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Wildlife Pond


Beast Boy

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Building my first wildlife pond in a few weeks. 
 

Doing a lot of research in to how best to go about it. Think I’ve got it all pretty much sorted in my mind as to how to go about it.
 

Anyone on here done this before? Any wee tips that I might not have come across yet would be appreciated.

 

 

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Montgomery Brewster

 

interesting what the guy suggests about the line of stones all the way round . A good watch and one I plan to replicate when I get a garden again 

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21 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

 

interesting what the guy suggests about the line of stones all the way round . A good watch and one I plan to replicate when I get a garden again 

 

Indeed! I watched that video already actually, and he has some great advice. I plan to the same thing as he did with the ring of bricks/stones, but I want to take it even further than that and have a bit of a network of channels covered by slabs around the perimeter.

 

I started off planning to dig out the old one at the bottom of the garden that I inherited a couple of years ago, but it has matured in to a marsh now because of the overhanging tree. As I have read up more on how they work, I've learned that all wildlife ponds actually mature and eventually turn in to this separate habitat anyway... So, instead of re-digging the original one, I think I'm going to keep it next to the new one that I dig, meaning there is a range of habitats.

 

 

 

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Montgomery Brewster
4 minutes ago, Special Officer Doofy said:

 

Indeed! I watched that video already actually, and he has some great advice. I plan to the same thing as he did with the ring of bricks/stones, but I want to take it even further than that and have a bit of a network of channels covered by slabs around the perimeter.

 

I started off planning to dig out the old one at the bottom of the garden that I inherited a couple of years ago, but it has matured in to a marsh now because of the overhanging tree. As I have read up more on how they work, I've learned that all wildlife ponds actually mature and eventually turn in to this separate habitat anyway... So, instead of re-digging the original one, I think I'm going to keep it next to the new one that I dig, meaning there is a range of habitats.

 

 

 

Yes good plan. There will be a host of wee beasties and reptiles already creeping about.

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2 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Yes good plan. There will be a host of wee beasties and reptiles already creeping about.

 

First year we were in the new place, I didn't even realise there was a pond there. It was so filled up with leaves and overgrown. We were getting an extension built, and I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the rst of the garden. Last year once the extension was finished, I went out to tidy the garden and noticed the ditch/bog. Then after a fair bit of rainfall, I noticed a couple of frogs. It's clearly still providing a habitat for some animals, do I'll just let it carry on doing what it is doing I think. Going to pile some logs and stick at the back too, mabe some piles of slate and bricks, so I can attract as much wildlife as possible. Found a toad in the garden twice as well, so the animals are there, they maybe just need a bit more help.

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23 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Are you planning on recording it as you go ?

 

would be good to document your progress 


Got a few ‘before’ pictures from when I was originally going to excavate the old one. I probably will take some photos as I go actually, yeah. 👍

 

Collecting my new pick axe from Screw-Fix on the way back from IKEA today. 😄

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57 minutes ago, Hambone said:

I built a pond about 5 years ago, had a smaller one and went LARGE, and a river.

nick your rocks from broken stone dyke walls.

then and now.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/451NsBsrMzVDwhwT8

 

Pond frogs-rs.jpg

POND-01-rs.jpg

 

55 minutes ago, Hambone said:

2pond-03-rs.jpg


Those are pretty mint! Don’t think mine will be as grand as that. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 22/02/2020 at 12:36, Montgomery Brewster said:

Are you planning on recording it as you go ?

 

would be good to document your progress 


Sorry. I appear to be unable to upload photos. I get some message about “-200”.

 

@Maple Leaf can you advise? 🤷‍♂️

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4 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:


Sorry. I appear to be unable to upload photos. I get some message about “-200”.

 

@Maple Leaf can you advise? 🤷‍♂️

 

Hopefully someone smarter than me can tell you how to do it.

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2 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Hopefully someone smarter than me can tell you how to do it.


Ah, sorry mate. Thought you might know. Who’s the tech guy?

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11 minutes ago, kila said:

You’ll need to make the file size smaller to upload.


How do I do that on an iPhone?

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On 22/02/2020 at 12:36, Montgomery Brewster said:

Are you planning on recording it as you go ?

