Sunken bath

[firsttimersue]

On my new allotment there's a sunken bath, I was going to take it out but have decided to keep it and try and encourage some wildlife.

The water is pretty slimy and green, should I empty and start again or are there plants I can add to the water that will help clean and encourage a few toads.

Need lots of advice as have given it no thought or research and the rain is on the way!

[lynda66]

i'd drain it and give it a good clean out, take out any plants and make sure you save any snails and stuff .... if you have any frogs / toads etc in there leave it till autumn ... if it's too manky for life just wash off and reuse any healthy plants and clean it out completely

you can add barley straw pads which help stop it going green, also plenty of plants will help too and a bit of shade over part of it if possible

also put some rocks round and/or old logs, so the frogs and toads can hide and also plenty of hibernation places

[Snadger]

Here's one I made earlier!

I would clean it out as you don't know exactly what's in it! I put a ramp of compacted soil in mine so anything falling in could get out! I also made a shallow section at the end opposite the taps then added a black plastic membrane before filling with water. I used water from some water buts that already had some green stuf on them. I now have little tadpoles populating it!

[Creemteez]

If it hasn't been used as a wildlife pond before, make sure you create a "beach" using rocks and pebbles so that frogs and toads can get in and out easily. Birds have been known to drown in baths while trying to get a drink (it happened to a crow in the bath my friend uses for her horses trough - not a nice thing to find) - and a beach will help prevent this happening.

[BFG]

Green is good. It's the spring bloom and is the basis of the pond food chain.

All the nutrients that have built up in the pond over winter get used by the algae when the spring sunshine comes. Some pond plants will keep it under control and act as natural filters in the summer.

[Two_Sheds]

Shade is the best thing for keeping the water clear and not like pea-soup.

I had water lilies and irises in my pond, and things like comfrey and grasses around the edge of it.

[BFG]

You have to be careful to get the right balance though. Not enough sun means the water doesn't heat us enough and tadpoles can't change into adults.

[blackkitty]

Buy a bag of watercress and let some root in a glass of water and then throw it in, you do have to control it as it can take over but it'll clear the water better than barley straw and is good for all sorts of wildlife. You shouldn't eat it from that sort of pond though.