Conservation or natural garden ponds

The Natural Choice

For Clay lined and puddled ponds or ponds with a soil layer on top of a flexible liner read......

The problems inherent in the design of conservation ponds make them worthy of a separate mention. It is not that they are more prone to problems; it is just that if there is a problem of any sort then it is more difficult to correct. Bearing in mind that a pond is attempting to evolve into just a boggy place - a hole filled with detritus - we must also bear in mind that conservation ponds are much more dynamic at being able to achieve this.

Why?

Firstly because, they start of with a minimum of 4inches of mud on the bottom anyway.

Secondly, that mud 'kick-starts' the cycle of life into motion so quickly that it seems that no sooner have you turned your back on the thing then in an instant it is full of plants and goodness knows what. If the plants are given full rein in the pond i.e. not restrained in baskets, then the rampant and voracious character of some water and marginal plants is instantly revealed. So, just cleaning the pond out becomes a problem apart from any other problems that might occur.

Having said all that, my experience with conservation ponds, particularly if they are very large, is that they are lot less problematic in the ecological sense. Disease and water quality problems seem to be less apparent perhaps because of the steadying effect of the much more vibrant living environment.

Tips for clearing and cleaning out conservation and wildlife ponds

Safety precautions

1. Make sure your tetanus injections are up to date. Also wear long rubber gloves for as much of the time as possible. Ive come down with some pretty debilitating flu like illnesses after cleaning out ponds and it is generally been when Ive been doing the job without gloves on.

2.Always wear thick sole boots. Pull out rubbish with tools.

Dont wear full-length waders if you are working by yourself.

3. Make yourself familiar with the contours of the bottom of the pond. Check where there are any sumps or drop offs. If there are any very deep areas of mud in which you may have to work you can make a platform of corrugated iron as a sort of a duckboard. This is particularly useful if you do not intend to drain the pond, but remember to attach a piece of rope to it so that you can retrieve it when you have finished.

4.Have extra, spare, warm, dry clothes to hand particularly in winter. Change into them at the end of the day - people will like you a lot more!

5.Keep your back straight and don't overdo it lifting out long shovels full of slime.

Tools for cleaning out

For the larger project the basic tool is a muck rake, manure drag or Crome for clearing aquatic weeds; also a billhook; very old pruning saw; old carving knife and grass hook and shovel. Needless to say, care must be taken if the pool is lined with a flexible liner when using these tools.

For the smaller pond as well as the large pond, you will naturally need pumping or siphoning equipment, i.e. large bore hose and possibly a pump that will take thickly muddied water and a certain amount of solids. You may want to hire a petrol driven sludge pump if the pond is remote from a power supply.

Buckets and a water supply and hose for washing down and refill.

A plastic dustpan and brush is perfect for cleaning out the last few gallons of slimy water in a lined pool.