Early whitetail browsing by the pond and Sodium Bentonite question

[ken erickson]

I dug a small wildlife pond two summers ago in my mostly sandy soil in a low spot that does have some layers of clay. The pond is fed with run-off, rain , and soon to be harvested rainwater from my tractor shed to the tune of 425 gallons per inch of rain fall.
I am ordering up a ton of sodium bentonite clay 3/8 chips which will yield about 5 ponds per square foot. I know there are lots of YouTube vides of folks using bentonite for pond sealing but I would love to hear from OTT members that have personal experience using the stuff.

 

[fried1765]

I dug a small wildlife pond two summers ago in my mostly sandy soil in a low spot that does have some layers of clay. The pond is fed with run-off, rain , and soon to be harvested rainwater from my tractor shed to the tune of 425 gallons per inch of rain fall.
I am ordering up a ton of sodium bentonite clay 3/8 chips which will yield about 5 ponds per square foot. I know there are lots of YouTube vides of folks using bentonite for pond sealing but I would love to hear from OTT members that have personal experience using the stuff.

A ton of sodium Bentonite at 5 lbs per sq. ft. is enough for only a 400 sf. area. (20' x 20'?)
A really small pond?

 

[ken erickson]

A ton of sodium Bentonite at 5 lbs per sq. ft. is enough for only a 400 sf. area. (20' x 20'?)
A really small pond?

This pond is about 740 sq foot but I do have a pretty good layer of clay in the center that holds water and is about 10 foot in diameter . And yes this one is small and a learning project for me. I hope to dig a pond roughly 7 or 8 times the size in the future.

 

[Tughill Tom]

I dug a small wildlife pond two summers ago in my mostly sandy soil in a low spot that does have some layers of clay. The pond is fed with run-off, rain , and soon to be harvested rainwater from my tractor shed to the tune of 425 gallons per inch of rain fall.
I am ordering up a ton of sodium bentonite clay 3/8 chips which will yield about 5 ponds per square foot. I know there are lots of YouTube vides of folks using bentonite for pond sealing but I would love to hear from OTT members that have personal experience using the stuff.

Bentonite for Ponds (naturalwaterscapes.com)
I've never done it, but looks like a nice project. Good luck. Oh and pictures!

 

[ken erickson]

Bentonite for Ponds (naturalwaterscapes.com)
I've never done it, but looks like a nice project. Good luck. Oh and pictures!

Thanks! And I will document with pictures. It took a bit of searching to even find bentonite locally here in the quantity pricing that made it feasible. As fried1765 pointed out this is more of an watering hole and even with a small the amount of water it holds I find it amazing the attraction to wildlife .

 

[fried1765]

Thanks! And I will document with pictures. It took a bit of searching to even find bentonite locally here in the quantity pricing that made it feasible. As fried1765 pointed out this is more of an watering hole and even with a small the amount of water it holds I find it amazing the attraction to wildlife .

Don't know where you are, but Bentonite is mined primarily in Wyoming (in the USA).
Trucking can get very costly!

 

[ken erickson]

Don't know where you are, but Bentonite is mined primarily in Wyoming (in the USA).
Trucking can get very costly!

I am in central Wisconsin and this bentonite is from Wyoming. I had checked last year into having two 2000 pound super sacks delivered from one of the facilities in Wy. Two was their minimum purchase. Last year including shipping that would have cost about $1700. I hate to see what current cost would be today with the drastic increase in fuel costs.

 

[mcfarmall]

Saw this stuff on a Hometown Acres video that he used to seal a pond. Damit Pond Sealer, shalex.com

 

[Deleted member 47704]

Get some ducks.

 

[ken erickson]

Saw this stuff on a Hometown Acres video that he used to seal a pond. Damit Pond Sealer, shalex.com

I have watched several videos on Damit Pond Sealer. The thing that made me hesitant was Shalex's statement in one that said the product works much better with large ponds due to the water pressure forcing the product into voids. If it worked the price would be very favorable compared to bentonite.

 

[ken erickson]

Get some ducks.

I have seen ducks used and also hogs to seal ponds. . I am afraid if I put out domestic ducks such as Muscovy's the coyotes would eat well that night!

 

[Deleted member 47704]

I have seen ducks used and also hogs to seal ponds. . I am afraid if I put out domestic ducks such as Muscovy's the coyotes would eat well that night!

Any open water will attract wild ducks, unlike geese that need a body of water you could land a Spruce Goose on, ducks can drop in on anything.
If they show up feed em some bread, rosemary and thyme.

 

[D2Cat]

Neighbor bought a farm with an existing pond and it leaked. Local Kitty Litter factory had 6 or 7 of those super sacks they couldn't use and he purchased them. He had a contractor with an extended hoe place the material over a large area of the water (pond was full while being worked on) and it leaks to this day.

I think to get bentonite to seal it needs to be worked into the soil. That's why you hear of animals or birds helping.

If you had a small sheeps foot or create some way to tamp the bentonite into the soil you'd have a better chance of getting it sealed.

Might check with a nearby oil field supply to see if they get bentonite at a better price.

 

[ken erickson]

I agree working it in is going to be key. This time of year I can accomplish that. If it gets later in the spring early summer the pond always has standing water. The place that I will be purchasing from does have a much better price than the per ton price I was quoted shipped from Wy in the super sacks.

 

[leveraddict]

Ken how about a pond liner since its a small pond.

 

[ken erickson]

Ken how about a pond liner since its a small pond.

I had considered a pond liner which this size pond would lend itself to. Call me stubborn(runs in the family) but I really want to exhaust the more natural solutions before I go the liner route.

 

[ctfjr]

fwiw several years ago a neighbor and I talked about a small pond at the property line. At the time I found 'bladder tanks' that they use for firefighting water in areas with no water supply. I guess after so many years they cycle them out. iirc they were 30-50k gallons and sold for a few $100.

 

[ken erickson]

Update on my wildlife watering hole and sodium bentonite experiment .

The three photos are what happens to the 3/8 bentonite chips in a water glass and what happens when they get hydrated with water. Its hard for me to qualify a number as to how much swelling these chips achieved. I have read anywhere from 10 to 18 times by volume depending on surrounding soil types and other factors.
I also added a link with a short video from the L2501. I started by using the grapple to "rake" out last years dead vegetation and then my buddy broke open the 48 50lb bags , spread, and then I worked it into the soil with the grapple tines as evenly as I could.. Now I wait and hope for rain!