My new pond

  • 109 Replies
  • 27993 Views
*

hubballi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Cheshire
  • 1167
My new pond
« on: April 03, 2011, 17:39 »
After the advice here I bought a liner and made my own wildlife pond. Now I need some creatures to inhabit. I have planted Comfrey, Foxglove, Nettles (to help give shade to the logs and provide attraction for the bees/hover flies) and water forget me not (in the margin) as well as put in my Marsh Marigold from my old smaller tub. l have a yellow Iris to go in but need to get a container for it. It can take over if your not careful. I also want to get a lilly and have some duckweed (not too much though)

Can anyone tell me if I have a chance attracting damsel flies at all ? It's south facing.








« Last Edit: May 21, 2011, 22:49 by Aunt Sally »

*

8doubles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Hakin Pembrokeshire
  • 5266
Re: My new pond
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2011, 19:01 »
Nice pond, the damsel fly may turn up if there is another pond with them nearby. :)

*

smud6ie

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: Monmouthshire SE Wales
  • 533
Re: My new pond
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2011, 20:43 »
When I started my ponds over 10 years ago the nearest water was 1/2 a mile away but we had damsels and dragons inside two years and we now have them by the hundreds,Damsels that is.   Even a tiny amount of Duckweed  introduced into a pond starts a constant battle to keep it in check and there is only one winner!
Smud6ie

*

JayG

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: South West Sheffield
  • 16722
Re: My new pond
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2011, 21:23 »
Nice job Hubballi!

I had a water boatman in mine within 2 days of filling it but that was in late summer.

Have to say I seem to be the only person on the planet who has failed to grow duckweed in their pond (it could be because it's got goldfish in it which you definitely don't want to introduce to a proper wildlife pond!)
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

One of the best things about being an orang-utan is the fact that you don't lose your good looks as you get older

*

hubballi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Cheshire
  • 1167
Re: My new pond
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2011, 23:23 »
Can anyone suggest what to plant around the edge where the soil slopes down as I would like something that would attract hover flies as well as making a nice natural edging.

No creatures to report as yet :-(

*

8doubles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Hakin Pembrokeshire
  • 5266
Re: My new pond
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2011, 07:46 »
I left one of those large rubber trug/bucket thingies outside the day before yesterday, it rained overnight and in the morning there was a 1/2 size frog sat in the middle. :)
Luckily the chooks did not see him first.

*

savbo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Rusholme, Manchester
  • 1742
Re: My new pond
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2011, 15:57 »
one of my favourite marginals is flowering rush (butomus), well-behaved small reed-like plant with pinky 3-lobed flowers.

Arrowhead (Sagittaria) is another good marginal

Lilies are tricky in small ponds like this but you could look at Frogbit as an alternative?

What oxygenators have you got? Avoid anything like canadian pondweed. My favourite is water crowfoot, fine hair-like leaves underwater, with small surface leaves like tiny lilies and white buttercup flowers

*

ANHBUC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North East England
  • 8045
  • "You looking at me?!!!"
Re: My new pond
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2011, 11:44 »
Can anyone suggest what to plant around the edge where the soil slopes down as I would like something that would attract hover flies as well as making a nice natural edging.

No creatures to report as yet :-(

Hover flies seem to like anything flowering in our garden.

We built our pond about 8 years ago in the summer on a natural sloping garden.  We used railway sleepers for the retaining walls.  Within a week we had dragon flies and damsel flies visiting.  They both love laying their eggs around the pond and the dragon flies seem to prefer to lay theirs onto the wood sleepers.

Quote
JayG
Have to say I seem to be the only person on the planet who has failed to grow duckweed in their pond (it could be because it's got goldfish in it which you definitely don't want to introduce to a proper wildlife pond!)

I disagree about not having goldfish in a wildlife pond.  We have had goldfish, grass carp and golden orf in our pond since we built it and we have newts, frogs, dragonfly nymphs and all the usual bugs.  We even get bats skimming the surface for bugs.  The goldfish even breed which is just as well with the heron helping itself now and then.   :ohmy:


(Edited to clarify quote)
« Last Edit: April 06, 2011, 11:54 by JayG »
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens!
Bagpuss RIP 1992 - June 2012, 1 huge grass carp (RIP "Jaws" July 2001 - December 2011), 4 golden orfe, 1 goldfish and 1 fantail fish (also huge)! plus 4 Italian quail, 1 Japanese quail, 1 Rosetta quail.

