View Full Version : Waterfall Project
BackyardBananaCA
06-27-2006, 12:06 PM
Just wanted to share pictures of my completed waterfall project. The maturing jungle around it contains of an FHIA 3, FHIA 18, Zebrina, and a red & green ensete.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=596&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=597&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=598&size=1
Here's a movie clip as well:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=595&cat=500&ppuser=62
MediaHound
06-27-2006, 12:24 PM
That's beautiful! :simpatica
momoese
06-27-2006, 01:44 PM
Cool, it has a nice sound to it! Looks like a lot of work to get to that point.
AnnaJW
06-27-2006, 03:09 PM
That is totally awesome! Great job!:03:
PhilMusa
06-27-2006, 03:17 PM
Great work looks very nice!:bananas_g
BackyardBananaCA
06-27-2006, 04:20 PM
Thanks everyone for your kind feedback. My pondless waterfall project is now complete. It has a low voltage (12V) setup powered by a 300 watt transformer. Activated by remote control or automatically turned on and off by a timer.
I didn't want to run a 120V line out to the corner of my yard, so I went with low voltage. The strongest low voltage pump I could find was 270 gallons-per-minute, so I have 4 small low voltage pumps buried in a plastic basket, with 3/4" tubes running to the top tier. The pebble gravel acts like a filter and keeps the water clean. I had to go pondless, because of the kid-safety thing.
The hardest task was trying to make the waterfall look natural and at the same time functional. I had to move the thunder basin boulders around many times, and let their shape dictate the look of it. Now I can sit back and wait for the jungle to grow around it.
austinl01
06-27-2006, 04:27 PM
That is a great waterfall. Just wondering what made you decide to use pebbles in the base instead of having some water plants? You did an excellent job! Nice selection of plants around it as well. What kind are they?:guitarris
BackyardBananaCA
06-27-2006, 05:47 PM
Austinl01,
There's a large plastic pond liner under the pebbles. I decided to make it pondless because of my curious 2 and 4 year old. The liner is deep enough to hold fish, so I plan on converting it to a pond later once my kids are old enough to know the difference between a pond and swimming pool:). I've been looking for water plants which I can submerge into the rocks and water.
Besides the bananas, here's a list of the different plants; different types of dwarf and tall canna, giant bird of paradise, elephant ears, pineapple lily, ornamental grasses, rose hibiscus, passion fruit along the fence, pink guava, yellow angle trumpet, lemon guava, strawberry guava
banana_fun
06-27-2006, 08:16 PM
You did a very nice job. It looks fantastic!
MediaHound
06-27-2006, 11:02 PM
I havent seen many ponds with the rocks filled in like that, but it's pretty mellow to watch the water disappear out of sight.
And functional, too.
I've been thinking about installing a pond here for so long.
I've always wanted one - I once worked in a pet store that had a pond and I enjoyed caring for it.
Did you install an ultraviolet sterilizer? I think a UV light would really keep the water clear and you wouldnt have to worry about overspray of any chemical additive you'd be adding to the water to keep it algae free. The light would do it for you.
:08:
saturn
06-28-2006, 12:48 PM
Your project looks awesome. No need to wait for the jungle to grow - looks pretty full right now.
I have not seen a gravel basin like that - what a good idea.
I have a very small water feature in my yard, and it is a real hot spot for frog breeding. Gets quite noisy!
saturn
(whoa, is it just me, or are the dancing banana icons new? Cute....but now I am getting very dizzy. Still, I will add one: :abajo: )
austinl01
06-28-2006, 03:48 PM
Good idea with the pebbles because of the kids. The project went very well and looks great! Nice choice of plants as well.
It has a low voltage (12V) setup powered by a 300 watt transformer. Activated by remote control or automatically turned on and off by a timer.
I didn't want to run a 120V line out to the corner of my yard, so I went with low voltage. The strongest low voltage pump I could find was 270 gallons-per-minute, so I have 4 small low voltage pumps buried in a plastic basket, with 3/4" tubes running to the top tier.
Looks nice, how much power do the pumps draw ?