 

would be good to document your progress 


Okay, think I’ve got this...

 

Self-isolating for 14 days, as my daughter had a temperature on Thursday, and we need to follow the guidelines.

 

So, rather than going completely radio rental in the house, I decided to finally make a start on the garden. Started Friday morning, and just moving at a pretty leisurely pace. 
 

I did a bit of ventilation shafts fitting and labouring in my twenties, but at 40 y/o... bloody hell. Who knew digging a hole would be such hard work! Getting old, man. :( 

 

Still, here’s some photos of progress:

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Cleaning out the greenhouse we inherited too. Never had one before, so much like the pond, I’m just giving it a go and learning as I go along. Emptied it and scrubbed it down with something called Jays fluid? 🤷‍♂️ At the recommendation of a neighbour. Left it over night.

 

Realise it’s not the best order to do it in, but we are getting a new lawn put in and replacing the back fence too. Really should have done those things first, but circumstances made that tricky/impossible. Just need to be careful not to damage the pond when I do those things.


As with the pond, any advice welcomed!

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2 hours ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Superb

 

whats the rough side and depth ?

 

good that you’ve got different depths 


It’s about 3’ at its deepest. Then about 1.5’ and then I’m building a shallower shelve at approx 6”. Just need to get myself some rocks to build around the perimeter now, and then some plants. Put some old slabs around the liner and underlay just now to keep everything in place. Not keeping them. Put some sand at the bottom and some stones to make a slope for animals to enter and exit safely.

 

Going to hopefully finish it next weekend, when I take delivery of:

 

Rocks to build around circumference.

More stones, pebbles and gravel to finish the slope/bank.

Waterlily for deepest part.

Oxygenating plants for mid-water.

Border plants for shallowest shelf and the ground around the pond.

 

Looks really shit just now, but will look much better when I get the above in and the sand settles at the bottom:

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

What’s the size width / length wise ?

 

Need to get back to you with that tomorrow. 
 

5 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Thats really good. You should be pleased with your efforts - well done. 
 

 

 

Thanks mate, appreciate it. Looks a bit shit and underwhelming just now. Need to keep reminding myself it’s barely half finished. Really don’t want to see any liner when I’m finished so will need to be smart with what plants I put in.

 

All advice welcome!

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Montgomery Brewster
12 minutes ago, Special Officer Doofy said:

 

Need to get back to you with that tomorrow. 
 

 

Thanks mate, appreciate it. Looks a bit shit and underwhelming just now. Need to keep reminding myself it’s barely half finished. Really don’t want to see any liner when I’m finished so will need to be smart with what plants I put in.

 

All advice welcome!

All ponds look ropey waterwise for first wee  while. 
 

I remember the huge one they did on gardeners world - it looked like a muddy pool when first done. Fast forward 6 months and it looked amazing.yours will as well . 
 

the more wild life ponds we can get in across the country the better.

 

my ex next door neighbour had a pond. My garden used to be plagued with snails / slugs etc. After a year of being in the place was teaming with toads and my problem was gone !

 

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Just now, Montgomery Brewster said:

All ponds look ropey waterwise for first wee  while. 
 

I remember the huge one they did on gardeners world - it looked like a muddy pool when first done. Fast forward 6 months and it looked amazing.yours will as well . 
 

the more wild life ponds we can get in across the country the better.

 

my ex next door neighbour had a pond. My garden used to be plagued with snails / slugs etc. After a year of being in the place was teaming with toads and my problem was gone !

 


Yeah, just need to keep reminding myself of that. What is it they say about bairns and jobs half done! Yeah, looking forward to getting it finished and the wildlife moving in. Had to change my original plans somewhat as I’ve gone along. I was originally going to put slabs around the perimeter, but the ground is so uneven, I now going to go for the natural look instead. Cheers for the encouragement. 👍

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Francis Albert

Not sure what the definition is of a wildlife pond is but for years I tried to maintain a goldfish pond with pumps and filters, which did nothing, silted up, the pond was algae and bind weed infested  and horrible looking. The expensive pumps and filters had to be thrown away and replaced after a couple of years. 

Switched a few years ago to just oxygenating plants and the occasional treatment in extreme conditions.. Water has been much clearer, goldfish, frogs, newts thriving.

