Hi from Dorset

[John Sankus]

Hello.
I am currently digging up a 6x8m section of the garden to put in a pond (hand dug, liner jobby...) area is close to an old sycamore stump - before it was cut down it obviously shaded this area and there is no grass, only ground elder. I am now digging out the ground elder, and rescuing the hundreds of small bulbs that are trapped in the roots, and at the same time taking out all the sycamore roots I can. The pond will hopefull be about 4x3m at it's longest/widest points. There will be no fish in it, unless some find their way in unassisted. In fact, there will be no anything introduced to it - it is for whatever wants to make a home there.
Any advice gratefully received

 

[Waterbug]

Many creatures will find a good home there. I call such a pond a Wildlife Pond to set it apart from Water Gardens and Koi Ponds. Often advice is given that might be good for a Koi Pond and terrible for a Wildlife Pond. I've kept Wildlife Ponds and they were enjoyable especially when you get nose to the water and see all the bugs working away.

 

[John Sankus]

Thanks bud - wildlife pond it will be! I spent many a happy hour as a child lying with my nose an inch from the water of streams and ponds watching what was going on. I suppose the only yes/no question for me really is to plant or not to plant... do I wait for plants to take hold by thermselves, or do I put a few in. If I pump the river water in (previous thread... ) will that bring in any seed type things? There are many native plants available that I can get. Other parts of the garden have rhododendron, grape vine, lime tree - other non-native species. This particular little corner is going to be given over entirely to species, both plant and animal, that are indigenous to this little corner of south-west England.

 

[j.w]

John

I don't think it would hurt at all for you to add some of your native water plants to your pond. You're not cheating,lol,just will give you a head start and make it more comfortable for critters to come and visit sooner. You'll prolly get some nice frogs singing you to sleep every night and lots of birds coming to bathe and drink. If you wanted to cut down on the mosquito population tho you could add a few minnows from your area.

 

[Waterbug]

The only plant that's really good at starting by itself I think is algae, which is a very good plant for the bugs to eat and hide in.

I assumed this pond will have a liner. If so I think it makes it harder for higher plants to get established on their own. In a mud pond they start at the edges and later marginals move in. But can take several years. I have heard of people putting clay soil and leaves into a new pond to jump start it. And for mud ponds people added fertilizer to get the algae going. Algae is the food chain base. For natives I'd just hike around and find some.

 

[John Sankus]

Aye - a liner it will be. The soil is very well drained with absolutely no clay whatsoever - there is no chance of it holding water by itself.
My original plan was to find a pond somewhere nearby and use plants and some muck from that - but ponds here are in very short supply I think - very difficult to come by unless you go to a recognised wetland - and then you can't take so much as a blade of grass or the rangers will be on to you!.
The school where I used to teach has quite a large pond - I wonder if they will let me take anything from it plant-wise - it certainly has loads of them!
I don't really mind little fish like minnows or sticklebacks - I just don't want a pond ful of fish-crap. I wonder how such fish become established in small ponds anyway...

 

[Becky]

Welcome aboard! I lived in Dorchester until I was 18, it's a small world!

 

[John Sankus]

Welcome aboard! I lived in Dorchester until I was 18, it's a small world!

Thanks Becky - yeah - Dorchester just a few miles along the A35...

 

[Waterbug]

You can add any soil or organic matter you like. The pond will compost it for you. Does take a while so the pond might look nasty for a year or two. Just part of the process. You don't need much unless you want marginals growing in the muck.

Another choice is to make rather large areas just for different plants. They will add organic matter to the main body of water slowly over time. You get a much nicer looking pond faster and still a lot of wildlife.

This picture is just to give you the idea, it can be constructed many ways including just earth. The idea is to have areas with soil that will stay in place instead of all sliding down into the middle of the pond.

You could have one area were the top of the soil is above the water line. Lot's of plants prefer that. Then a lower area with maybe 6" of water over the soil for things like cattails. And some at the bottom for lilies, which you have a few natives to choose from.