cleaning and restoring old pond

Pywacket · #1 (**permalink**) 22-05-2010, 05:16 AM

I have an old pond in my garden which is inhabited by newts and frogs. (no fish) It is now in desperate need of a complete overhaul. I would also like to enlarge it. How do I ensure the survival of the newts. Is there a best time of year to do this. The frogs are not so much of a problem. My garden is awash with them. I live in Nth. Lincolnshire in a very rural area and the garden is about half an acre with no near road.
Many thanks in anticipation!

aeshna5 · #2 (**permalink**) 22-05-2010, 05:25 AM

The newts should be mating/egg laying now.

If it's possible I'd leave the pond overhaul until early autumn which is probably the least damaging time to do any work.

dampflippers · #3 (**permalink**) 22-05-2010, 04:27 PM

Can I make a suggestion? As you have a very big garden, would it be possible for you to build an additional pond? You could build that now, and plant it up.
Then in the late summer/early autumn, do some remedial work on the other one and tidy it up/ thin out the plants.
Everyone happy!

By the way, which newts do you have? In your area you could have all three types I think.

Pywacket · #4 (**permalink**) 23-05-2010, 11:34 AM

Hi Dampflippers,
Thanks for your sugestion - never thought of doing that. Now were am I going to put the new pond!!?? (Rhetorical question!)The old pond can not, I feel, be restored without breaking it down completely. It is kept waterproof with a rubber liner which is leaking quite badly. Come autumn I will carefully sift through the silt saving as many local inhabitants as possible. I have a large fish tank which I can set up with filtration which will act as a temporary home if necessary.
I am afraid I am not sure what type of newts we have other than they are not the crested ones. Saw a little female (I think) this morning. She was about 4 inches long, brown with no real markings as far as I could see.
Thanks again.

Pondmad · #5 (**permalink**) 26-06-2010, 09:50 PM

I moved my pond and was careful when draining it to ensure I captured all the newts.

Had moved 120 newts to the deluxe new pond by the time I'd finished.

Mark_b · #6 (**permalink**) 27-06-2010, 08:54 AM

If the pond is leaking and a complete overhaul is needed then I would agree with dampflippers that building another pond would be ideal.

This would then allow you to transfer over all the plant life containing all your ponds fauna.