What Is the Best Way to Make an Brand New Artificial Stream Look "natural?"?
A few days ago, I used a bulldozer to rip up a brand new stream channel across a cheap plot of land I bought last year. This land is pretty much just weeds and a few skinny trees right now, but I want to change it into a new ecosystem based around a new stream channel.
I’m going to channel water from a stream that goes through a different part of the property in order to fill the channel (the problem is that I only own a small part of the stream, and I want lots more streamfront on my land), then route the channel back around to the stream so that it forms a loop.
Now that I dug the channel down to the clay substrate, what’s the best way to make it "natural?"
I tried to make the digging mimic a real stream, with some shallower areas, and some deeper "pool" areas.
Right now, my plan is to just scoop up a bunch of rocks and stuff from some local streams in the area, load them into truck, and then just dump them into the new streambed. I’ve done it with the first 15 feet of the channel as an experiment, and it seems to be taking hold. There are crayfish and snails in there, and I’ve even seen some minnows swimming around.
Are there other methods to make a new streambed look natural, or is this "transplantation" method the best?
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Transplantation is the best method.
Charcoal would serve several purposes
1) it would make the stream look deeper then it really is.
2) charcoal is a natural water purfier
3) make your own charcoal by burning large stumps or trees but not to the point of ash.