Topic: Pond gossip

[Mrs Ava]

In between downpours today I managed to get out and clean up the pond.  It has only been in a few months and yet the weed has gone mad, the fish have grown considerably and there are frogs everywhere!  I oiked out all of the plants and went over them picking off all dead or damaged bits, then up to my shoulders cleaning the grey/black gunge from the bottom of the pond.  Most of the gunk was full of leaves, so I think this is our problem.  Keeping it clean of leaves is going to be a regular summer and autumn job, unless Ava can create some sort of temporary net cover to catch them.  Re-positioned plants, and thinned a couple.  The waterlily that came from mums has put on so much growth, which I am pleased about as it is the last pond plant dad bought.  The frogs were clambering over me whilst I was sorting the pond out - they are soooooooo friendly!  I now have the hose on just very gently trickling a drop of fresh water into it to top it up.  Already it looks clearer and the fish are all darting around, so hopefully I haven't upset them, or the balance too much.

[eileen]

Another job well done by the sound of it EJ.  :D

Wish I could get my ponds cleared but the weather is sooooooo atrocious at the moment!! At least I don't have to worry about topping them up with all this rain.

Let me know if Ava comes up with a solution to your leafy problem if you can as I have the same problem and need a remedy too. Only problem is that some of my plants are quite bulky and tall (reed grass, water iris and a tall, red leaved one that I don't know the name of for instance) so I don't know what kind of cover would work.
What colour is your water-lily? I have pale lemon, peach, white, red and a soft pink. They are really beautiful flowers aren't they? Pity they only last for a few days when they flower.

Glad to hear that your fish and frogs seem so happy and healthy. Mine are wildlife ponds so therefore no fish but an abundance of other forms of life.  pondskaters, diving beetles, caddis fly larvae, frogs, snails etc. I love having water in the garden and can spend ages simply gazing into it watching nature at work.

Cheers, Eileen.

[Phil]

I too have tall and bulky plants.  It's not possible to cover the pond with a single piece of netting.  You just have to cut the netting up into several pieces and work round the tall plants, covering as much of the pond surface as possible.

[aquilegia]

Aren't ponds just the best?

Yours sounds fantastic EJ.

I must get in and weed mine already. some of my floating plants have gone mad.

I bought a water soldier about a month ago. It's now produced at least five babies. I'm thinking of sacrificing the parent and keeping the babies for now. I hope they compost anyway!

Another floating thing, which I don't know the name of, is huge. It's multiplied by at least five times it's size. This also will be half going on the compost.

We raised the level of one of the sides at the weekend. Somehow it was lower than the other sides. Lucky too - when we undug the liner, we found a frog underneath. He must've been trapped. He spent a while sunny himself, floating on top of the pond, and posing for photos before diving down to the muddy depths (I purposefully put lots of mud in the deep bit for them to hide).

My water lilly is getting bigger. It's still on the marginal shelf as the leaves weren't long enough for it to be put any deeper, but it's growing. I can't wait til it flowers - it's dark pinky red. should be gorgeous!

We've seen about five dragonflies around the garden since the pond went in - never saw any in the garden before!

[Margaret]

Hi Emma.Sounds like you are sorting out the problem,and hopefully the pond will stay clear so maybe you won't need a UV just yet.I find the answer to the leaf problem, is to check as often as possible because the leaves float on the surface for quite a while before they sink so if you can get them out then it is much better obviously.

Aqui,it seems you are already getting the benefit of the beauty of a natural pond,with the plants thriving,and the pleasure of seeing frogs benefit from the water.The best way of seeing other creatures is by torchlight after dark.You will be surprised at just how much insect life there is in the pond that can only be seen this way.Only ,especially if it is raining,watch where you put your feet.My garden comes alive in the rain with olympic standard frogs!!  :D