Thinking about getting a pond...

[bustertom]

Hi, I moved house last August and inherited a pond - not had one before and it has been soooo enjoyable watching the changes in it. Got tons of tadpoles at the minute. There are stones and a slope to help things get in and out. There are also a lot of plants around the edges that provide access. I've just moved some old logs to one side of the pond for the newts -I'm hoping they will live there rather than my potato bags - I keep getting a fright every time I earth up.

I did allow lots of leaves to settle over winter, the pump broke and as my dog is a water baby (she enjoys splashing so much I feel guilty trying to keep her out), so the pond went quite green -lots of blanket weed -removed most of that now and as the lillys etc are rising - they are helping to reduce the open pond surface.

I really would recommend a wildlife pond I'm sure your family will love it, and if my pond can survive mine/dog treatment then I'm sure yours will be up and running in no time. Have a think about the size -you may wish you got a bigger one once its up and running. Try to fill it up with rain water as it will help it establish quicker. Good luck,

Clare

[IgglePiggle]

Can I get away with not using a pump? I'm hoping to fill it with plants...

[BFG]

You don't need a pump/filter unless you want a waterfall/feature or intend to heavily stock it with fish (which you wouldn't do with a wildlife pond). Plants are natures filter and will keep the water in good condition and prevent stagnation.

One warning though, mosquito's need still water to breed and will be attracted to it.

[Sweepster]

I used a flexible liner for mine (bit of a challenge on a very windy day ). The pics show how it looked shortly after being finished, and then later on as the plants grew around (and into) it. The shallow bit of water to the left of the row of stones was supposed to be the bog area, but I got the levels wrong and it filled with water, so I used leftover pond liner to create two small bog patches next to it instead. Lots of things in those - water avens, marsh marigold, carex and meadowsweet do particularly well. The pond is now seething with tadpoles for the third year running (and they eat the mosquito larvae!)

You certainly don't need a pump/filter for a wildlife pond, just aim to put in a range of suitable plants - oxygenators, floating plants, marginals etc - and they will do the job to a large extent. You should find that it balances itself, so never stays 'pea soupy' for very long.

[BFG]

That looks great!