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Would this make a good mini pond?

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  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Pond experts, I've put hornwort in, but are there any other oxygenators that can just be dropped in and don't need to be planted in a basket? 
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,554
    Jilbert said:
    I just love the sound of water. I got a little solar fountain but took the fountain attachment off - it’s more of a soothing glug now. Really enjoying seeing everyone’s photos.

    Here’s mine - knocked up in the first week of lockdown from what I had in the garage and what I could source online. The water is crystal clear now and has been since it settled down. I’ve added a ‘landing platform’ of big stones - the birds seem to enjoy it. We’ve had loads of dragonflies too, which is wonderful.


    What is the 'pond' made from Jilbert? I have been looking for something similar, in concrete or metal, for my garden.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,353
    Glad you've got it up and running now  :)
    I've got the bog standard elodea in mine and some hornwort @FlyDragon, but once the other plants cover the surface a bit, it helps. I have water hawthorn in mine which is spreading over time, and it's seeding as well. Watercress chucked in helps use up nutrients too, and keeps the algae etc away reasonably well.
    You might find you have too many plants in there  ;)

    Moving water - whether it's natural [ie a spring] or a mechanical version, will always help water stay clearer as it oxygenates it all the time.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Fairygirl said:
    Glad you've got it up and running now  :)
    I've got the bog standard elodea in mine and some hornwort @FlyDragon, but once the other plants cover the surface a bit, it helps. I have water hawthorn in mine which is spreading over time, and it's seeding as well. Watercress chucked in helps use up nutrients too, and keeps the algae etc away reasonably well.
    You might find you have too many plants in there  ;)

    Moving water - whether it's natural [ie a spring] or a mechanical version, will always help water stay clearer as it oxygenates it all the time.

    Too many plants has always been a problem of mine!  :D

    I've put a little solar fountain in for now to hopefully clear the water but there's a lily in a basket on the bottom and I believe that they prefer still water, so I'll just leave the fountain in for a week or so and then transfer it to the birdbath. 

    Does watercress need planting or can it just be thrown in?  At this rate there'll be no room for water! 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,353
    Just chuck it in - it floats around and produces roots, and will then attach itself  to anything around it. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JilbertJilbert Posts: 15
    @WillDB it’s an outdoor planter, I can’t find the exact one of garden centre website but very similar ones made from concrete are available. It had a drainage hole is the bottom - I filled it with aquarium sealant and it’s been fine so far.
  • FireFire Posts: 18,068
    Re elodea and hornwort - mine seemed to all die off over winter. Are they annual?
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Fire said:
    Re elodea and hornwort - mine seemed to all die off over winter. Are they annual?
    From what I've read they're more like perennials, in that they sink to the bottom and go dormant over winter then get new growth again in spring. 
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,350
    What you recommend for attracting dragonflies that would be suitable for a minipond?
  • FireFire Posts: 18,068
    FlyDragon said:
    Fire said:
    Re elodea and hornwort - mine seemed to all die off over winter. Are they annual?
    From what I've read they're more like perennials, in that they sink to the bottom and go dormant over winter then get new growth again in spring. 

    I think my pond may be too shallow for the plants to go anywhere.
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