So I would go as wild as you can.

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8 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

Not sure what the definition is of a wildlife pond is but for years I tried to maintain a goldfish pond with pumps and filters, which did nothing, silted up, the pond was algae and bind weed infested  and horrible looking. The expensive pumps and filters had to be thrown away and replaced after a couple of years. 

Switched a few years ago to just oxygenating plants and the occasional treatment in extreme conditions.. Water has been much clearer, goldfish, frogs, newts thriving.

So I would go as wild as you can.

Wildlife ponds generally don’t have fish in them. Fish need cleaner water through filtration as you said. Also fish eat tadpoles. There’s some debate about keeping sticklebacks but I’ll probably not bother as I’d need to bring them from elsewhere and that defeats the purpose. 
 

Wildlife ponds are generally populated by their inhabitants naturally. First the mosquito larvae arrive, then the larger invertebrates that feed on them such as back swimmers and boatmen. Amphibians start to arrive after about a year as well. Then once you’ve got all these creatures in there you’ll start to hopefully get shrimp and other creatures who’s eggs gets stuck to feet of birds who use the ponds to drink.

 

Water beetles, water bugs and dragon and damselflies fly there. Amphibians travel many miles overnight in search of places to breed and once they find a good habitat they tend to return each spring.


The idea is to have a network of ditches, ponds and other waterways for the often endangered animals to get about and hopefully boost their numbers.

 

 

 

Edited by Special Officer Doofy
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Cairneyhill Jambo
14 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:

 


Okay, think I’ve got this...

 

Self-isolating for 14 days, as my daughter had a temperature on Thursday, and we need to follow the guidelines.

 

So, rather than going completely radio rental in the house, I decided to finally make a start on the garden. Started Friday morning, and just moving at a pretty leisurely pace. 
 

I did a bit of ventilation shafts fitting and labouring in my twenties, but at 40 y/o... bloody hell. Who knew digging a hole would be such hard work! Getting old, man. :( 

 

Still, here’s some photos of progress:

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Hedgehogs prefer to follow fence lines. One of the main declines in urban hedgehog populations is that people dont make allowances for hedgehogs travelling between gardens by completely enclosing them. You should have moved your pond back from the fence by two or three feet. 

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12 minutes ago, Cairneyhill Jambo said:

Hedgehogs prefer to follow fence lines. One of the main declines in urban hedgehog populations is that people dont make allowances for hedgehogs travelling between gardens by completely enclosing them. You should have moved your pond back from the fence by two or three feet. 


Hedgehogs are excellent swimmers and I’m building a gravel slope so any wildlife that does fall in can climb out to safety. :thumbsup:
 

Also, it’s difficult to see it from the photos, but the pond is about a foot or more from that fence at the back. 
 

 

Edited by Special Officer Doofy
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In fact, in these uncertain times, I think we all need to see a video of hedgehogs swimming to cheer us up:

 

 

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32 minutes ago, jb102 said:

Remember to build a hide so that you can shoot flighting ducks.


:lol:

 

Geese are a worry too:

 

 

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Edited by Special Officer Doofy
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5 minutes ago, Vlad Magic said:

Hedgehogs can swim?

 

You learn something new every day.

 

Pond looking good mate 👍


It will be when finished. Just at that sort of ugly phase just now. Waiting on slate arriving to sort out the edges, and need to get the plants in too. Thanks though mate. 

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22 hours ago, Cairneyhill Jambo said:

Hedgehogs prefer to follow fence lines. One of the main declines in urban hedgehog populations is that people dont make allowances for hedgehogs travelling between gardens by completely enclosing them. You should have moved your pond back from the fence by two or three feet. 

 

 

Also easier to maintain your pond if you can walk all the way around it.

I learned the hard way.

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1 hour ago, Nobreath said:

 

 

Also easier to maintain your pond if you can walk all the way around it.

I learned the hard way.


I can, and will be able to when it’s finished. Did you fall in? :lol: 

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This thread is my dream! Always wanted to dig, fill and maintain a garden pond! 

 

Need to work on moving into a house with a garden first, but love seeing people do these kind of projects. 

