VertigoXLR8R222

my mother-in-law wants me to build her a koi pond i have the size and location decided but I'm not sure now i need to know about the shading issue i live on the mississippi gulf coast and it gets hot down here real hot and i know i need to shade my pond should i have it shaded by our trees or are there trees that are good for this that need to be planted around a pond my worries are for the leaves falling into the pond i do not want to have to get in there and muck out nasty rotten leaves from the bottom of the pond any suggestions i haven't been able to find any tips for trees so any help will be greatly appreciated thanks Lee

gremlin

How big of a pond are you putting in? Is it a preformed or are you using a liner? The best way to deal with leaves is to use a skimmer. It's kind of like an overflow point and a basket catches the leaves before they sink to the bottom. If you want any plants in your pond it will need sun for 3-4 hours a day (early morning is best). My sister's pond is shaded by an ash tree. Mine is shaded by an apple tree part of the morning, then by our house the rest of the afternoon. We have pecan trees too and those leaves always end up in my pond. as well as the leaves from just about all of our neighbors trees. My sister puts a piece of netting over her pond every fall to keep the leaves from falling in.

Chief_waterchanger

It needs to be atleast 3ft deep, so that the warm water will stay near the surface.

Plants/trees close to it to shade the pond is not advised. The roots of a plant/tree large enough to shade the pond will also be spread out enough to run a large risk of disturbing/piercing the liner. If you are using a pre-formed hard plastic one it could cause enough problems to tilt the pond, which would cause issues all its own.

You could construct anything from partial, decorative walls, to using a shade-cloth method.