Is it time to put pond plants in?

Is it time to put some new pond plants in or is it to early.
I moved a lot of my plants into the new pond last year because we were going to fill the old smaller pond in.
But we have now decided to turn it into a wildlife pond .
I need to put some more plants in to attract the wild life.
Is it to early and cold and what should I buy?
There is a waterfall in the pond and filter and uv.
It's about 4 ft X 3ft x 18 ins
With a shelf half way round.

 

Lyn, if the plants are for sale in your area, then it`s not to early. Also, if you want a wildlife pond, they don`t tend to have a waterfall and filters.

 

Its fine, Normally theyd be in the water all year round anyway.

Agree with dave regards the UV and waterfall, with sutch a small pond, theyl be farr too mutch movment in the water to intrest wildlife and many feed on algae.

 

I tend to think its a bit early.
True, pond plants are hardy and will come to no real harm but I find ponds are a good month behind the garden when it comes to getting going in the spring.
So you can wait a bit longer before planting and they will go like the clappers once things warm up.
Not really sure what the difference is between a wildlife pond and any other kind, just make it easy for the animals to get in and out and dont use any chemicals.
They will then use it, 4ft by 3ft is not really big enough for much more than some oxegenating plants, plus perhaps one marginal for a bit of a show.

 

My wildlife pond will be a pond without Koi.
But as it's next to the house I need to keep it 'clean'.
I might just put some tiny fish in next month and see what happends.
We already have frogs and spawn in it.

 

Hi Lyn. I used to have a small pond much like yours. I put in a few goldfish and shubumkins and they were fine until the frogs moved in. The resulting tadpoles harried the fish nibbling away at their fins never giving a moments rest. Most of them died. I have heard that frogs can even cause problems for larger Koi, clamping themselves on and causing blindness(not sure if I believe that). Anyway, just something to perhaps bear in mind. Maybe someone else can add something on this ? Cheers...freddy.

 

Lyn, wildlife ponds don`t have fish because they tend to eat the wildlife. You can have a fishpond or a wildlife pond, but I don`t think you can have a combination pond. I could be wrong...

 

Yes David you could are wrong I had a wildlife pond for years full of newts frogs etc I did introduce a fish called a silver bitterling it's found in ponds in the uk and europe, the male grows to 3" the female 2" the males have a red stripe down their sides and rose coloured fins when they are breeding a very attractive little fish, they have a unique way of breeding you need to have swan mussels in the pond as the female bitterling sticks her ovipositor in the vent tube on the mussel and lays her eggs,the eggs hatch and are protected in the mussel untill they are a few days old then the swim free, this is not all a one way partnership as when the mussel lays its eggs they hatch into little things called Glochidia thes attatch themselves to the fish form a little cyst and feed off the fish ,within a week or so they fall off into the mud to develope into full grown mussels without the fish suffering any apparent harm.The fish were in complete harmony with the rest of the wildlife in the pond they fed on small mud worms and daphnea another fish worth a try is the gudgeon, the biggest predator of tadpoles in the pond was the newts they love taking the frog tadpole developing embryos out of the spawn,it can have a devastating effect on the frog population if the spawn manages to hatch and the tadpoles can last 2 weeks without being eaten they are then usually to fast for the newts.

 

Intresting, I must admit that ponds for fish are something i have to date had very little to do with.

Not built that many, other than a few large wildlife ponds and bubble type water features.

[ 12. March 2008, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: Pro Gard ]

 

I've had goldfish in my pond for nearly 20yrs and a very healthy frog population, they seem to put up with one another pretty well.
After the spawning season the fish tend to have the pond to themselves most of the summer, and far from the tadpoles worrying the fish, it tends to be the other way around, the fish eat the tadpoles.
But lots survive each year given a good covering of weed to hide in.
The fish breed like crazy and the pond needs to be bigger :D

 

The frogs insist on going into my Koi pond they are ok at present the Koi are just starting to feed when they are in full appetite mode they eat the frogs or anything that enters the pond, I am forever fishing them out and putting them into the wildlife pond.