Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Wildlife Pond too deep

enilorac2enilorac2 Posts: 77
in Problem solving

My relatively new pond was dug way too deep by the contractor. In all other respects it's wonderful. How can I reduce the depth without disturbing everything? I wondered about putting in a deep layer of sand on top of existing liner, then adding a new liner. Is this feasible does anyone know?  If not, any other suggestions, please?

«1

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889

    I might well be wrong, but how can it be too deep?

    Deep, in my humble opinion , is better than shallow. Less likely to freeze and the temperature should be more stable.

    Devon.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

    afaik the minimum recommended depth is 2ft so that the bottom of the pond doesn't freeze in winter


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,088

    Leave well alone.  A deep pond maintains temperature better in summer and doesn't freeze in winter so is safer for hibernating critters.

    If it's too deep for new water lilies, just put their pots on bricks till the stems grow long enough for the depth and you can put them on the bottom.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,511

    How deep is it, Enilorac2?

    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889

    I've heard lots say " I wish I'd made it deeper when we built it" but never shallower. 

    Can you let us know what "issues" you think you might encounter , re depth and maybe we could advise?

    No need to panic, there's always someone who knows.image 

    Devon.
  • OnopordumOnopordum Posts: 390

    Do you have any photos of the pond?

    The trouble with advice about making ponds deep enough and minimum 2' / 3' depths etc is that when applied to relatively small garden ponds you get ponds that are all deep and no/little shallows, which is where most of the wildlife lives.It's true that frogs can overwinter at the bottom, but they don't need to and they breed much better in shallower ponds anyway.

    A lot of advice is also geared towards fish and water lilies, neither of which are ideal for wildlife ponds. Freezing is also overrated - even pretty small ponds are unlikely to freeze much more than an inch or so  on the surface in most winters.

  • enilorac2enilorac2 Posts: 77
    I have just TODAY found all the very useful replies to my post last year and want to thank everyone for the general re-assurances about my pond depth.   I don’t think I have been logging in properly (or something, somehow!) but am now trying to expand my diminutive knowledge of how to use the forum correctly. In particular I just looked at last year’s Seed Swap and didn’t even know what ‘pm’ meant. I now know what it is but not how to do it. I am going to investigate by pushing lots of buttons but in the meantime any advice on how to would be much appreciated.   My husband describes me as a technological buffoon!  
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,146
    Hi  :)  Up in the top right corner near your name you'll see the image of an open envelope (or a handbag?) ... click on that and you'll find any PMs sent to you and you
    can send them from there too.

    Or you can click on someone's name and there's a button on that page to send a message to them ... you can practise on me if you like' (but I won't be offended if you don't  :))

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    more importantly: how's the pond? :D
    Any photos?
    Devon.
  • enilorac2enilorac2 Posts: 77
    Thank you Dovefromabove. I will try but not just now as we are expecting our 4 year old granddaughter today and on her infrequent visits to Suffolk we spend all our time keeping her occupied. When she leaves on Friday we will need a day or so to recover from all that activity.
Sign In or Register to comment.