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Fill in pond and make lawn

tomhumftomhumf Posts: 61
in Problem solving
We have a fairly large pond ( about 2 ft deep) and rockery we want to get rid of. I'm thinking of draining it, removing lining then filling it with the surrounding rocks, and filling any remaining space with  gravel then topsoil, then sowing with lawn seed to match the rest of the lawn. 

I havr no experience in gardening so any advice is much appreciated! 
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  • musmanali2020musmanali2020 Posts: 29
    Yeah that is a good idea if you do not want your pond any more. You can fill it up with soil and grow grass there.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 7,706
    There will be quite a lot of soil settlement in the first months so I would advise against either turfing or seeding for a while after it's been filled in.  Net it over to stop the local moggies using it as a toilet.  You can speed the settling process by watering the area regularly as that will help the soil settle into the gaps between the rocks you have used as the base fill.
    It's also advisable to break up the bottom of the old pond as it may be very compacted and therefore drain poorly after having the weight of water on it for years.  I'm speaking from experience as I did exactly what you are planning to do when I filled in an 18' x 7' pond.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    About 6 inches of topsoil on top of the rocks would be fine. Just bear in mind that the colour of your new grass may not match your existing grass! (not because of the rocks but because of the type of grass seed you buy).
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
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  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 61
    KT53 said:
    There will be quite a lot of soil settlement in the first months so I would advise against either turfing or seeding for a while after it's been filled in.  Net it over to stop the local moggies using it as a toilet.  You can speed the settling process by watering the area regularly as that will help the soil settle into the gaps between the rocks you have used as the base fill.
    It's also advisable to break up the bottom of the old pond as it may be very compacted and therefore drain poorly after having the weight of water on it for years.  I'm speaking from experience as I did exactly what you are planning to do when I filled in an 18' x 7' pond.
    Great advice thanks
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 61
    hogweed said:
    About 6 inches of topsoil on top of the rocks would be fine. Just bear in mind that the colour of your new grass may not match your existing grass! (not because of the rocks but because of the type of grass seed you buy).
    Yes I did wonder about the colour, I guess I can't do much about that unless though. Would anyone be able to tell me the type of grass by looking at a blade of it??
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 61
    Freddies Dad said:
    If the pond had to go why not make it a bog garden, patio or rockery? There must be something better than just lawn. Something to think about before starting work.
    I am now planning to reuse some of the rocks and maybe the pond liner to make a smaller pond and wildlife area in a better location. The current design takes up about half the garden which is too much for us I'm afraid. 
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 61
    KT53 said:
    There will be quite a lot of soil settlement in the first months so I would advise against either turfing or seeding for a while after it's been filled in.  Net it over to stop the local moggies using it as a toilet.  You can speed the settling process by watering the area regularly as that will help the soil settle into the gaps between the rocks you have used as the base fill.
    It's also advisable to break up the bottom of the old pond as it may be very compacted and therefore drain poorly after having the weight of water on it for years.  I'm speaking from experience as I did exactly what you are planning to do when I filled in an 18' x 7' pond.
    Great advice, I'll bear all that in mind 
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  • Dave HumbyDave Humby Posts: 1,142
    To a degree the colour of the grass will be influenced by the ground conditions. Might be worthwhile having a look at the soil in the existing lawn area and try and replicate that with how the fill the pond (depth of topsoil / structure etc). When you do reseed the new area you could overseed the existing lawn also with the same seed to help it blend it. 
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