How to create a barrel pond for wildlife | WWT
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2023
- Adding water to your outdoor space is one of the most important things you can do for wildlife. It is vital habitat for wetland wildlife like frogs and dragonflies. Creating a barrel pond is one of the easiest, most accessible ways to bring wildlife to your space as you only need a small bit of hard standing land. It’s also great for many species of garden plant, insect, bird and mammal.
We used lot of plants in this barrel pond to show variety. You don’t need to use that many - 3 plants would be absolutely fine for a barrel pond and allows more room for each to grow bigger. Try to pick one with flowing leaves for shade and cover, one with emerging vertical stems, and one with plenty of leaves under the water to oxygenate the water and provide habitat below the surface.
Here are some details of the native plants we have used:
Mare’s Tail, also known as bottle brush (Hippuris vulgaris) - evergreen and a good oxygenator. Can be planted at a range of depths in the pond.
Bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) - a shallow water marginal pond plant with starry white flowers in May and June. Cut back after flowering.
Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) - features spear-shaped leaves and pretty yellow flowers in summer. It can cause skin irritation, so wear gloves when handling.
Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) - an iconic yellow-flowered wetland plant great for damselfly and dragonfly nymphs to climb out from the pond onto, just before they transform into their adult form. Grows vigorously, so keep in the basket and be prepared to thin back when it gets established. Wear gloves to handle.
Common rush (Juncus effusus) - clumps of bright green vertical flowering stems with brown flowers.
Common water-plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) - has delicate pinkish white flowers, which tower above the leafy foliage.
Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) - aromatic minty leaves and nectar and pollen rich lilac flowers make this an appealing addition to a pond for humans and wildlife. Spreads easily, so cut back after flowering.
Water forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) - sprays of small sky-blue flowers with yellow centres draw the eye above water but below the surface, newts may use the leave to wrap their eggs in!
Native water Lilly (Nyphaea alba) - floating leaves are the perfect landing and drinking places for insects such as bees, a great spot for a frog, and they shade the water beneath, discouraging algae bloom.
For full instructions and more gardening for wildlife ideas, visit WWT's website at www.wwt.org.uk/mini-wetlands
Two ideas about mosquitoes (for USA folks):
1) get a solar-powered water pump to create movement in the water (you could even fashion it as a tiny waterfall over the rocks) and this should generally prohibit the mosquitoes from being able to lay eggs. This will alter the ecosystem of the pond, so you'll have a different kind of habitat and different creatures drawn to it than if it were still water.
2) I have heard that some people keep small fish in such ponds, and I suppose if you have both fish and amphibians coming around, it should pretty much control the mosquito population. Maybe someone here knows what kinds of fish would be appropriate for a tiny pond? I don't know.
However you do it, look to what nature does itself in ponds or streams, and think about your pond as a mini ecosystem that should self-manage as nature does.
Now, the only issue with all of this of course, is that some municipalities in the USA make it illegal both to keep standing water or to collect rain water.
Those laws need to be updated!
Illegal to collect rainwater...what’s the reasoning behind that..? Is it purely to stop people from utilizing something that’s free..?
Thanks for the advice! Nice to hear other ideas! Such a shame about the silly laws around rain water collection
Rice fish
If legal, trap some small fish from a local pond
@@norinickrrostron9001 water rights in some areas are managed closely because surface water used for irrigation. For example, I had a farm with irrigation rights I paid 20,000 dollars for and the water came on to my property through a ditch and drained into a retention pond we then pumped out of. My new neighbor didn’t understand the law, dug a trench and dam diverting it on to his property and I had to explain he couldn’t do that. The water collected into the main reservoir farmers use comes from rain water so some states have limits on the amount of rain water private owners can collect on their property, in Colorado I think it is 110 gallon for most households, unless you own a separate water right (almost like a mineral right) . We had people trying to buy ours or lease ours all the time.
TIP: Place this is a shady or paritally shady location if you are in zone 7 or more. It'll become a bathtub in the summer if not (cooking all occupants)
So true in 9B
Lovey video! Thank you for the tips ! 🐸💧🪴
Excellent vid to encourage people to help wildlife in any way that can! It's up to each and everyone of us to do all we can.
great video and you covered all the points. I've got quite a few pond pots and bigger pond. The frogs and toads use both but the newts only use the pond. I never get frog spawn but I'm quite happy about that. I'd have trouble going into the garden with a carpet of little frog and toadlets. I remember when I dug my big pond. I had dragon flies laying eggs before I'd even finished. I tried to remember the turves they'd laid on and put those at the side of the pond. My neighbours got a big pond too but there's still always a queue of blackbirds in winter to use my pond. I really mean a queue of them too. They really do take their turn. Looks great with the sun behind.
