Nature on Your Doorstep Community

A place to learn, share and inspire others to create a haven for you and for wildlife.

Sign In or Register to join the conversation

New garden pond

Hope I do this correctly and maybe manage a photo too. We probably made our pond a bit too late in the year as the water didn't go in until the end of July. Our garden is on the top of what used to be an old quarry and the ground is full of rubble and a concrete ridge runs diagonally under the lawn. This caused us some problems and left us with the liner having to go over the top of the ridge. I couldn't see how we could plant any groundcover plants that would manage to grow fast enough to cover the liner before winter arrives. Nor would there be much soil for grass. So I bought some hessian sacks off t'interet, cut them to various sizes, laid them over the liner reaching into the water and the laid grass turves on top of the pond edge. After only about two weeks, the grass is rooted into the sacking and sending roots into the water, and the sacking has acted as a 'wick'delivering water up to the grass. Already we have seen water boatmen, backswimmers, dragon and damsel flies, small beetles, midge larvae and some quite large diving beetles. I hope the frogs arrive as quickly next year. My 22 year old son says the pond is the best thing we have ever done and will have one too when he can afford a house!
  • Your pond sounds lovely - it would be great to see a photo of it some time.  I am amazed at how quickly some of  the insects have discovered it, particularly the damsel and dragonflies!  Glad to hear you and your family are enjoying it so much

  • Sounds like your doing a good job, I’m not sure about how long the hessian sacks will last though mine rotted in no time, this is just a thought I saw some astro turf for sale the other day this might give a better surface for laying over the liner with grass turfs laid on this!!

    Jim

  • I'm hoping for pics too! Our pond is only slightly older and at the age of 37, the other half and I are crouched over the side, oohing and aaahing like kids. It's great watching the plants establish and the critters moving in :)

  • Finally! Here is a pic of how one end of it looks at the moment. Yep Jim, I can imagine the sacking won't last long but on some of the websites there was an awful lot of liner under the turf and they said it would be ok. But I thought a bit extra water wicking up wouldn't go amiss. I hope by the time it disintegrates the grass roots will have reached the water. You can already see them dangling down.I've added some more plants and grasses today so probably will find that I have too many next year when they hopefully have chance to grow. Can't wait.

    Maisie, everytime I have a cuppa I stand at the edge looking for a new lily leave or some pondlife. I need to retire. Neighbours just don't see the attraction.

  • Looks good so far! I know what you mean about the lily leaves. I must've spent hours straining my eyes trying to catch a first glimpse of a leaf and trying to remember where the heck I put the plants :D

    There's a lengthy thread detailing my build if you have a bit of time and want to look through to compare notes.

    www.rspb.org.uk/.../79568.aspx

  • Will do. Im obsessed with all things pondy! I think that was a problem at first because there's quite a bit of conflicting into on the various sites. I've gone with pond conservation guidelines. was too confused with ledgesand as we don't have good,firm topsoil we couldn't manage a variety of depths. deepest is about 36 cm with  a large area of about 5 cm deep probably deeper after last nights rain! All the hessian  edging is in the water this morn.

  • Your pond is looking nice BF, mine is half the size and have spent hours watching the wildlife, I never introduced anything and in the second year frogs/ newts / and small bugs had arrived even had damsel flies mating and laying eggs.

    Getting back to your pond I would just leave it like it is and just keep an eye on it I can’t see anything drastic happening only the grass drying out with not having a lot of soil underneath it but a good watering in dry weather will help.

    Wow, just looked at the first page, Maisie, that’s some pond you have built I will have to go back and read more about it.

    Jim

  • BF, I totally know what you mean about conflicting advice. "It should be a metre deep", "not more than 2 feet", "use soil", "don't use soil" - in the end I just went to "whatever looks a reasonably natural slope with the mini digger", plus a shelf along the side and the beach slope at the end.

  • I was a bit concerned that (even tho' taddies like shallow warm water) ours was getting a bit too warm when it was really hot. There should be a bit more shade when plants grow.Some sites advised full sun and some shade. We just dug where we could. I know that you shouldn't transfer spawn but a friend is going to make a sandpit where her small pond is. Tried to disuade her but it seems that an extra square yard of garden is very valuable with two small children. I said to leave it until  the frogs have been back next year and I would take it. Her frogs seem healthy. Any thoughts? I just don't like to think of them returning to a sandpit.

    Gill