Basic HTML Version
6
• Shallow ponds are great
– Unless you
are keeping fish, the deepest areas need
to be no more than 25-30 cm (1 foot)
deep. This keeps all of the pond well
oxygenated and well lit. It also means
you can see to the bottom, helping you
to enjoy your pond more. If you want a
deeper pond, try to make sure its surface
area is 5-10 times the maximum depth,
otherwise there is a good chance you’ll
suffer from deoxygenation problems.
• Pond substrates
– Use sand and washed
gravel, to provide a substrate for planting
into, and places for creatures like dragonfly
larvae to burrow into.
• Let wildlife come to your pond naturally
You don’t need to add sludge, from
another pond, to your pond to ‘get it
started’. In the spring, small animals will
arrive within minutes, water beetles and
dragonflies in just a couple of days, and
amphibians within the first year. Even
plants will establish in time, with grasses
and mosses creeping in to provide good
habitats for aquatic creatures.
• What about fish?
– In the wild, fish are a
natural part of the wildlife of some pond
types. But they can overwhelm small
garden ponds and will eat smaller animals,
including frog and newt tadpoles. They
can also pollute the water, unless you
install filters. If you want to keep fish, create
some areas of really dense plant cover,
encourage lots of grasses at the edges,
and make areas that the fish can’t get to.
You could also make a separate fish pond
and have the best of both worlds.
• Trees and falling leaves
– If your pond
is near to bushes or trees, the leaves and
twigs falling into the water will provide food,
shelter and case building materials for
animals. They also provide shade, which
will stop the pond drying out so quickly in
hot summers. Don’t make shady ponds too
deep, as a thick layer of leaves can build
up on the bottom, deoxygenating the
water, and reducing its value for wildlife.
A perfect garden wildlife pond
Shallow water, a natural sandy bottom,
grassy edges and lots of plants
Allow grasses to trail
over the edge of the
pond – great habitat
for water beetles
Wide shallow planting
margins allow emergent
plants, grasses and
mosses to establish
Sand or washed
gravel provides the
perfect planting
substrate
Submerged
plants
Floating-leaved
plants
Underlay/Overlay
Liner
Emergent
(marginal) plants
FILL YOUR POND WITH RAINWATER