That's funny. I wonder if my 5 hens would que to check for feeder fish. 😂
Beautiful project, very concise, all in under 10 minutes ... the perfect video for beginners like myself. 😊
Thank you! I’m going to do this for the wildlife. I love to hear the frogs and toads in the summer!
Thanks for all this good information. I'm going to attempt to do something like this with my clawfoot bathtub that I've put against the house between two fig trees. Wish me luck.
Let us know how it goes!
Lovely video😊
Fantastic and inspiring video; I'm putting a barrel pond on my balcony for all the birds and bees that enjoy the flowers in our apartment garden
Thank you that’s the best advice ever on a wildlife pond
Great looking barrel - thanks for the video!
We are prone to mosquitoes here in Hawai’i. I’d need to move the water and have guppies to eat the larvae.
Just use mosquito dunks
Perfect and succinct.
Very calm and well delivered.
Cheers!
You are a Real natural at making these videos...great job,
Pretty cool. I’ve been looking for a small project like this to do with my mom. Thanks!
Khu vườn của bạn thật nhiều bóng mát 👍👍👍.
Thank you for sharing how to make a wildlife container pond. It was very useful to me. Marisol, Greetings from Hamilton, Virginia, USA.
Fabulous and inspiring... Thank you
Brilliant and inspiring! Thanks.
Thats my next garden project. Thanks.
Lovely job 💯. Thanks 👍
Gorgeous and wonderful in every way!
Just what I was looking for as we embark on wilding our garden for nature. We need to put water in to the garden for wildlife, this will be our first water, later we plan to create a larger water area or mini wetland, may be later this year by the time we get to create it.
My only comment on your excellent video is, would it also be an idea for a ramp from the pond water to the edge. Water levels can drop and possibly wildlife can be trapped, unable to haul themselves out. Having said that they might be able to do this from the plants in the tub. I know you will do a daily check of water levels, I am not sure if I would trust myself to be so diligent.
Thank you for an excellent video, keep them coming.
Hi James, thanks for the positive review! If you check back to our final shot of the barrel pond from 07:40, we placed a rock that leans on the back edge of the barrel to allow wildlife to exit.
Let us know on our socials how you get on with creating yours - we'd love to see it.
Simply lovely!
Thank you so very much for sharing this, I am very inspired to make a habitat pond ❤
I learned a ton here, thank you so much
How fun! Thank you for this.
Love the idea and love the Opinel
Great looking barrel 👌
Great little video full of all info you need wildlife ponds for dummies 😊
Makes a great little pond. I've already got a couple of ponds,but this will be great for a smaller 'satellite' pond closeby,for viewing. Thankyou,look forward to more.
Lovely!
finalmente un video che spiega veramente come fare un mini stagno ! grazie !!!!
No problem!
I really enjoyed that, thank you.
Thank you for posting this! Hugz
Wow this is such a helpful video, I can’t wait to start building my own pond!
Well done, Mr.
Excellent ideas. I didn't really want to be digging, etc. Thank you!
thanks! it was very inspiring
Lovely! Thank you :)
awesome job, thanks
Very helpful thanks
Best I've seen ..
I loved this video thank you
I love it!!!
Love it!!! I imagine that the water shouldnt be too cold.
Gonna get on this tomorrow!
Watercress is a type of amphibious carnivorous plant. I have heard that it eats mosquito nymphs. I also know that mosquitoes need standing water to lay their eggs.
Nice. Thank you.
Beautiful!
Thanks for your video, good tips 😊
Glad it was helpful!
Magnifique👍💖 vous avez beaucoup de talent Monsieur
Great info thanks
awesome video✌✌
Amazing! ❤️🤩🤩
Thanks for the great video I'm going to copy the idea.
Beautiful
Beautiful! I really want to do this, but worry about all the neighborhood cats using it as an easy place to ambush prey, especially birds visiting. 😢. And also not sure what to do with it during winter (Northern Utah so it would freeze solid I’m guessing, and kill larvae/eggs of the insects I’m hoping to provide habitat for). I’ll keep researching.
Thank you! - very relaxing to watch
What a great video, thank you. I really want to do this in our garden in the Sw of England. Please could you privide some advice on the type of barrel? There seems to be so many and I worry about previous uses and if I need a liner. I'm on quite a budget though.
