'Temporary' cheap pond ideas for child!

ChilliBob

Bendy_House said:

If you join a Facebook or similar page for your area, I'm sure folk will fall over themselves to offer cuttings from their own pond - it's often a regular thing just to keep it under control...

Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. I did try to join a couple, twice, but my application needed review and was just stuck as pending! I may have to try again! 

Mardle

I've recently been watching 'Garden Rescue' on BBC i-player and have seen them create small wildlife ponds which might give you some inspiration.

Alternatively what about a mud kitchen?

ChilliBob

I'll give that a look with my son, sounds like a nice thing to watch

Mud kitchen, crikey, well he's already started digging for what he thought would be a pond under where a trampoline once was (and will be again soon!), that was enough of a mess for us!

Ectophile

It depends on how cheap you're looking at.  You can get plastic sandpits from toy stores that double up as a paddling pool.

twopenny

All types of pot including plastic ones. £6
A bit of liner costs about £8
Anyone with a pond will give you oxygenating weed for free as it multiplies fast.
Keep it out of the sun, cool if poss to prevent algae.
To keep it clear get a cheap floating solar fountain but keep the solar panel clean.
Tall straight aquatic plants attract dragonflies. 
If you have room put at least one large stone near the side so anything that falls in can climb out.
A shallow one filled with pebbles to the surface on one side will bring birds to drink.
Tal water collected in a bucket and left for a few days should allow the stuff in it to evaporate...then it's ok. A good job for a child.
If you can surround it with plants for frog cover that's a good attraction.
Ponds are a way for grownups to play like train sets or digging sand castles yet look normal.

ChilliBob

Truth be told I would actually love a proper pond, I'm a bit of a photography nerd given time and dragonflies and macro are a bit of a thing for me!

My folks were going to a garden center today and have aparantly got us some pond plants for our non existent pond...! Which is somewhat jumping the game.. Will they be okay in a bucket of tap water?

Stones are covered, and I have a shady corner planned for it too, which sound's ideal. I just need a suitable container now.. A work in progress! 

twopenny

Could your parents have some rain water to put them in - seeing as they are getting the plants early?

I guess they'll be ok in tap water. The chlorine should evapourate off in a couple of days or you could boil some water (and leave to cool obvs).

You can get plastic grid to fit over ponds so the wildlife can use it but children don't fall into it or go paddling and break it. Lift in lift out stuff.

Yes, Garden Rescue and the old Ground Force, Love your garden often do ponds.

Always on the level though. I dug mine in a day then filled it in. the slope meant making a whole feature up one side which I wasn't prepared for.

Just be careful if you enjoy this too. A swimming pond is always a desirable feature  

https://www.theswimmingpondcompany.co.uk/

Poorexgirlfriend192

I’ve seen some lovely makeshift “ponds” made out of barrels https://blueworldgardener.co.uk/how-to-make-a-container-pond/

ChilliBob

Well I've gone for a see-through storage box!

Got some plants from a nursery, from my Mum. 

Got some stones, logs etc and it's taking shape. 

I just need it to rain now and get some water. 

My son asked when we will get ducks in it though.. I did explain that's *very* unlikely to happen, but he's insisting it will. He's 4. Ponds =ducks, no dispute. Lol 

stuart45

I had a pair of Mallards  come into our pond for a few days and they  wrecked it, and ate all the weed and snails.