrients are the first thing you’ll notice is similar… and that’s usually not detrimental; the only long-term issue potentially would be added chemicals or ingredients. And that differs by brand. Have to read the “inactive ingredients” part. Many terrestrial plant goods are high in salts… though plenty of products, like Prime or water conditioners, have high concentrations of minerals, as evidenced when they become built-up on the threads of the cap…
These little ponds are so much fun and make a great DIY project! If you want to make your own, there are links for the materials I used in this video in the video description.
I'll take this video as a sign to get off my butt and go get my porch pond set up for the season 😎
😆
Those little ponds are so nice! I am also a firm believer in zip ties. lol
Thanks! Yes, my world is held together with zip ties.
Man I’m jealous. I’m in Utah and still getting iced over. Hopefully I’ll be out in the yard within a couple weeks too.
Haha. I'm in New England.
I'm looking at two more months at best.
Oh man, I know you are so ready for spring!
Nice job
Thanks!
Lovely stuff! I stumbled my way into similar for my patio tub. Plain kitty litter with a gravel cap across the bottom of the whole 100 gallon tub. I put a waterlily in there, and fed it with broken up fruit tree fert spikes. For a marginal, I hung the basket that the lily came in from the rim in the same manner you did here, and filled with clay balls and planted a peppermint in there. It seems to have survived a short period of icing over, and is putting out new leaves, despite it having snowed a couple weeks ago. The gold fish are chilling in their cave, and the raccoons haven't made it through the net yet!
Awesome!
I always add extra holes in my pots (mostly recycled containers like the dark brown square hydrogen peroxide bottles) and I use safe-t-sorb, with a bit of top soil (to help feed the plants) near the bottom and some sand on top. I do not drill holes in the rim but just use S hooks over the rims to hold the pots. I love how I can hang the pots and move them around to new ponds are in different arrangements.
S hooks are a great idea, do you use plastic or metal ones?
@@plantlifeprojectMetal ones and metal coated and plastic ones. Iron/rust (from the metal S hooks) is OK, it doesn't seem to hurt the fish and gives some iron to the plants.
I hope many people give this a try as it is so fun and enjoyable to have in the garden. My small ponds seem to work best in areas that get only partly sun. They can over heat if they get a lot of hours of full sun the summer months.
I hope so too! You’re right, part sun is better for these.
Nice idea👍
Wow, amazing. You’re one of the VERY few people I’ve seen who actually knows about using the spill absorbent flakes (or organic kitty litter)! I’ve been using the brand Oil Dri for over 10 years… it’s superb for houseplants in semi-hydro, as an alternative to LECA (clay balls) or the expensive Pon. The smaller pieces, the color, the price difference are all a step up from LECA, in my experience.
Meanwhile we see all these various videos of people with their fancy philodendrons & anthuriums-which I have also- but they are complaining about the high costs of LECA. I just laugh… it’s like, there is a far better, more available and more economical choice! But keep on buying your $20 pound of LECA from IKEA, I guess!
I use the clay flakes in a semi hydro substrate, similar to Pon, which, if you don’t know, is a fancy European concept by Lechuza. But completely DIYable. If that’s a word. It is essentially pumice, Osmocote, zeolite and small pieces of lava rock. I instead use the clay flakes, zeolite, pinch of activated charcoal, and a pinch of Osmocote. Works just the same, if not better, depending on the plant. I know LECA has benefits for epiphytic plants, as the large spheres and round shapes facilitate aeration, but many plants may not care for so much airflow. At the same time, clay flakes are perfect for all types of plants, tropical, cuttings, succulents will even root into it DRY! I’m obsessed with this shit. Lol.
Sounds like Dr Novak has alot of followers...😂
Cool idea to use the zip ties to secure the pots! Did you cover the main pond with gravel of some kind or just leave it bare?
I have some with gravel on the bottom and others are bare depending on whether or not plants will be used in the substrate
@@plantlifeproject thank you for the reply! Love the pond build videos you put out. Hope to see some updates on those mini ponds 😃
How did you hold the water inside of the larger green plastic plant pot? Didn’t that pot have drain holes in it?
No the pot came with no holes. But sometimes I will use a pot that has holes and I silicone the holes with a rock or even flat piece of plastic which works well
have you tried leca? or since the cat littler is clay it functions just like it?
are all the plants at 3:30 , plants that can live just in water? I did some research and learned not all plants can grow in clay+water. Some actually need soil.
Yes I use leca sometimes but mostly in aquarium projects. I grow all the plants mentioned and more in the clay with osmocote
Just found you! 😊 what about these Benny ponds in Florida zone 10 A? Also I see there’s a pump is that just for a statics or is this the kind that doesn’t need a pump and filter?
in addition what about adding any little fish or other critters? thanks in advance.
These can work just about anywhere during the growing season. In hot regions, keeping them filtered shade and afternoon in the shade is recommended. A pump isn’t critical necessarily, but good for circulation. Small fish like guppies or rice fish are ideal. If it’s 20 gallons or more, a goldfish could work.
Great idea, what kind of inexpensive water pump do you use ?
this is the pump I use on some of my mini ponds
amzn.to/3wBEOcu
does a great job and is inexpensive!
Hi there. I noticed a year or so ago that 'fertilizer sticks' marketed for general houseplants had nutrients the same as root tabs at the pet store. (Canada) $2.99 for the general 'sticks' vs. $14.99 for brand name root tabs with slightly higher weight for the cheap ones too! I have tried in my tanks and a pond last summer and have noticed no difference at all. Is there a long term problem I am missing I wonder.
I have used the sticks before and had good results. Funny enough, I have thought about them recently and would like to try them again, I tend to be constantly experimenting with different fertilizers and just haven’t come back around to try them myself again. But yes they are so much cheaper than many other fertilizers, and they seem to slowly dissolve over time even in water constantly, which is good.
The nutrients are the first thing you’ll notice is similar… and that’s usually not detrimental; the only long-term issue potentially would be added chemicals or ingredients. And that differs by brand. Have to read the “inactive ingredients” part. Many terrestrial plant goods are high in salts… though plenty of products, like Prime or water conditioners, have high concentrations of minerals, as evidenced when they become built-up on the threads of the cap…
💚💙
Can you use Leca as a media?
Yes, I use this in my aquariums sometimes, but the clay works better for adding fertilizer tabs
what is smoking at 4:15 ?
I was wondering if anyone would notice! It’s just the dust from the clay media “smoking” as the water is introduced.