"Yes!" I cheered, on hearing that it was going to pour it down.
The thing is, my pond has been getting choked with Hornwort. It's that furry underwater weed a little bit like a green feather boa. It's a brilliant oxygenating native, but liable to go a bit rampant.
And when that happens, any stems that are just under the surface are lush and green. But any that are trapped deeper in the water are so shaded that they turn yellow and begins to rot, and then the nutrient level in the pond goes up, risking algae attacks next year.
So I like to hoik out great piles of the stuff at this time of year. It makes great nitrogen-rich compost, but a wet day is essential.
The reason is that in amongst the weed are lots of aquatic creatures - pond snails, water shrimps (Gammarus), and damselfly larvae. By putting the piles of weed right by the side of the pond and letting the rain wash through, lots of the animals will be flushed back into the pond.
I tend to aim for two thirds of the pond covered in waterweed of some sort, a third open water. It's only a rule of thumb, but it does let sunlight into the depths. It is a technique that has worked a treat in all the ponds I've made, helping them maintain what seems to be perfect equilibrium year-round. Don't you just love how nature regulates itself - so much so that my pond water looks clear enough to drink. I don't, of course, but a little wiggling of my toes in the water has been known!
If you want to drop by my RSPB wildlife gardening blog, it is updated every Friday, and I'd love to see you there - www.rspb.org.uk/community/blogs/hfw
Hi Jef
Good to hear from you. Yes, I know how you feel about 'throwing away' healthy plants. One option is to put them in a bucket at the end of your drive with a 'Water Solders - free to a good home' sign - you'd perhaps be amazed how many people actually do have a pond hidden away that you don't know about.
I gave my pond a good clean out last Autumn and put a load of new hornwort plants back in. My pond is full of water soldiers and I am going to have to "thin them out" a bit I'm afraid. I wondered if you had any ideas of what to do with all these healthy plants? I hate having to just throw them on the compost heap and do not know anyone locally with a pond.
Kind regards Jane.
I’ve just finished clearing mine. There was an amazing amount of larvae amongst it, from newts to diving beetles. I did find a young carp which I’m not too pleased about, it must have arrived during the last flood and will hopefully disappear with the next. I clear mine a little at a time; I’ve found if I pile too much up at once the aquatic creatures settle themselves in the centre of the pile where it remains damp rather than returning to the pond.
Build it and they will come.