Step by step guide to making a wildlife pond with Floyd the Frog
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1 Hi. I'm Floyd the Frog and I'm going to show
you how to create a wildlife pond. |
2 First find an open sunny area in your garden,
away from trees which will clog the pond
with leaves. |
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3 Peg out and dig a hole about 3.5 metres x 2.5
metres with an irregular edge. Make sure the
sides are gently sloping and the hole is at least
0.5 metres deep in the middle. |
4 Buy a flexible liner made of either butyl rubber
or heavy duty polythene. Remove any stones
from the hole. |
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5 Line the hole with a 50mm layer of sand
followed by old carpet or folded newspapers
to protect the liner. Ease the liner into the
hole and finish with a layer of soil. |
6 Fill the pond using a hosepipe or bucket. Trickle
the water over a square of polythene to prevent
stirring up the soil. If you have used tapwater,
allow to stand for 48 hours to allow the chlorine
to evaporate before introducing wildlife. |
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7 Add a bucketful of mud and water from an
established pond. Don't forget to ask the
owner first for their permission. This will
introduce wildlife such as snails, water fleas,
Dragon Fly and Caddis Fly larvae. |
8 Plant your pond in April or early May. Choose
British plants as they support more wildlife than
foreign water plants. Once the plants are
established, keep them cut back or they will
swamp the pond. Don't stock with fish as they
will eat some of the other wildlife. |
Aftercare
Autumn / winter tasks
- Clear leaves
- Float a ball on the pond to prevent it icing over.
Spring / summer tasks
- Introduce plants and animals in the spring after the risk of frost has passed
- Cut back floating plants to leave an area of open water
- When the water level drops, top it up. If using tapwater, allow to stand for 48 hours for the chlorine to evaporate, before topping up the pond.
British plants which will benefit your wildlife pond
Marginal plants
Marsh Marigold, Ragged Robin, Brookline, Yellow Iris, Purple Loosestrife, Meadowsweet.
Emergent plants
Lesser Spearwort, Flowering Rush, Water Plantain, Greater Spearwort, Arrowhead, Amphibious Bisort, Water Mint.
Floating plants
Fringed Water Lily, Spiked Water Milfoil, Hornwort, Water Starwort.
For additional information on making a wildlife pond you can visit these websites
Other Floyd's Guides available:
For further information contact
Environment Projects Officer for WildDerby
Derby City Council
Regeneration and Community Department
Plans and Policies Section
Roman House
Friar Gate
Derby DE1 1XB
Telephone 01332 255021 Minicom 01332 256666 Fax 01332 255989 email wildderby@derby.gov.uk