Best time of year and method for pond overhaul ?

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   Hi there,
Yes I'm back ...with the same subject...the pond!

Hopefully this year will BE the year we overhaul the pond. 

It is a wildlife pond with water-lilies and Irises and some other thing and is so overgrown. We started out with loads of frogs but gradually the newts have overpowered them and it is mainly newt based now which is very sad as I used to love watching the frogs, the spawn and tadpoles.
The irises are complete thugs and in the main it is more marsh than pond...so ..hopefully...this year we will be hoiking the lot out and start again.

Soooooo,,,when is the best time of year to do this??? We've always done maintenance in January...and have consequently frozen our tiny fingers off, but Im wondering if there is a better time.

Also are there any dwarf Irises for the pond?? 
Or any other suggestions for planting...
I'd like to keep the water-lilies as they were in the butler sink that passed for a pond when we moved here...though obviously they need trimming down or sorting in some way...any ideas???.

It will be interesting to see how deep the layer of sediment is in the pond and removing the mass of Irises will be a feat unto itself. In previous years I have cut them back...tentatively at first, then by a third, then by two thirds...they really are the scorpions of aquatic plants...nothing destroys them! 

So any advice, tips and hints on how to go about this mammoth task...and how to look after the residents while we do this (we have a couple of large fish tanks in the shed)...any advice about suitable planting and how to restore the existing plants...all would be gratefully received...

Thanking you all in advance of what I hope will be a wealth of information

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Iminei Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 Aug 2012 Location: Dorset Status: Offline Points: 51	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iminei Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Best time of year and method for pond overhaul ? Posted: 07 Sep 2014 at 9:13am
	Hi there, Yes I'm back ...with the same subject...the pond! Hopefully this year will BE the year we overhaul the pond. It is a wildlife pond with water-lilies and Irises and some other thing and is so overgrown. We started out with loads of frogs but gradually the newts have overpowered them and it is mainly newt based now which is very sad as I used to love watching the frogs, the spawn and tadpoles. The irises are complete thugs and in the main it is more marsh than pond...so ..hopefully...this year we will be hoiking the lot out and start again. Soooooo,,,when is the best time of year to do this??? We've always done maintenance in January...and have consequently frozen our tiny fingers off, but Im wondering if there is a better time. Also are there any dwarf Irises for the pond?? Or any other suggestions for planting... I'd like to keep the water-lilies as they were in the butler sink that passed for a pond when we moved here...though obviously they need trimming down or sorting in some way...any ideas???. It will be interesting to see how deep the layer of sediment is in the pond and removing the mass of Irises will be a feat unto itself. In previous years I have cut them back...tentatively at first, then by a third, then by two thirds...they really are the scorpions of aquatic plants...nothing destroys them! So any advice, tips and hints on how to go about this mammoth task...and how to look after the residents while we do this (we have a couple of large fish tanks in the shed)...any advice about suitable planting and how to restore the existing plants...all would be gratefully received... Thanking you all in advance of what I hope will be a wealth of information

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Sep 2014 at 11:13am
	I'm finding right now is a good time to be working on the pond! Not too hot, not too cold and none of those heavy showers we had in July/August. I found a good tip with Irises which is to buy oil drain pans to plant them in. This should help to contain them. Some very cheap ones available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-675089-Litre-Drain-Clean/dp/B000LFTW5I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410084427&sr=8-2&keywords=oil+drain+pans I've bought a couple of these and hopefully they will keep the irises under control. One of those plants that cause plenty of problems but how could a pond really be complete without them! The frog to newt progression is a natural thing, shame but there is always the option of making a new shallow pond that might be used by frogs again but is less attractive to newts. I would pop any residents you find in the fish tanks with some water and if there are larval newts a land area, once they metamorphose they can be released in the garden to live terrestrially. PS, would love to see some pictures of the restoration, if you need help with getting them on the forum ask either Chris or me. Edited by GemmaJF - 07 Sep 2014 at 11:27am

Iminei Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 Aug 2012 Location: Dorset Status: Offline Points: 51	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iminei Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Sep 2014 at 6:11pm
	*Irises which is to buy oil drain pans to plant them in...* Really ????? I'm confused as to how they could establish enough root system......they seem quite shallow...tho I suppose the pans could be super wide? I wish I could have a ginormous pond...but sadly our garden is only 14 foot wide (like our house tho it is 100 ft long!!! but has 5 terraces (it drops down 14 feet over the 100!!) The pond currently looks like a flowerbed...but there is water in there...its just overshadowed by planting.

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Sep 2014 at 10:12am
	I guess the idea is to contain the root system and control the spread of them! As it is, when faced with planting up my flag irises I opted to use the drain pans for lilies and used kidney shaped baskets lined with hessian for the irises. I have to contain the roots as the clay pond I'm building won't appreciate penetrating roots very much. I like a variety of plants but have learnt from the past that keeping plants in check and under planting initially is the best way for me.

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Oct 2014 at 11:37am
	How did the pond work go? Did you manage to get started?

Iminei Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 Aug 2012 Location: Dorset Status: Offline Points: 51	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iminei Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Oct 2014 at 1:55pm
	Not started yet I'm afraid I'll see if I can talk my hubby into over the next week or so. When we empty the pond, should we be putting frogs, newts etc into tanks/containers???

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Oct 2014 at 4:26pm
	It's getting a bit late now to put them in containers as they will be ready for hibernation. Perhaps worth putting it off now until next year unless you can get it all done relatively quickly and return the animals to the pond within a day or two?

Iminei Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 Aug 2012 Location: Dorset Status: Offline Points: 51	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iminei Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 Oct 2014 at 6:49pm
	mmmn its so confusing! If we have a nice weekemd, warm dry etc...I reckon we should go for it other wise we'll be left with a flowerbed next year.... Does anyone know of a dwarf aquatic Iris that doesn't take over??

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 Oct 2014 at 10:03am
	Sorry not trying to be confusing! In the long run renovating the pond is going to benefit the animals more than disturbing them will cause harm. It's just soon they will be settling down for hibernation and with frogs that can mean actually in the pond. So if you need to turf them out to do the restoration, putting them in tanks for a day or so is fine, it is just better to not leave it much later in the year. There are some dwarf iris varieties though I do not know of a suitable variety/supplier off-hand. I think also there are similar but less vigorous options that might be worth looking into. You could try contacting Pudlleplants (puddleplants.co.uk) where I've been buying my pond plants. Annette would be able to give good advice regarding a suitable plant and what she has in stock. Her email is annette@puddleplants.co.uk