I did use the ball experiment one year but with a thick piece of polystyrene instead. It did work after a fashion - the theory is a 'ball will move over the water unless the conditions are very calm of course, and keep an area from freezing. What happened with the polys was it did keep an area unfrozen but then froze solid into the ice so I had to break it out. Not a very worthwhile experiment and after that I got a pond heater.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
I have a block of polystyrene like hogweed mentions. It came encasing something 'ball shaped', so there's a cube on top of the water, and underneath is an empty half sphere of air, which keeps the water there unfrozen. Last year I covered it with black gaffer tape so that it looked less ugly, and it also stops bits breaking off. I have a string/wire attached to it, which I then attach to the screen behind the pond or wedge under a rock, otherwise it would disappear on the first windy day. That has worked for the last couple of years without any issue. I did the same in a previous garden wher I had a bigger pond with similar depth in the centre. My little pond is probably about 18 - 24 inches deep right in the middle, and stays unfrozen even in prolonged, icy, sub zero weather. The beach edges need defrosting regularly in icy weather, so that the birds can use it, and I do that with warm water. I also keep a separate dish under cover, nearer the house, so that I can sling some hot water into that easily if the weather's severe for long periods, and it would mean going out several times a day to defrost the pond. I'm not in a position to do that.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We have just bought a couple of plastic balls to prevent the ice problem that we had for a few days last winter. We will put one by the waterfall, which helped to prevent that side of the pond from icing over anyway and one in the large pool, I will be interested to see if this prevents the water from icing over - no fish in our pond.
Im not so sure it matters if the ice is broken, frogs and newts are in a comatose state,hibernating. I can’t see anybody going out to break ice on a wild pond in the middle of know where.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Absolutely Lyn. In the wild, creatures use what's available, and if it freezes and they get stuck or stranded, that's the way it is. I often see frogspawn in little puddles on hillwalks, and many of those subsequent tadpoles will survive, but many won't, if the puddles dry out. Big expanses of water in the wild will usually have a few openings here and there for access and oxygen, because of the grassy/reedy margins.
I think it's simply that we want wildlife to use our ponds [generally speaking] and keeping an area ice free helps keep oxygen levels up,and gives them access.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Even if the frogs at the bottom of the pond are ‘hibernating’ they still need oxygen ... they are still ‘breathing’ absorbing oxygen from the water through their skin ... if the surface of the pond is totally iced over gases from decomposing vegetation will poison them and when the thaw happens their bloated corpses will rise to the pond surface
We need to keep an area of the pond surface free from ice so that the gases can escape and the pond water can absorb oxygen.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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have you read any books on wildlife ponds the one I used was by Alex Sally
https://www.amazon.co.uk/complete-wildlife-pond-Wildlife-maintain-ebook/dp/B00D3RUDRC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542985069&sr=8-4&keywords=wildlife+pond+book
It covers all you need to know, perhaps not everything, but all you really need. My turned out very well, following his instructions.
I have a string/wire attached to it, which I then attach to the screen behind the pond or wedge under a rock, otherwise it would disappear on the first windy day. That has worked for the last couple of years without any issue. I did the same in a previous garden wher I had a bigger pond with similar depth in the centre.
My little pond is probably about 18 - 24 inches deep right in the middle, and stays unfrozen even in prolonged, icy, sub zero weather. The beach edges need defrosting regularly in icy weather, so that the birds can use it, and I do that with warm water.
I also keep a separate dish under cover, nearer the house, so that I can sling some hot water into that easily if the weather's severe for long periods, and it would mean going out several times a day to defrost the pond. I'm not in a position to do that.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the wild, creatures use what's available, and if it freezes and they get stuck or stranded, that's the way it is. I often see frogspawn in little puddles on hillwalks, and many of those subsequent tadpoles will survive, but many won't, if the puddles dry out. Big expanses of water in the wild will usually have a few openings here and there for access and oxygen, because of the grassy/reedy margins.
I think it's simply that we want wildlife to use our ponds [generally speaking] and keeping an area ice free helps keep oxygen levels up,and gives them access.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We need to keep an area of the pond surface free from ice so that the gases can escape and the pond water can absorb oxygen.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.