If you build it, they will come!
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Journal Pondering it all…
- Thread starter Geoffrey Rea
- Start date
Not long now, we’re on a countdown to July 11th for liner 🎉 🥳 🍾
Froggy heaven awaits! 🐸 🐸 🐸
Enough season left to get the plants established. Getting quite excited to get things rolling.
Frogs have been quite abundant in the veg beds, will be good to give them permanent digs in the garden. Feel bad for turfing them out of the beds temporarily. They loved the summer tub and we all loved seeing them daily:
Also had newts here before so hoping for a return of them soon too.
EI dosing the holding tub and doing daily water changes.
Lawn has taken a hammering with all the foot traffic and hot weather. Using the dosed water on the grass to get it all happy and healthy again.
Pond plant delivery coming in soon in work so will hopefully be able to pack this tub out and get all the plants in tip top condition before putting them in.
Currently working out flow and circulation. Under strict orders it needs to be quiet with no crashing water. The return will be submersed and thinking of placing the pump underneath to create a gentle gyre.
Also got the ability to hook up four air stones:
Combined the pond should be well circulated, with constant surface agitation and good aeration.
SteveMid
Member
Great project @Geoffrey Rea and great to see the wildlife queueing up already for the grand opening 😀. With regards to newts; you mentioned you’ve had these visit before. Did you have to introduce any special type of planting, etc to attract them? Although toads and frogs are common visitors to gardens here, newts seem fairly elusive.
Hey @SteveMid , not particularly anything special. Just left bowls of water around the garden for the birds to bathe in, kept them topped up and left the leaf litter etc that fell in the bowls to breakdown.
Life shows up from the decay, the frogs showed up and spawned in a couple of the bowls, then the newts showed up.
Newts eat tadpoles so figure a bowl filled with their favourite meal brought them in. The garden was mainly veg that season so unsure any plant was important, but the beds were watered daily giving damp conditions ideal for an amphibian.
Hi all,
I think if you don't get Smooth Newts naturally colonize your pond <"I'd assume that there aren't any near you">. They are terrestrial for most of the year and <"active on warm, wet nights">. When Environmental consultants want to relocate newts they use <"Newt Fencing and Bucket traps">. The newts can't get through the fencing so walk along it until they fall into the sunken bucket.
Before I had a pond I collected slugs and snails in the garden for a year (and repatriated them elsewhere), it made no difference to the number of molluscs, but while I was looking for them I found loads of newts. When the pond filled up newts were already present after a couple of days.
cheers Darrel
Have a look at <"Pond FAQs">, ARC are a really good charity.
I think if you don't get Smooth Newts naturally colonize your pond <"I'd assume that there aren't any near you">. They are terrestrial for most of the year and <"active on warm, wet nights">. When Environmental consultants want to relocate newts they use <"Newt Fencing and Bucket traps">. The newts can't get through the fencing so walk along it until they fall into the sunken bucket.
Before I had a pond I collected slugs and snails in the garden for a year (and repatriated them elsewhere), it made no difference to the number of molluscs, but while I was looking for them I found loads of newts. When the pond filled up newts were already present after a couple of days.
They certainly do, so you don't get successful Common Frog breeding in ponds with newts in them.
cheers Darrel
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It’s so beautiful 😍
Finally here, someone pinch me to check that this isn’t a dream 😴 🤏
Was ordered for 23rd May but the prep work for the roads to be resurfaced in the area blocked the permit until now.
Simplicity itself, move from A to B:
The fabulous Mr @Siege has very kindly offered to help shift this lot today…
🙌🏼 What a legend 🙌🏼
Neighbours are even taking some for their gardens so we should fit in one skip all things willing 🤞🏻
Finally here, someone pinch me to check that this isn’t a dream 😴 🤏
Was ordered for 23rd May but the prep work for the roads to be resurfaced in the area blocked the permit until now.
Simplicity itself, move from A to B:
The fabulous Mr @Siege has very kindly offered to help shift this lot today…
🙌🏼 What a legend 🙌🏼
Neighbours are even taking some for their gardens so we should fit in one skip all things willing 🤞🏻
seedoubleyou
Member
I think @Siege should get the first swim for his efforts
He’s not even here yet and done two bags already 😂
Maybe just a foot soak if he arrives later than the half way point… 💦 👣 💦
seedoubleyou
Member
It takes a team of 8 road workers a weeks closures and countless tea breaks to get that sort of work done.
hypnogogia
Member
I’m sure there’s space for a wafer thin mint…
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Hide when the driver arrives to pick it up. It’s what I do and it seems to work.
