In part one of this article we covered a few helpful hints and tips for pond owners. Here we will add to these with some more invaluable advice.

• When installing a pond always use sand and then underlay at the bottom of the pond before you add your pond liner. This will minimise any potential future punctures.
• If you have a surge of algal growth the water nutrient balance may be wrong. Try to add water lilies on the pond surface to reduce the amount of sunlight the algae receives. Adding oxygenation plants will reduce the amount of minerals and carbon dioxide.
• When starting out try to get a balance of different aquatic plants such as marginal’s, oxygenators and underwater aquatic plants to offer the wildlife and pond the maximum level of diversity possible.
• Remove blanketweed from your pond by using a blanketweed brush.
• Place aquatic pond plants in baskets that can be easily removed from the pond if necessary.
• In your initial pond design try to add a sloping area into the pond so that animals such as hedgehogs can get out if they fall in.
• Cut back dead plant growth in the winter months to allow for new growth in spring.
• You may need to take some plants out of the pond in the spring to cut them back, this is also a good time to split plants if necessary.

We will continue these tips and hints in the next article.