Advice please: dustbin pond

[Bramble]

I am totally annoyed to tell you all that, when I went to clean out the bin, I found the bottom is rusty.

So that's that scuppered. And we've enough rainwater right now

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Bramble

I am totally annoyed to tell you all that, when I went to clean out the bin, I found the bottom is rusty.

So that's that scuppered. And we've enough rainwater right now

You could get a barrel pond but your weather is a bit on the cold side so you might have to lag it in winter to stop it freezing through and killing everything in it..
I have a barrel pond in "my images" if you want a look.

[Bramble]

Thanks Kayleigh. I have shoved a large plant pot in the bin so it is now a decorative planting feature I'm thinking about leaving it until next year - our summer can be notoriously short. Like days!

I notice that my mozzies have been joined in my water buckets by a strange beetle like creature. They are like a small black ladybird with a curly tail that they propel itself with. They float on the bottom and on the surface, then when they're disturbed they shoot upwards or downwards.

We're getting quite a menagerie and we don't even have the pond yet

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Bramble

Thanks Kayleigh. I have shoved a large plant pot in the bin so it is now a decorative planting feature I'm thinking about leaving it until next year - our summer can be notoriously short. Like days!

I notice that my mozzies have been joined in my water buckets by a strange beetle like creature. They are like a small black ladybird with a curly tail that they propel itself with. They float on the bottom and on the surface, then when they're disturbed they shoot upwards or downwards.

We're getting quite a menagerie and we don't even have the pond yet

Hopefully the beetles will feed on the mozzies..
No, idea what the beetles are, do they spin round in circles..

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Bramble

Mozzies: I take it these are a native sort of mozzy - am I going to have to start sleeping under a net and take quinine?? Are they something to get rid of or just to put up with?

If they turned up on their own then they'll be natives and the best bet is to put up with them. Mozzie bites can be irritating but mozzies are a food source for lots of other creatures. I was told but have forgotten how many mosquitos a pipistrelle bat will eat in a single night. I'm sure it was in the thousands.

Dave P.

[Bramble]

Oh well, I'll do it for the pips See them a few streets away, maybe they'll come on over!

Haven't seen the beetles spin. They are either at the bottom or the top. Give the bucket a thump and they all change places!

[Moonmoth]

If you're looking for an alternative why not nip down to Homebase or a builders merchants and get a plaster mixing trough they are not too expensive and not too big !!!

[Harry Eales]

Another good and durable item for making a small pond are 'Tuff Tubs' used by builders for transporting 'builders stuff' around sites. These are very strong indeed, hence their name.

Available from Cromwell Tools (a nationwide company) for about £10.00 they come with two very strong nylon rope handles. If I remember correctly they hold about 100 litres of water. Available in any colour as long as it's black.

In winter wrapping the sides with 'Bubble Wrap' several times will help stop the water from freezing and of course the old rubber ball trick will stop the surface from freezing solid.

You will need some soil or baskets with a suitable nutrient source to feed your plants. Insects will colonise naturally. Fish are deadly to insects so make your mind up what you want before you start off.

Harry

[Bramble]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going back to planning stage now!