How to set up a wildlife pond
A garden wildlife pond is a water feature designed to attract and support various forms of wildlife, in a pond that is typically unfiltered and left to develop 'naturally'.
In addition to being a wonderful feature to enjoy in your garden, wildlife ponds are fantastic for aiding local environmental conservation, and can support local populations of insects, birds, mammals, amphibians and various other species.
Creating a pond in your garden, whether large or small, will provide valuable resources for wildlife. Here we will offer an in-depth guide to creating a natural, unfiltered, wildlife pond in your garden.
Where to install your Wildlife Pond
The larger the pond you choose to create, the more wildlife you will support by providing more resources. A small wildlife pond will be great for newts, insects and birds. Any size pond is better than no pond at all.
Regardless of size, wildlife ponds should be installed in the best possible location. When building or installing, consider the following:
- Place in a warm, sunny location, with slight shade if possible
- Place close to areas of willife, such as foliage and bushes
- Place away from trees, to avoid digging through roots and accumulating leaf litter in the pond
- Place in a quiet area, away from heavy footfall or light/noise disturbances
- Ensure that preformed ponds are level
Choosing your Wildlife Pond
You can use a range of materials to create a wildlife pond. Digging a hole and lining it with pond underlay and pond liner will do the job, but you can also purchase pre-formed ponds, which can be installed quickly and without much fuss, or invest in a builder to create a brick-built pond.
Preformed ponds are generally made of plastic to various mould sizes, which can be put set into the ground or mounted on decking or railway sleepers. Plastic preformed ponds are resilient to outdoor weather.
To maxmimise the effectiveness of your wildlife setup, choosing a pond with shelves and some depth of at least 60cm will provide more stable temperatures throughout the year. Shelves will allow pond plants to be placed around your pond to create your wildlife environment.
Larger wildlife ponds can be created by purchasing a fibreglass pond. Ponds made from fibreglass are typically recognised as the 'Rolls Royce' of garden pond. Often supplied with a lifetime guarantee, fibreglass ponds provide maximum depth and plenty of shelves, and are easily installed above or below ground.
Installing your Wildlife Pond
When you have decided upon your type of pond, its time to start digging a hole large enough for it. Ensure that any sharp objects that may pierce the pond are removed from the bottom of your hole, especially if you are using pond liner and underlay.
Preformed Ponds
Before placing your pond in the hole, put a layer of soil or fine sand around the edges and the bottom to cradle the pond, keeping it as level as possible. This will protect and insulate the pond. Use soil or sand to backfill any gaps around the pond when installing.
Placing plants in and around the wildlife pond will help your habitat develop. It is wise to consider that wildlife ponds will turn green as algae blooms; develop pond weed and duckweed; and may produce a smell or stagnate. This is all part of developing a natural ecosystem to be carefully managed like any other feature in your garden.
Fill the preformed pond with water, ensuring it is dechlorinated if filling from the tap. Using water from rainwater butts is also a good idea, as long as it is not stagnant. You can add good bacteria to the pond, to encourage healthy water long term, but this should not be viewed as an alternative to filtration. Before long, you will have a garden water feature that is full aquatic wildlife, and be enjoying watching birds and other creatures drink and feed from the pond.
Pond Liners and Underlay
Using a pond liner instead of a pre-formed pond can offer more flexibility and is often the cheapest option. Pond liners come in a range of sizes and can often be cut-to-size as per your requirements. When purchasing your pond liner, it is recommended to oversize your liner to ensure that it will fit the pond when full of water - better to overestimate than under.
To begin, plan your lined pond by marking out the size and shape to be dug on the ground. Ponds built using pond liner can be irregular in shape, with different depths to make it more attractive to wildlife.
As you dig, ensure it is at least 60cm in depth in places to provide more stable temperatures throughout the year. Create some shelves for pond plants, and once dug make sure there are no sharp objects like rocks and stones in the hole that could pierce the liner.
It is highly recommended to install a layer of underlay to protect and part insulate pond liner. Once the underlay is laid, lay over it the pond liner loosley in the hole ensuring there is an excess over the edges.
