Pond under trees

[serko]

is it worth siting a new pond nder trees if there is no other option?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Well according to Jeremy Biggs of pond conservation there is no problem with leaves in ponds. I would agree with him as I've dipped a few woodland ponds with leaves covering the bottom of the pond and they were full of life.

A lot of the advice given about ponds that only really apply to pond with fish in so it depends if you want fish in your pond or not really.

[Malcolm Banks]

Not ideal - Not sure how far we have tested the "any pond is better than no pond" mantra (the word "mantra" is popularly used as a pejorative, but here I mean it literally) - some potential problems are pretty obvious:

Leaves in the pond - my pond is only 3 metres from woodland and oak/willow/birch trees almost overhang the pond. Fortunately the prevailing winds take most of the leaves in the opposite direction. I did buy a net to cover the pond but really didn't like the idea, so, any excuse to be by the pond, I remove most of the leaves almost every day. A few leaves won't harm but a treeful?

Birds and bird droppings - if significant numbers of birds use the overhanging branches this could present a more serious problem than the leaves - very good fertiliser for algae plus other potential problems.

Shade - recent posts have indicated that a wide range of pond life can be supported by ponds that have little light - how robust these would be in extreme conditions - who knows?

Tree roots penetrating liner - the risk of this should be reaonably obvious from an exploratory dig

I guess you could give it a go and see what happens, although I put so much time, thought and ultimately, energy into preparing my pond I should have been devastated if it had failed
These are just a few to consider and I am sure you will get expert advice from others.
M

[Pogo]

I had little choice but to site the pond under trees, it's not ideal but it provides shade in the summer and I net it off until all the leaves have fallen. Unless you have a raised pond or there are no trees anywhere near the pond leafs are going to find their way in anyway.

[artdemole]

Natural ponds have trees round them so the pond will be okay.

[Red Robin]

I think the answer to this question must surely depend on the size of the pond, if it has fish, and the extent of the tree leaf droppings.

I was ignorant of such factors when I created my small wildlife pond (no fish) last June and was limited where it was feasible to position it. However, the socking great 50ft Leylander tree has actually been a blessing as it results in my pond being shaded until late morning and that reduces the growth of things like algae. It drops small 'leaves', especially in Autumn, but I inspect my pond on a regular daily basis and easily remove them. Other leaves blown in I tend to leave for the water snails etc to munch.

The water lily and other plants have grown fine so far and I had my first lily flower late last Summer.

It's quite near my bird table too but provides both drinking and bathing for the birds. I've built a rockery with alpine plants, some with berries which birds like, around the pond. I can observe it all from my home indoors.

I exclusively use water from the local small river.

[healfdan]

Not ideal but not a real problem if you don't intend to keep ornamental fish in your pond. If you net your pond this will stop most leaves falling through. Trees to avoid, pines, leylandii and similar evergreens, as they shed masses of needles and seed and these will quickly foul your pond.

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by healfdan

Trees to avoid, pines, leylandii and similar evergreens, as they shed masses of needles and seed and these will quickly foul your pond.

....The trouble with that is, it's a generalisation and by my direct experience in the case of Leylandii, it depends how close and on wind directions. It also depends on how often you inspect your pond as the soft 'needles' float for some time and are very easy to remove. Nets look horrible in my opinion - Very unnatural.

[tom00_uk]

if your going to net a pond, then keep an eye on it. a lot of critters end up getting caught in nets and drowning.

Better to use a stiff mesh and create a roof like structure over the pond to reduce the chance of accidental drownings

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by tom00_uk

if your going to net a pond, then keep an eye on it. a lot of critters end up getting caught in nets and drowning.

Better to use a stiff mesh and create a roof like structure over the pond to reduce the chance of accidental drownings

....But then if someone is going to go that far they may as well build an indoor aquarium.

I see more disadvantages than advantages to any form of netting.

Are we talking about wildlife ponds here?