BackyardBananaCA
06-29-2006, 04:25 PM
I think they are rated for 25 watts each, but draw more like 25-30 watts. I experimented with 4 pumps on a 100 watt transformer, but it would overheat after a few hours of running and automatically shut off. If your thinking about running low voltage pumps, make sure the transformer you use is designed for water features.
jpfloors
02-28-2008, 01:49 AM
Wow, that's awsome, about to start a similar project with a waterfall, but going into a pond!
jason
02-28-2008, 02:07 AM
Just wanted to share pictures of my completed waterfall project. The maturing jungle around it contains of an FHIA 3, FHIA 18, Zebrina, and a red & green ensete.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=596&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=597&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=598&size=1
Here's a movie clip as well:
Banana Gallery - Waterfall Project (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=595&cat=500&ppuser=62)
Hey to the right of the pond is that a Ensete superbum??? Great Job!!!!!
mskitty38583
02-28-2008, 02:14 AM
that is great looking. you did very well on your project. i love the stone.
natedogg1026
02-28-2008, 11:47 AM
Wow! That looks great. Would you be offended if I "borrowed" some of your idea?
musa_monkey
02-28-2008, 01:13 PM
That is exceptional, congratulations..........
sandy0225
02-28-2008, 03:19 PM
Very nice setup! You must be very proud. Nothing changes your landscape like a pond/waterfall/stream.
Great relaxing area....
D_&_T
02-28-2008, 04:50 PM
Very nice waterfall. We have been thinking of a water feature, with a hard freezing climate would be hard to keep fish. Plus kids are OLDER now, so will be a little safer to have!
island cassie
02-28-2008, 05:24 PM
Very nicely done. Looks really good and once the jungle grows up - wow. We have something on a smaller scale and find that the tadpoles and 2 fish eat the algae faster than it can grow so no need for any action.
Cassie
CookieCows
02-28-2008, 05:53 PM
How relaxing and beautiful! Looks to me like you have yourself a little hydroponics set up! With constant moving water I don't think you'd have to limit yourself to water plants within the gravel/pond area! Can't wait to see another picture this summer!
Deb
BackyardBananaCA
02-28-2008, 06:12 PM
Thanks again everyone for the kind remarks regarding this project. I can't beleive it's been 2 years now since I took those pictures. Landscape has obviously changed. I'll try and be more active with this site and post more pictures this summer.
CookieCows
02-28-2008, 07:06 PM
:rolleyes: ooops! Didn't look at the dates! Bet it sure is different looking by now! :ha:
Randy4ut
02-28-2008, 08:19 PM
I honestly don't know how I missed this beautiful water feature the first time around last summer!!! What a great job you did on it. Please be sure to post pics of it this summer with your plants grown in around it.... Thanks for pulling this post out of the archives for everyone, Josh (jpfloors)
buzzwinder
02-28-2008, 08:23 PM
Backyard, please do update photos of your project, looks really nice, would like to attempt something similar, but alas, in N. Illinois with sub zero temps. part of the winter may be tough, but I'ld really like to try. Thanks!
Lilith
02-28-2008, 08:34 PM
You are JUST the person I want to talk to!
The Pondless Waterfall has been in the planning stages for me for about 3 years. This Spring is the Spring for me to get it done.
I am going to build mine in one of the front corners of of my greenhouse. I know how to construct the gravel chamber. My sticking point is, I want a DROP fall, not a cascading fall.
I want the water to come off and drop straight down from a height of about 6-8 feet. I like the look of your flat "lip stone" but I am not sure how I can construct it.
My plan is to use corkbark slabs, or a mixture of corkbark with some other substrate, perhaps just big stacked driftwood, to disguise the PVC plumbing as it rises. Large stones and river rock, shells, etc will be at the base. I suppose I could lay a lipstone across like a lintel (thinking Stonehenge here) for the water to spill over and drop from, like yours...if it was a lighter piece of flagstone it could be balanced up there and still hide the plumbing.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
BackyardBananaCA
02-29-2008, 07:27 PM
Lilith,
Your proposed project sounds quite interesting. I used one of those black plastic pond liners you find at Home Depot as my gravel pond, and inside I have a hidden plastic pump bucket which I drilled a bunch of holes in. Under all the boulders is a thick rubber liner. The best suggestion I could give you would be to draw a rough sketch of how you imagine your waterfall looking like, build the skeleton for it, and then let the rocks do the talking. I found two nice flat pieces of flagstone for my drop-offs at my local masonry yard and then arranged the boulders in a natural way around them. Another tip, and please understand I'm no expert, just a hobby for me, is to use pigment that matches your rocks in your mortar to make it look even more natural. I hope this helps.
