Hi Reddit!
Before I fill this Belfast sink pond, can anyone tell me if I’ve made this access easy enough for a hedgehog to climb out of please?
by True_Air3923
Hi Reddit!
Before I fill this Belfast sink pond, can anyone tell me if I’ve made this access easy enough for a hedgehog to climb out of please?
by True_Air3923
8 Comments
I wouldn’t use soil in there as it’ll wash down into the main part and not stay in place, while also adding a bunch of nutrients to the water causing algal growth.
Can you not just put a plank or piece of wood in there from one corner out, instead of the blocks?
Rather than a massive staircase in a micro pond, maybe a branch for birds, dragonfly …and aquahogs i guess!?
Looks like you’ve done a lot of work but I’m not sure about the safety of your waterhole, it’s also quite likely that they won’t attempt to drink from there. I use an old glass oven bowl lid, have to keep topping it up but they enjoy it.
Queue mozzies in 5 … 4 … 3 … …
Don’t put soil in there, unless it’s specific aquatic compost. Garden soil or compost is far too rich in nutrients and you’ll just get a green pond full of algae sludge.
you won’t need the soil. hogs can climb up a 10cm step easily
Take the soil out, I know, it’s a pain but honestly just the blocks will be absolutely fine. The soil will just keep the pond dirty and messy. It will naturally get its own substrate in the bottom over time.
You will need some plants. I suggest these ones,
Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranae – Frogbit (get this one, not Amazon Frogbit, that will die in the first frost)
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Typha Minima (mini bullrush) this is great and a necessary plant for dragonflies.
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Myriophyllum Spicatum (Milfoil) This is a great oxygenator, you just throw it in.
I have had loads of really successful nature ponds and just recently found a great place to buy plants from online.
Honestly, I have never had pond plants so healthy and big. I have just bought the above plants from them last week and I am very impressed, they arrived next day, customer service brilliant and the mini bullrush arrived potted up, ready to just pop in.
This is the place,
https://pondplantgrowersdirect.co.uk/
You also need to get planting around the sink too, look for marginal plants at that shop or enjoy a trip to your local garden centre or B&M if it’s got a garden centre within it, you can get some great deals there.
Find a couple of branches too, and put one inside sticking out for little critters to climb out and one for birds to perch, if you don’t want to take up more room in there, you could bury two branches, one on either side of the sink, like a wig-wam and tie it at the top, the birds will perch on that then.
You are doing a great job and you will get so much enjoyment from this wonderful little set up. 😀
Put more stone in to make it shallower