Having gravel in a Phoenix backyard pond is often a question we are asked by Phoenix homeowners. What, why, and how much? There is much debate on this, and you can spend hours researching these questions. Here is our take on the subject, as it pertains to backyard ecosystem pond in Phoenix:
PHOENIX POND CONSTRUCTION
Over the years, Phoenix backyard ponds have been constructed with a variety of materials. Many are constructed with concrete, while others use preformed plastic tubs or various types of flexible liner. One of the main reasons that The Pond Gnome advocates the use of gravel in a flexible ecosystem pond is that it plays a vital role by providing a natural habitat for beneficial microorganisms. It’s also a cost-effective way to cover the liner (which is usually kind of ugly by itself) and enhance the ecosystem, making your Phoenix backyard pond a lot lower maintenance!
WHAT FUNCTION DOES GRAVEL HAVE IN A POND?
The rocky substrate of a Phoenix backyard pond is alive and brimming with activity, covered in algae, microscopic invertebrates, and bacteria. This section of the pond is basically a compost pile. When organic debris falls to the pond’s bottom, it’s broken down by the benthic (bottom) inhabitants. These organic recyclers live off of uneaten fish food, decaying plant material, and nitrogenous fish wastes. If this substrate wasn’t present, the pond would quickly die, effectively being suffocated by toxic fish waste and organic build-up. Without this substrate, draining & cleaning the pond must be done often to eliminate that build-up.
Fortunately, nature has given us a way to solve this problem. And it’s SO much easier to work with Mother Nature, than against her! Organisms have evolved to use practically every bit of available food. Fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects will feed on these minute organisms, including the bacteria and algae that live on the rocky pond floor.
In addition, gravel lends structural stability to the pond. To achieve this, gravel is placed in between and behind the large rock and boulders. This eliminates spaces between them, which keeps them from shifting around, giving you a stable substrate. The gravel becomes a free-floating mortar, naturally locking the large rock and boulders into place. Again, Mother Nature does this as a matter of course in naturally-occurring ponds and streams.
ADDING GRAVEL FOR A MORE NATURAL LOOK
When adding gravel to your pond and waterfall projects, be sure to vary the size of the gravel in order to provide a more natural appearance, as well as stability. You can have your gravel mixed at the stone yard, incorporating a blend of 3/8” to 3” gravel. The larger pieces give mass to the gravel bed, and act as a nice transition to the larger boulders. The smaller sizes provide lots of surface area, which is key for the pond’s biological activity.
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For more information on Pond Design & Construction: https://pondgnome.com/pond-installation-phoenix-az/