Lilith
02-29-2008, 08:54 PM
Mortar??
Ummm, I wasn't planning on using any of that, LOL.
I have a sort of vision of a loose arrangement of interesting pieces of driftwood, shells and coral, some stones, and a heck of a lot of concealing plants.
My current idea is to use PVC pipe to run up the greenhouse wall in the 90 degree angle of the corner, where I already have an 8 foot totem with a large Philodendron growing up it located. I would snake the pipe up and use the angled elbow pieces to direct the flow outward, and do something like wrap the PVC in coir fiber (like another totem) and place some mounting substrates around it, both on the ground and stacking them and attaching them to the wall so that there is a backdrop of stuff, kind of like a grotto in the corner, that has a lot of plants mounted to it (orchids, climbing philodendrons, bromeliads, ferns, some hoyas draping around, etc). Ground plantings would include some anthuriums, alocasias, maybe the cool looking Aphelandra tetragona I bought, and probably some Musa coccinea. Coccinea and Ae Ae are the only bananas I still grow in the greenhouse.
The water would fall directly down from the top of all this melange of stuff into the pondless rock-filled basin.
My dilemma and what I can't quite visualize is how to hide the water outflow in a natural way.
ANother idea I had was to use a bamboo spout as the carrier of the water, just having it emerge from all the greenery and have the water fall into the pondless area. I could still use the PVC totem idea and have the bamboo piece slide inside the top and emerge at a 90 degree angle to drop the water.
I think its just going to take some trial and error experimentation
NanaNut2
02-29-2008, 09:27 PM
Lillith,
Have you given thought to having an invisible water tube? I have seen some wonderful and very tall water features which appear to have water spurting out of thin air at the top. They use clear acrylic tubes which carry the water straight up to a stone or other deflecting object which then cascades down the tube making it vitually invisible. Its a neat and very updated look for a water fountain. One that comes to mind is to have a large fawcett at the top of the acryllic tube, so it appears that the water comes straight out of a fawcett floating in mid-air. Very cool. But you could put anything on top as long as it is supported.
NanaNut2
D'Andra
03-01-2008, 02:41 AM
How about doing something like NanaNut2 said where it comes out of the wall then goes straight up but instead of a fixed object you float something on the stream of water to deflect it down? The deflected water would hide the tubing and you would end up with something that hovers or appears to be lifting itself on a torrent of water (jellyfish!). If you did a Roswell NM theme you could put a flying saucer. Maybe try half a coconut shell or anything you can balance on the stream. How cool would it look to have the water appear to come from some floating, rotating object? I'm going to keep thinking on this, although I don't have any plans for a water feature. For the longest time I wanted to put in a pond for my koi with some kind of waterfall that made noise, it just isn't practical where we live right now.
Lilith
03-01-2008, 08:30 AM
Those suggestions sound really cool, thank you both! I will have to do some research on that. This is still in the early planning stages, so I have a lot of time. I had thought of buying some of that new eco-friendly stuff called EpiMat to use as part of the plant mounting substrate (instead of using the more and more endangered and disappearing Cork Bark.
My Musa Coccineas are in a bad spot in the GH now and I think moving them over to this new area would be pretty cool, I might need to get another beccari and some other smaller growers for over there too.
mm4birds
03-01-2008, 08:18 PM
Get the machette ready for when the jungle starts to take over your yard.Great job:bananarow:
Lilith
03-02-2008, 07:02 AM
Sorry, I meant EpiWEB, not Epi MAT! Brain on momentary disconnect. Its from Sweden, I think, made of recycled drink bottles.
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