How do I renovate this neglected pond

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I'd concentrate on skimming the worst out, and cleaning just a corner or so each time - the silt at the bottom of the pond is vital for the health of the pond and ecosystem. A squeaky clean pond is the basics white sliced of the aquatic world.

Sounds like a remarkable garden to inherit, though.

wallbash

A squeaky clean pond is the basics white sliced of the aquatic world.

But its the start of 'your' pond . You make the decisions, you plan the plants. You don't have to live with whats there. The ecosystem can be restored , or we would never have any new ponds.
I only hope the OP gets rid of the blanket weed and the duckweed.

Dunx69

Also check what type of newts you have, if they are on the endargered list you could be breaking the law by destroying their habitat (by destroying i mean emptying it out and starting again)

Sambucus_Nigra

If it's the garden of a botanist, then I'd not do too much with it to be honest. Just clear the debris, get rid of the weed, pop some barley straw in to clear the algae and leave the wildlife in situ. You only really empty ponds when they leak if they are set up well. Trust that the botanist knew what they were doing and just maintain it.

p.s.....you should either have a fish pond or a wildlife one; so I'm pleased to hear that you are leaving it as a wildlife one. What a gem to inherit!

meercatsunited

Thanks for the replies. I have put a pond pad in so the algae will soon be gone and the newts as far we can see are not the endangered species, the one we caught had a red belly and from google they are said to be common but welcome in our pond.
I couldnt believe the price of fishing nets from our local garden centre £18, bought a bog standard one from the pound shop £1.50

meercatsunited

I cannot do anything to the pod until after the newts breeding season march -july but have noticed how smelly the pond is from all the debris I cannot get out yet.

Would a solar powered pump be useful in the future as well as putting a net over in winter to prevent leaves falling in.
Should I have a pump if its a wildlife pond.

The previous owners left a stone frog that was supposed to send water into the pond but it wasnt connected. I cannot see where the power for a pump could come from as the pond is across the driveway.

Thanks

RAS

I believe that the barley pad will reduce the smell over time but takes a while to work.

I would recommend that you put a net over the pond in the autumn to collect the leaves. In the mean-time you might use a stick to gently drag some of the leaves in the pond out of the pond, just in one area. Leave the debris next to the pond for a few days so that anything in it can crawl back in the pond before you move the decaying material. In fact, anytime you take pond weed or anything out of the pond, leave it for a few days to allow critters to escape.

Dustykitten

We have dug a new (our first) pond this year and have made a right pigsear of it. The liner is a wrinkled mess you can see it everywhere big folds and bare around the edges. We can't decide whether to:

Empty the water out and have another go, but it took ages to get this far and looks naff

Get one of those preformed ponds and give that a go

Get some soil, fill it in and give up.

It was supposed to be a lovely wildlife pond. Don't want to go to the expense and hassle of plants for it if we will always see the folded liner.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeelp please.

meercatsunited

dustykitten I think you need to start a new post because everyone previously looking at mine may not look again.

good luck with the pond.

mike24w

had a small pond for 2 years now and tried to keep it clean by clearing it out regularly, but recently i have invested in a UV light filter/pump and my pond has cleared of algae in less than 6 days.. cost less than £50 from Amazon. Pond is only about 1.5m x 1m x 1m deep, but finally i can see my fish all the time!!