Creating a wildlife pond

[boogieman84]

Hi all,


I am currently making a wildlife pond in my garden and am awaiting the arrival of some plants. However i'm unsure of how to plant these, I want to make it as natural as possible and as such don't really want to place to the plants in pots(even if suited for ponds) as I have read online that pondlife will benefit more if the plants are allowed to root as they will provide more shelter for larvae/insects etc(is there any truth in this. So i'm wondering how to do this, the only problem is keeping the plants weighed down so that they can root. I have thought about tying some loose netting around the base of the plant, filling it with stones, placing in the pond and then allowing it to root. Then once it has I will cut off the netting, would this work?

If anyone has any advice that would be great. My main question though is whether I will still attract wildlife, dragonflies etc if the plants are in pots.

Many thanks,
Matt

[Tobyh]

HI boogieman,

I built myself a wildlife pond last year and did use pots, baskets and some planted in plant "socks" or "sacks"

My pond has been an absolute hub of wildlife activity so you needn't worry that it restricts too much, wildlife has a way of making the best of what's available.

I didn't actually put any soil into the pond by itself, i've allowed soil from the edges to make it's way in and along with natural detritus it is now looking very natural.

I would agree though that for the shallower plants I would prefer to use socks and sacks and in places I have split these to allow the roots to make their way out and link with the natural surounding soil.

*edit to add* - I did use aquatic soil for all my planting too
TobyH

[citychick]

Hi There

In November last year we dug a wildlife pond. All the plants are in baskets and we have seen dragonflies and damselflies so yes, being planted in baskets will still attract these insects

xx

[bigdave60dog]

I have never worried about what type of soil to use. Just cut up a hessian bag into squares of about a foot or so, plonk the plant in the middle of a square complete with wet soil, tie together at the top with plant stem sticking out.
Plant plants in soil and tie the top up with plant stem sticking out.
Then chuck hem in the water to sink in the places where you want them to grow. If you are happier with a bit of weight put a stone in each.
The hessian will eventually rot away. Simples.
Dave

[Cowgirl]

Good idea big dave! I tied a bit of string around the roots then around a big stone or brick (tied like the parcels from the co-op used to come, if anyone remembers that ) then plonked them in. If you get the string length right your plant will float at the right height above the water.