Slowly fill the pond with water using a hose pipe (don't forget to dechlorinate!) while lifting the liner to remove any wrinkles, folding the liner into any corners. The weight of the water will expand the liner firmly into place. When the pond is full, the excess liner can be held in place with either paving slabs, stonework or heavy rocks (which can be planted as rock gardens). Do not allow paving mortar to fall into the pond, even a small amount can make the water dangerously alkaline and harmful to
wildlife.
Other Wildlife Pond ideas
As a general rule, wildlife ponds would not normally contain fish. This means that pretty much any suitable water-holding object can be used to create a wildlife pond, particularly if space is limited.
Old bath tubs, water butts, barrels, tubs or even large plant pots will provide a habitat for plants and small aquatic invertebrates, and a watering spot for birds. Any pond you decide to fashion should be placed on a level surface similar to any other pond - remember that every litre of water is the equivalent to 1kg in weight, so ensure the vessel and ground underneath is stable.
Preparing your Pond for Wildlife
There are a few things you need to do to make your pond environment safe and suitable for wildlife to thrive.
Water
If you have used tap water to fill your pond, the water will need to be dechlorinated. This can be achieved by either leaving it to stand for 24 hours allowing the chlorine to dissipate, or by using a commercial dechlorinator. A dechlorinator will ensure all traces of chlorine are gone, and will also remove any heavy metals found in the tap water.
Access to the Water
Wildlife needs to be able to access the pond, and also escape should larger animals, like badgers and hedgehogs, fall in. Make sure that at least one side has a long gentle slope up to the pond edge to allow birds to wade in, and wildlife to exit the pond. This is essential to protect wildlife, and also prevent anything polluting the water. You can create a slope by having a shallow shelf in place, built up with gravel or stones to form a sloped path.
Planting in and around your Wildlife Pond
Planting many different types of native plants in and around your pond will provide
wildlife with resources and make it an attractive feature in your garden.
Plant lots of different types, including oxygenating, submerged, floating and marginal plants to improve the habitat you are providing.
It is as important to plant around the pond, as well as inside it. To create habitats around the pond, piles of wood and rocks can be used, as well as taller plants to create shade and provide cover for nervous wildlife. Animals like frogs and newts do not want to spend all their time in the water, so a suitable environment outside the pond is recommended.
No Fish
One of the best ways to enhance your pond for wildlife is to avoid adding fish to the
pond. Ponds that are created for fish need to be filtered to meet common welfare standards, and the filtration methods used often eliminate many of the small invertebrates in the pond, as well as reducing the diversity of micro-organisms in the water. Fish will also eat many of the aquatic insects present in a wild pond.
Maintaining your Wildlife Pond
Wildlife ponds need little maintenance. In fact, too much management is likely to have a negative impact on the pond. Let the pond develop and the wildlife arrive naturally, and avoid trying to 'start' your community by adding creatures from outside the environment that could introduce disease or create an imbalance.
Trim your plants back when needed, and remove any pond weed or surface weed if it starts to take over or strangle the habitat. If you have trees or shrubs nearby, it may be a good idea to net the pond (with frog-friendly netting) in the autumn to prevent leaves falling into the pond and creating excess ammonia and nitrite.
Garden ponds are crucial to keeping wetland wildlife thriving in our towns and cities. Even in the most urban, concreted environment, a garden pond can be a mini-wetland, storing rainfall and releasing it slowly, which helps reduce the effects of heavy rainfall or long dry spells.
What you need to create your Wildlife Pond
To construct a wildlife pond you will need:
- A pre-formed pond, fibreglass pond, or pond liner
- Fine sand, to cushion and stabilise your pond
- Underlay (if using a pond liner)
- Live pond plants, rocks or driftwood for the surround
- A hosepipe, and water dechlorinator
To browse our range of wildlife ponds please click here.
To browse our range of pond plants for wildlife ponds please click here.
To read more blogs about maintaining garden ponds please click here.
Photo credit(s): Canva Pro Licence
