ecokid - engineering bricks will last a very long time, either the red ones with holes in or solid blues. As fairygirl said, facing or common bricks less so as constant contact with water will lead to frost shattering.
FG & Fishy- Yeah it's a preformed 90 litre tub. It's suppose to be used as a water reservoir for water features, but I'm using as my mini pond. Thanks for the advice - these were definitely the cheap, prone to disintegration kind. I tried wrapping them in bubble wrap and plastic but alas they kept making holes in the materials, so ended up ditching them. I found some old steps instead which are much better.
Also I added a few pieces of volcanic rock which I had lying about, which is apparently really good for aquariums and ponds as it's both porous (good for encouraging colonies of microorganism) and contains trace minerals (great for plants). It's good stuff and you can buy it relatively cheaply as it's often used as hot stones for fireplaces, which is where I had it left over from.
So now do I wait for the rain or fill with tap and treat with an aquarium dechlorinator?
That's very kind of you Gillian, I'd love some of the frogbit if it's not too much trouble?
You 'could' wait for it to fill with rain ecokid but you might be waiting a surprisingly long time. I personally would fill with tap water as chlorine dissipates after a week or two anyway. Unless of course you have a water butt full of rain water.
When I did my pond I had an algae bloom after a couple of weeks but once those nutrients get depleted the algae will die off, especially when you introduce your higher plants like lilies and irises
A few sprigs of watercress (which I realise I'll need to keep and eye on)
For my mariginals I took your advice FG and opted for the white version of the marsh marigold as the yellow one looked quite brutish already in the aquatic centre. Also got some Cardamine pratensis. These were both planted in a perforated container sunk into the ground next to the pond. Hopefully that will help to keep that area moist. Sadly slugs seem to already enjoy the marigold,so erecting makeshift greenhouse for it until it's established.
At the back of the pond I've got a white astilbe and a white dicentra, which both provide a graceful atmosphere. I'm also considering some winter aconite, pulmonaria or a small iris (but working out which iris isn't going to take over is quite tricky!)
Oh and I already now have some pondweed invaders...
My new pond looks like it's going through the algae bloom phase - i've chucked in more watercress to counteract the blooming. Is it likely to damage my water violet, which is partially submerged?
Be patient, is my advice - that and a good mix of plants. Sounds like you are on your way to me. Enjoy seeing your pond develop. My pond is small and shallow and after a murky first year, year two has seen clear water without a pump. I am delighted with how it is looking now. Back in June I posted my pond plant list on my blog http://blog.shirlsgardenwatch.co.uk/2016/06/30dayswild-day-24-wildlife-pond-plant.html#.V6vB9PkrKUk (as much for me as anyone reading it). I did add some barley straw last year although I believe the planting is doing the job now.
Posts
ecokid - engineering bricks will last a very long time, either the red ones with holes in or solid blues. As fairygirl said, facing or common bricks less so as constant contact with water will lead to frost shattering.
FG & Fishy- Yeah it's a preformed 90 litre tub. It's suppose to be used as a water reservoir for water features, but I'm using as my mini pond. Thanks for the advice - these were definitely the cheap, prone to disintegration kind. I tried wrapping them in bubble wrap and plastic but alas they kept making holes in the materials, so ended up ditching them. I found some old steps instead which are much better.
Also I added a few pieces of volcanic rock which I had lying about, which is apparently really good for aquariums and ponds as it's both porous (good for encouraging colonies of microorganism) and contains trace minerals (great for plants). It's good stuff and you can buy it relatively cheaply as it's often used as hot stones for fireplaces, which is where I had it left over from.
So now do I wait for the rain or fill with tap and treat with an aquarium dechlorinator?
That's very kind of you Gillian, I'd love some of the frogbit if it's not too much trouble?
Last edited: 08 July 2016 14:05:48
You 'could' wait for it to fill with rain ecokid but you might be waiting a surprisingly long time. I personally would fill with tap water as chlorine dissipates after a week or two anyway. Unless of course you have a water butt full of rain water.
When I did my pond I had an algae bloom after a couple of weeks but once those nutrients get depleted the algae will die off, especially when you introduce your higher plants like lilies and irises
So I ended up going for:
Dwarf lily
Water violet
Dwarf equisetum (which was a great find!)
Small reed mace
A few sprigs of watercress (which I realise I'll need to keep and eye on)
For my mariginals I took your advice FG and opted for the white version of the marsh marigold as the yellow one looked quite brutish already in the aquatic centre. Also got some Cardamine pratensis. These were both planted in a perforated container sunk into the ground next to the pond. Hopefully that will help to keep that area moist. Sadly slugs seem to already enjoy the marigold,so erecting makeshift greenhouse for it until it's established.
At the back of the pond I've got a white astilbe and a white dicentra, which both provide a graceful atmosphere. I'm also considering some winter aconite, pulmonaria or a small iris (but working out which iris isn't going to take over is quite tricky!)
Oh and I already now have some pondweed invaders...
Last edited: 16 July 2016 14:50:16
My new pond looks like it's going through the algae bloom phase - i've chucked in more watercress to counteract the blooming. Is it likely to damage my water violet, which is partially submerged?
Be patient, is my advice - that and a good mix of plants. Sounds like you are on your way to me. Enjoy seeing your pond develop. My pond is small and shallow and after a murky first year, year two has seen clear water without a pump. I am delighted with how it is looking now. Back in June I posted my pond plant list on my blog http://blog.shirlsgardenwatch.co.uk/2016/06/30dayswild-day-24-wildlife-pond-plant.html#.V6vB9PkrKUk (as much for me as anyone reading it). I did add some barley straw last year although I believe the planting is doing the job now.