 

Good luck with it! :thumbsup:

 

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20 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:


I can, and will be able to when it’s finished. Did you fall in? :lol: 

 

Not quite but been very close a few times. It's annoying as Hell when you're trying to reach for overgrown pond plants and other stuff and you can't quite manage it.

 

Still delighted I have a pond though. It's full of frog spawn at the moment, best thing I've done for wildlife in my garden.

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15 hours ago, Nobreath said:

 

Not quite but been very close a few times. It's annoying as Hell when you're trying to reach for overgrown pond plants and other stuff and you can't quite manage it.

 

Still delighted I have a pond though. It's full of frog spawn at the moment, best thing I've done for wildlife in my garden.


I nearly did the same twice already! :lol:

 

Landscaping materials and plants arriving throughout the next seven days though, so should be sorted once all that is complete.

 

So far all I’ve had visit is the world’s biggest carrion crow. 

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On 24/03/2020 at 01:27, tian447 said:

This thread is my dream! Always wanted to dig, fill and maintain a garden pond! 

 

Need to work on moving into a house with a garden first, but love seeing people do these kind of projects. 

 

Good luck with it! :thumbsup:

 


Thanks. All I’ve got so far is a silty pool full of clay particles, but hopefully get it finished over the next week. Bump this thread when you get round to making yours.

 

Even if it’s just to marvel at @Hambone’s thing of beauty at the top of the thread!

 

:wow:

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5 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:


Thanks. All I’ve got so far is a silty pool full of clay particles, but hopefully get it finished over the next week. Bump this thread when you get round to making yours.

 

Even if it’s just to marvel at @Hambone’s thing of beauty at the top of the thread!

 

:wow:

 

Look forward to a bump in 5-10 years :lol:

 

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Removed the slabs, cut back the underlay and liner, and added some slate to make a perimeter round the circumference of the pond. Added some plants too.

 

75kg of slate does not stretch very far! Got another 50kg to put down, and I’ll need to try and get more pebbles/stones to finish the embankment/slope. For the latter I think I’ll get smaller pebbles and pour them over the large pebbles and hopefully they will fill any gaps between the larger stones on the embankment.

 

Theres some plants in there now too, but it will take a while before any properly break the surface:
 

Waterlily (Nymphaea alba) - native variety. Deepest  part of the pond. White lotus flowers and lily pads that creat a surface habitat, as well as providing shade and cover. Roots and stems in depths also provide cover for invertebrates that prefer deeper water.

 

Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) - non native purple flowering marginal plant which can grow submerged or on the banks. As it’s non native I’ve only planted it in the water, and the slate should prevent it breaking free and becoming invasive.

 

Starwort (Callitriche stagnalis) - native oxygenating plants. Weighted with bare roots. Dropped five small bundles in. They will grow quite quickly and provide places to live and hide for newts and invertebrates. Small white surface flowers in summer.

 

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Edited by Special Officer Doofy
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I’d like to have dragonflies and damsel flies as well as other insects that spend their nymph/larval stages in the pond before emerging and casting. I’ll need to put some emergent plants like reeds or rushes in for them to do that.

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Another 50kg of slate added, but I’ll need to tidy it up later, and make it look a bit even and better distributed. 
 

Also put eight more plants in:

 

(the one called Tulbaghia Violacea is planted outside the pond, between the pond and the former small pond/marsh to the left of the new pond)

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So, in the pond so far are x15 individual plants, and one in the ground between the pond and the bog.

 

All the slate put around the perimeter now, but will need to be put in a better arrangement, and I’ll need to try and get hold of some small pebbles to finish the embankment/slope.

 

A couple of plants close to breaking the surface:

 

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Montgomery Brewster

Excellent 

 

if you look at the pic from last week , the wee rock slope, you can see more rocks than last week. Water is starting to settle 

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25 minutes ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Excellent 

 

if you look at the pic from last week , the wee rock slope, you can see more rocks than last week. Water is starting to settle 


Yeah, definitely. It’ll take a bit longer still, as the pots going in have kicked up a little bit more sediment, and some of the aquatic compost will seep in to the water a little too. Definitely getting there though. Looking forward you some of the marginals breaking the surface and hiding the liner beneath the slate.

 

Hoping it’ll transform when the plants appear. 👍

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