Floating Pond Island

[Jennifer]

Hi, can anyone tell me how to build a floating pond island (as seen in the Gardener's World Berryfields wildlife pond). I tried the BBC gardening website and it had no instructions!!! Google and Ask brings up a lot of info on wildlife ponds and islands, but not the floating kind.

My village is thinking about having one in our community pond to give the birds/ducks a haven from the local fox population and I remember seeing them make one on Gardeners World... but can't remeber the how! It seemed to be a raft made of natural materials... but what ones? Are there instructions somewhere on how to make one? (or is there somewhere we can buy one? Although making would probably be more fun). I do remember they attached ropes to the sides to keep it in place, but that's about it.

Thank you!

[StuartDH]

Hi Jennifer and welcome to the forums.

I can't think of any instructions for making one, but if you've got a local Royal Engineers unit I'd get in touch with them and see if they can help you to build a pontoon. I used to be in the RE and often saw pontoons being built in the middle of lakes. Some were so large that you could almost float a small village on them.

Stuart

[nightshade]

hello jennifer try
www.ruralni.gov.uk/pdfs/cmd/farm_ponds.pdf
if this link does not work contact me,it shows how to build a super island which you can scale up or down to suit (google search counntryside management publications farm ponds)

[nightshade]

Jennifer did anything ever come of the floating pond island?

[Tinkerbell]

Jennifer - an article appeared in the Yorkshire County Edition Evening Press on Wed. 19th Oct. re BTCV Volunteers building floating islands at New Earswick Nature Reserve. With recycling in mind they used old uPVC windows, covered in mesh and then woven with willow etc. to make their islands. Their web address is: north-yorkshire@btcv.org.uk. Hope this helps.

[henrya]

Just a reminder that if you do build a floating island, anchor it to the bottom of the pond, not the bank. No sense in making it easy for the rats to get there!

henrya

[fbcpmike]

We made a temporary floating "island" a few years ago (for trapping terrapins), out of a wood pallette with the core stuffed with offcuts of expanded foam (the white block now used for wall insulation), not very environmentally friendly but it was short term and worked very well.

The foam does not degrade so it could be used for quite a while (years) providing it was eventually removed. Like the BTCV effort it could be inside woven willow. Six or so Faggots (Willow bundles) with a foam flotation center would work quite well. As mentioned anchor to the pond bottom. Again we have done this with a large plastic paint tin (10Ltr cleaned) filled with concrete and set with an eye bolt with a long galvanised chain. Don't use Nylon rope or plastic "Ty-wraps" for securing as they absorb about 5-10% water when fully immersed for a long time and the knots come loose, your island then floats away !.

[Plakeduckville]

[Plakeduckville]

Plans $10.00

[Plakeduckville]

Building Plans $10.00

[largehog]

Have you seen Floating Pond Islands - Home they did it for me!

[kaitkaitkait]

Oh, these look amazing! I'd love one for my pond - just to grow more plants and cut out what's clearly too much sunlight. The algae is taking over!

At the moment, I am using cork lily pads (natural cork tiles cut into shapes) but they are a bit grotty having been used for 3 years now. I was going to replace them but a floating island would be much more exciting!

[ron1863]

The local fishing club built some floating islands on our local pond to encourage wildfowl and it worked. They built small wooden rafts, which were anchored to the bottom of the pond. The birds built nest on top of them and over the years the nesting material has sprouted and look very natural, like small islands. There is even a large one that the swans use.