Raised Pond

[chocolatechip]

hello,

i've just created a small washing up bowl raised pond in my garden.
i've surrounded it with stones and rocks to make nice hidey holes, and i've put some inside so animals can come and go.
Is there anything else i can do to attract pond creatures, i've seen two damselflies flying round, and a few weeks ago some frogs

would anyone recommend me trying to find some tadpoles near by, or should i just let nature do its thing????

thanks

[dampflippers]

Put in some oxygenators (underwater plants) and something like water forgetmenot. You will soon get some inhabitants.

[Kayleigh]

To support wildlife over winter they need a depth of 18" to 2ft. You will not get dragonflies in a bowl its too shallow.
You will get fly and mossy larvae. you may even get the odd frog sitting in it but I doubt they will breed.

[oliviamaryb]

As mentioned, you'll need oxygenators like elodea oor else the water will go green (it probably will go green initially anyway). The birds will use your pond for drinking out of. I have a raised pond too - in a barrel. Be careful not to become obsessed. I have!

[djackso]

As a child we had an old enamel sink outside - just left there to collect water - I don't recall why - maybe one of my siblings had used it for fish.

Anyway, I do remember a strange creature in it which I became fascinated with - I later learnt it was an eft - this is probably when my liking for newts first started.

The "pond" wasn't very big at all - it was muddy, with no oxygenators apart from algae.

And it didn't have the advantage of access ramps.

A success story on a tiny scale I think.

Good luck with yours - you never know!!

[oliviamaryb]

Actually, we had a similar thing as children - an old baby bath. My mum said it was always swarming with frogs etc. She didn't do anything to it.

[chocolatechip]

i may not get dragonflies but i will hopefully get some damselflies. even if they just fly around it and then fly off. i had two in the garden before i had the pond. i would love to make a bigger pond, but i live in a rented house, so i cant go digging up the landlords grass

i made a similar pond in my parents garden when i was younger, and we did get frogs in it. they may not have bred, but they seemed to enjoy sitting in it. i#ll keep my eyes peeled.

i do indeed have mosquito larvae, but i guess they need to be there or i won't get the bigger exciting animals.

i'm still hunting down some pond weed, i can't find any local shops.

[djackso]

I could send you some, but I'm not sure how it would travel.

I think it might be a good excuse to visit some local ponds. As far as I know, the gathering of small amounts of wild seed is o.k. (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong). You may have to wait a few weeks to find seed - and this will depend on the species. Water starwort may be a suitable candidate. Of course, non-flowering plants won't have seed - if you can access oxygenators, nipping off just a tiny amount (not the roots) should be o.k. This should grow and re-root in you pond. The law is a bit strict if this is not o.k., in my opinion.

If you are like me and impatient, pop to your local large supermarket and buy a bag of watercress. Stems of this plant root and grow very quickly. You could anchor suitable ones with a stone - avoid adding compost to the water. I think they'd be o.k. without any.

Anyway - I think you could have great fun experimenting

[kaitkaitkait]

I have a mini pond in addition to the large one, plus two bog gardens. I'm always amazed at the difference in what I find in each pond. The mini one is shaded, near hedgerow, has always been crystal clear although the bottom of it has a thick layer of mud. The toads use it to cool off, I think. I'm always finding them there, rather than in the warmer waters of the larger, sunny pond. Newts use the warmer one, and frogs, but our toads must like it cooler though they spawn in the large pond!

In the smaller one - daphnia by the millions, and rat-tailed maggots (drone fly larvae?) plus a lot of leeches and flatworms.

[dampflippers]

There are several online pond plant suppliers. Do an internet search for native pond plants.

Recommended pond plants
This is a good list of good plants, and at the bottom, ones to avoid.

If you do get plants from someone else's pond it is a good idea to give them a rinse before you put them in your pond in case they carry any diseases.

[Kayleigh]

Hi chocolatechip,
you could get a half barrel like mine. This was in spring with frog spawn in it. If you move house you can take it with you.

[chocolatechip]

thank you for all your help, i'm certainly interested in the barrel idea. have you lined it with any thing???

my mum is bringing my some pond oxygentor at the weekend, which i will give a rinse before i put it in..

I keep lookig for frogs, but none yet, i'm letting he grass grow long around it, to make them somewhere wet and damp to sit..

[kaitkaitkait]

Originally Posted by chocolatechip

I keep lookig for frogs, but none yet, i'm letting he grass grow long around it, to make them somewhere wet and damp to sit..

Excellent if you can find one, put a log or small log pile next to the pond - this will give the frogs when they arrive some shelter and also attract the slugs in your garden. Perfect amphibian delicatessen!

[oliviamaryb]

I haven't lined my barrel with anything, as the wood swells up to make it watertight. However, a grey greasy film keeps forming on the surface and I have yet to establish where it is coming from. Possibly the wood?

[Kayleigh]

My barrel had big gaps so was not water tight. We squirted silicon into the joints and painted an aquatic liquid rubber on it. Left it for a couple of weeks to dry before filling the barrel.
You can get the aquatic liquid rubber from DIY centres.