Advice please: dustbin pond

[Bramble]

I would love a minipond and currently have a 2ft high, 3 1/4 cubic feet capacity stainless steel (I think) dustbin. Is this suitable for a pond? I was wondering about protection in the Scottish winter though. Because I'm in a tenement I can't just go digging up the back green so it will need to remain above ground!

Recommendations on plants would be welcome, particularly how many I could get in, if the bin is suitable of course. I like the look of water hawthorn, water buttercup, water fringe, hornwort and frogbit. Not sure about lilies.

Anyway I was wondering if anyone has done this already. The bin lid is already serving as a shallow pool - what search engines turn up when you put in "dustbin pond"

I haven't been on this forum for years. Nice to be back!

[Tringa]

As you already have the container and you are keen to try it then have a go.

There are going to be difficulties but there seem to be successful really small ponds.

The problems I see are if there is one plant that is more vigourous than others it may take over, you may have to think about safety for small children and animals and as you have already thought about - what happens in the winter? Stainless steel conducts heat well so it will get very cold easily.

Could you put it in a sheltered spot? Is there enough sunlight to work a solar powered fountain as there is a chance the relatively small volume of water (about 20 gallons) could become rank quite easily.

You would need to choose plants carefully but there are smaller varieties of many water plants.

Google for mini ponds and plants for mini ponds.

Good luck

Dave

[Bramble]

Thanks for replying Dave. We don't have any children around at the moment so that is OK. They wouldn't be able to climb in either, where the bin is currently sitting. I did think about birds though - we have fledglings hurtling about in summer so chicken wire might be a thought.

It is in a fairly sheltered spot. Solar fountain sounds very grand - never thought of that!

[Bramble]

Some strange little critters in the dustbin lid now... a few mm long, look exactly like a tiny newly hatched caterpillar, a bobbly little dark head and a thready body. They don't look sturdy enough to be blackfly, but they could just be juniors. They swim sideways with a jacknifing movement. Any ideas?

[dampflippers]

Bramble- there might be a problem if the bin is aluminium rather than stainless steel. I think it may cause a chemical reaction and make the water not good for wildlife, but I'm not 100% sure.
Also in the winter it may well freeze solid, so you might need to replace plants each year...but agin, it may be ok!

Some plants will need to sit on a shelf rather than the bottom, so you will need to rig up a harness or shelf of some sort- perhaps tie to a handle.

[healfdan]

Bramble
From your description, you are now the proud owner of a mosquito breeding site.
Healfdan

[Tringa]

Think Healfdan has it, these wrigglers sound like mozzy larvae.

If you can borrow a goldfish or two to pop in they will love them.

Keep us updated on how your pond is doing; photos would be good too.

Dave

[JAYS]

One thing to be careful of is winter freezing. In cold weather an exposed bin, without any heating, will freeze, and almost certainly your mosquito eating goldfish will die, if the surface remains frozen any length of time.

[Bramble]

Thanks everyone

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?

I happened to see another old dustbin elsewhere (the city council converted to wheelie bins some years ago) and realised the lid on ours is rather shallow compared to the ones with the "bumpy" lid. I have some stones in the bottom of ours as well. So I don't think a goldie would be very happy in it. Especially with our bathing blackbird tribe never out of it! Will they eat mozzy larvae?

I did wonder if it was alu rather than stainless, so I clapped a magnet on it and it stuck I don't imagine it would be alu on the inside and s/s on the outside.

I was going to dodge plants that needed shelving Was thinking about floaters, floating oxygenators and deep water aquatics only. Maybe that's cheating though

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by healfdan

Bramble
From your description, you are now the proud owner of a mosquito breeding site.
Healfdan

I have never had a mozzy problem with mine.