Plants in holding:
Tried to go with native species wherever possible but thrown some others in for interest.
Bit of pearling action:
Went with troughs used to provide water for horses:
Tallest species can go in these on the 1ft shelf with 15-20kg of ballast in the base to stop it toppling over in the wind:
Also had a nice conversation with @Simmo about helping hedgehogs escape the pond should they fall in. These troughs in the corner should make getting out easy should it happen. Do have a resident hedgehog living under the shed:
Rest is large baskets:
Liner should be delivered on Tuesday and can get everything else where it needs to be. Looking forward to getting everything wrapped up this week 😎
Tried to go with native species wherever possible but thrown some others in for interest.
Bit of pearling action:
Went with troughs used to provide water for horses:
Tallest species can go in these on the 1ft shelf with 15-20kg of ballast in the base to stop it toppling over in the wind:
Also had a nice conversation with @Simmo about helping hedgehogs escape the pond should they fall in. These troughs in the corner should make getting out easy should it happen. Do have a resident hedgehog living under the shed:
Rest is large baskets:
Liner should be delivered on Tuesday and can get everything else where it needs to be. Looking forward to getting everything wrapped up this week 😎
martin-green
Member
- Joined
- 8 Aug 2011
- Messages
- 297
Hedgehogs too 
I have never seen one round here. I don't have any frogs either I even made "bug homes" yep, no bugs, I also planted some "meadow flower" seeds, none of them either. Many years ago had loads of frogs, but none recently. But I did see a bumble bee the other day, so there is hope yet.
I have never seen one round here. I don't have any frogs either I even made "bug homes" yep, no bugs, I also planted some "meadow flower" seeds, none of them either. Many years ago had loads of frogs, but none recently. But I did see a bumble bee the other day, so there is hope yet.
Crikey Martin, sounds desolate. Where do you live, Chernobyl?
Hedgehogs too
Guess the point is to keep providing habitat @martin-green regardless. If it’s there it can be populated in time. Can you plant a decent sized lavender patch? Always seems to work magic. Turn one bumble bee into many bees visiting 🐝 🐝 🐝
Do feel for you mate, our last place only ever seemed to attract wasps, as the insane snail population damaged all the plants, attracting the aphids, which in turn attracted the wasps. Having a beer outside was a very athletic activity 😂
Thanks @Simmo and enjoying following your progress too. The stone work and plants look brilliant, looking forward to seeing it all grown in.
Ditto on the straying from the path 😂 These projects are for enjoyment too so why not try some species you fancy growing.
K1 Micro media soaking in Potassium permanganate and water:
Going to leave this to soak for 36-48 hours, then treat with Seachem Prime and rinse thoroughly before putting in the EazyPod.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this process before, PP’ing results in three desirable outcomes:
- New media will sink rather than float after treatment.
- It will be clean and sterile at startup.
- It will be scored and roughed up by the process increasing surface area.
Potassium permanganate is an oxidising agent and should only be used with gloves and protective gear. Getting on skin will result in stained skin long term, or on surfaces you’ll get permanent staining so go carefully when using it. It is potentially fatal if swallowed so treat in a safe place in sealed buckets away from children and animals.
You can neutralise the potassium permanganate with hydrogen peroxide, sodium thiophosphate crystals, or simply using Seachem prime if you already have some in. After using any of the above the solution will turn brown and the water can be disposed of safely down your drain. Rinse the media thoroughly with tap water until it runs clear then you’re good to go.
Going to leave this to soak for 36-48 hours, then treat with Seachem Prime and rinse thoroughly before putting in the EazyPod.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of this process before, PP’ing results in three desirable outcomes:
- New media will sink rather than float after treatment.
- It will be clean and sterile at startup.
- It will be scored and roughed up by the process increasing surface area.
Potassium permanganate is an oxidising agent and should only be used with gloves and protective gear. Getting on skin will result in stained skin long term, or on surfaces you’ll get permanent staining so go carefully when using it. It is potentially fatal if swallowed so treat in a safe place in sealed buckets away from children and animals.
You can neutralise the potassium permanganate with hydrogen peroxide, sodium thiophosphate crystals, or simply using Seachem prime if you already have some in. After using any of the above the solution will turn brown and the water can be disposed of safely down your drain. Rinse the media thoroughly with tap water until it runs clear then you’re good to go.