*

JayG

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: South West Sheffield
  • 16722
Re: My new pond
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2011, 12:02 »
I disagree about not having goldfish in a wildlife pond.  We have had goldfish, grass carp and golden orf in our pond since we built it and we have newts, frogs, dragonfly nymphs and all the usual bugs.  We even get bats skimming the surface for bugs.  The goldfish even breed which is just as well with the heron helping itself now and then.   :ohmy:

My goldfish are scoffing the poor tadpoles as I speak and I'm desperately trying to think of some sort of drift-netting arrangement to try and confine the remaining ones to a safe corner of the pond in such a way that the fish can't reach them! Although it's got marginal and underwater plants there isn't enough cover for them (probably partly related to the size of the pond which is only about 8'X4')

*

8doubles

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Hakin Pembrokeshire
  • 5266
Re: My new pond
« Reply #9 on: April 06, 2011, 13:02 »
Goldfish will not eat many toadpoles but even an inch long fish will stuff itself to the gills (witnessed) with tadpoles.
Dragon and damsel fly nymph are more fish food , if any survive in a goldfish pond it is because the fish did not find them!

*

ANHBUC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North East England
  • 8045
  • "You looking at me?!!!"
Re: My new pond
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2011, 23:48 »
My goldfish are scoffing the poor tadpoles as I speak and I'm desperately trying to think of some sort of drift-netting arrangement to try and confine the remaining ones to a safe corner of the pond in such a way that the fish can't reach them! Although it's got marginal and underwater plants there isn't enough cover for them (probably partly related to the size of the pond which is only about 8'X4')
[/quote]

Our pond is really big and the fish have never bothered with the tadpoles, well not so I have noticed.  Ours is still frog spawn but we have masses of it.  Think there is so much more for them to eat in the pond they don't bother with the tadpoles.

*

ANHBUC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North East England
  • 8045
  • "You looking at me?!!!"
Re: My new pond
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2011, 23:55 »
Goldfish will not eat many toadpoles but even an inch long fish will stuff itself to the gills (witnessed) with tadpoles.
Dragon and damsel fly nymph are more fish food , if any survive in a goldfish pond it is because the fish did not find them!

Probably right there, ours nymphs usually hide in the planters or in the silt.  It is the nymphs which we see scoffing the tadpoles.  Last year we were sat out at dusk and saw something come out of the pond across the paving.  It was a nymph on its way to find somewhere to emerge as a dragonfly.  Unfortunately it was intercepted by a frog looking for its supper, what goes around, comes around I suppose.   :blush:

*

hubballi

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Cheshire
  • 1167
Pond going green and stagnant.
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2011, 16:34 »
ll the hard work of laying a pond and designing around it to encourage wildlife has so far proved fruitless. I have added water forget me nots at the margins and tipped a few jars of wild pond water into the mix. All I seem to have are little white sperm like creatures that wriggle around like tadpoles (no, they are def not tadpoles). Also, petals from Wisteria and other plants are falling into the pond daily meaning me cleaning with out with a net.

I have no water boatmen, frogs or other creatures. Just a gloopy thick water with patches of bubbles on the surface.

I don't know where to get oxygenating plants from as the wild ponds didn't have any.

*

mumofstig

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Kent
  • 57873
Re: Pond going green and stagnant.
« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2011, 16:44 »
You can buy the plants from a pet shop, the sort that sell koi carp.

*

Plot18

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Salford, Lancs.
  • 39
Re: Pond going green and stagnant.
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2011, 16:54 »
As you're in Cheshire you could try Stapeley Water Gardens http://www.stapeleywg.com/

Great place, you'll find lots of ideas there.



xx
I've been given a pond.

Started by yorkiegal on Design and Construction

8 Replies
3648 Views
Last post July 06, 2012, 10:59
by smud6ie
xx
pond

Started by edlomatt on Design and Construction

13 Replies
6125 Views
Last post September 23, 2007, 22:05
by richyrich7
xx
establishing a pond,please help!!

Started by mickeyboy on Design and Construction

31 Replies
8944 Views
Last post January 07, 2010, 22:26
by sunshineband
xx
Pond liners

Started by Comfreypatch on Design and Construction

6 Replies
2777 Views
Last post February 04, 2015, 18:24
by Comfreypatch
 

Page created in 0.129 seconds with 37 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |