You may think that by having a pond in your garden you are just improving your own surroundings and participating in a great hobby, but you would be wrong. Your garden pond does more for the environment than you may think. Wildlife ponds in Britain are disappearing at an alarming rate and with more land reclamation, building projects and more land turned over to agriculture every year the prospect for natural ponds looks bleak.

Natural ponds are a key component of Britain’s delicately balanced wildlife eco-system and the diverse wildlife and plant environments they offer are diminishing fast. This means your humble garden pond has thrust its way up the scale of environmental importance and many types of wildlife that would ordinarily be using a natural pond may now be using your garden pond instead.

Encouraging wildlife to visit your pond should be something you look at when deciding the pond’s position in your garden and your overall pond design. Incorporating areas where wildlife can hide and shelter without being disturbed and providing different types of areas in your pond to attract as many types of diverse wildlife as possible is not only going to increase your pleasure, it could be helping everyone in Britain too.

Having a pond in your garden can help to enhance your surroundings and increase the value of your property. More and more people in the UK find garden ponds to be pleasurable, relaxing and a great fun filled hobby. Garden ponds can actually provide you with a competitive advantage over other similar properties in your neighbourhood.

The cost of building a garden pond can vary depending on the size and design of your pond. Building the pond is of course a job you can do yourself, it just takes a little time and effort. If you use a good quality pond liner material like Epalyn then your pond should also stay maintenance free for some years to come. Make sure the pond is situated in a position that does not receive too much sun and also conversely not too much shade. If you are considering having fish in your pond then make sure it is deep enough and don’t overstock it, your fish will need room to grow and the pond should provide then with a balanced eco-system.

A garden pond enhances the charm and appeal of your property and helps to attract prospective buyers as well.

It can be a delicate balance between having a pond that has crystal clear water and one that doesn’t quite look so stunning but provides a much better environment for your pond life. In fact, crystal clear water could be seen as a problem for your fish. It can be difficult to diagnose poor water quality but is can be caused by lack of nutrients or even too many nutrients.

When your pond has too many nutrients you may notice and increase in the level of algae in the pond. This is not all bad news because the algae produce oxygen which is of course great for your fish. It also provides a great food source for other wildlife and controls the nutrients that might get added to the pond with tap water. There are many different types of algae but the main types found in garden ponds are free floating algae and blanket weed.

If your pond has a balanced eco-system then your algae level should be self controlling but if you have too many of one thing you may have a problem. There are many things you can do to try to solve the problem. All of which will be discussed in the next article.

If you are thinking of starting a family or your toddler has just started to take his or her first steps you may want to consider the options you have to safeguard them from the unfortunate risk your pond may pose. It doesn’t really matter how much water your pond contains, ponds and toddlers don’t really mix.

The best thing you can do if you are a pond owner is to introduce some form of physical barrier around the pond so your children will not be able to gain access to the pond area. This may be in the form of a fence or a wall but should be of adequate construction to keep the toddler out.

One problem of course when adding such a barrier is that the aesthetic nature of your garden pond may be damaged and it could add an unflattering aspect to your overall garden’s outlook.

Another option is to install a strong mesh over the complete pond. The type of mesh and the way it is anchored into the ground is of paramount importance. It should be able to hold a child’s weight if they fall on the mesh and prevent a child from clambering underneath.

If you have a pond and are the parent of young children, you should always protect them from the potential danger your pond poses.

Adding plants to garden ponds that do not have soil as a base layer above the liner is really easy to do and the best way to add plants to your pond. When adding basket containers, it is not only easy to position them in the pond but also if the plant becomes too large it is easier to remove it than digging up the bottom of your pond and potentially damaging the pond liner. Also, if you plant your pond plants in containers it stops them becoming to invasive and actually keeps the plants in completely separate clusters.

Baskets that are used for pond planting are usually constructed from some sort of plastic mesh that allows the water to pass through and also the roots to spread out throughout the water. After the plant is placed in a container of this type it is worth adding a thick layer of gravel to the top of the compost. This will hold down the plant and container and stop it floating away. On the subject of compost, you need to use the right type. If you use normal garden compost you will find that the compost floats due to the fibrous components found in it. Buying good quality aquatic compost from your aquatics dealer is the only option here.