Hi there, thanks for your question. Any barrel that hasn't been used to hold harmful chemicals will be OK. Old alcohol barrel is ideal but you can purchase others. We were lucky to find a good barrel which held water straight away. If using a barrel where the wood has been allowed to dry out and shrink you can try soaking it and it may swell back and seal. If not then you can always use a rubber or plastic liner stapled to the inside - fill with water before cutting off the excess liner to let it conform to the shape of the barrel. Good luck!
Came here for the liner question, I have a barrel my partner bought me before he passed, it's been almost 10yr and well IV done some sketching of what I see in my minds eye, wrote a checklist and hoping that it swells, IV got a solar powered fountain for the birds to play in so we may be well to get one for the barrel too, have rocks for stepping stones, even a bucket to pop within, but on it's side so theres somewhere to hide, however, I dont fancy the plastic liner at all. After years of imagining the outcome I think maybe it is time to create this haven we both wanted for his birthday in August, (anniversary is too late in the year).
What a wonderful resource! I am in the process of creating a wildlife pond and found this really helpful. It would be great to have the names of the plants you used. 😊
Glad it was helpful! Take a look at the video description for the plant names. Do let us know how you get on with your wildlife pond build.
Love it
so nice videos ❤
that is so nice
merci encore
Great information about soil, plants and especially for creatures getting in and out safely, have you got any ideas on what small fish can be kept in the barrel pond ? please, I have some shrimps and snails living in there and would like to see something swimming about if possible
A wonderful and informative video, thank you! ❤
I've heard elsewhere you should have a ramp for wildlife to be able to get out from inside. You have an external ramp, and mentioned you thought the water level might go down a few inches, which surely would leave things trapped inside? Hopefully I've just misunderstood.
Hi, thanks for watching and raising this important point; we do have the large rocks both in the centre and back-edge of the barrel that touch the edge, and that edge itself is carved to be at the waterline height.
True - an empty container with smooth vertical sides is not great for amphibians or any small creature that falls in - we put plenty of rocks and things in ours so it shouldn't be a problem.
Hi, this looks great, thank you so much. Just a quick question (I live in the SE of England), what happens with the pond in winter time? Also, is there a 'best time' to add something like this to your garden? Would September be ok? Thanks again.
Hi there glad you like the video and thanks for the questions, in the autumn/early winter you can trim the plants back and let the water freeze over - things should then start growing back in the spring and with any winter rainfall your pond should keep topped-up.
September would be a good time to build as you might find that garden centres have discount, end of season plants on offer. Just you'll have to wait until next summer for them to flower but they will have plenty of time to settle in. Let us know how it goes!
Oh, I love this. Can you put little fish in there? Thank you for showing us how to make it.
We have an established bathtub collecting rainwater. I’m wondering if I can incorporate the baskets of plants into it without the muddy results? Also thank you for this beautiful video! What a kind and gentle soul you are 🙏🙏🙏
Hi there, you might get a little mud, but hopefully a whole lot more wildlife! You might be interested in our drainpipe wetland build ruclips.net/video/hzuG0MPv9YI/видео.html
I love it
Perfect
Please add guppies (fish)
They will create small surface agitation by looking for food on surface of the water and the birds get attract to moving water than standing because moving water surface gives them a reflection of the sunlight directly to the eyes so they will find easily 😀
I experienced that
Thank you for sharing. In our area we have mosquitos and standing water allows them to lay eggs and produce even more mosquitos. Do you have that problem and if so how do you solve it? I had a large ponds years ago and have gold fish and other fish which seemed to keep the mosquitos down. Not sure it you could put fish in these small containers.?
Inspirational! I live in southern Spain, about 650 metres above sea level in a small village. Very hot dry summers, but enough rain through Feb-April to keep the countryside fairly green for most of the year. Rarely if ever drops below freezing in winter. I'd love to install something like this in my small garden, and I'm wondering about the partial sun recommendation, because here of course the sun can really heat up water. My garden is south and west facing, so it can be a challenge to find cool, shady spots. If anyone has any experience of making a barrel pond in a hot zone I'd love to hear your thoughts! TIA.
I have a small pond, maybe 20 gallons as part of my NWF backyard wildlife habitat certification in MI and a much larger one on a city patio in TN. Both are self-sufficient ecosystems. The one in MI gets fouled more because of critters stopping by. Both locations 'mosquito minnows' (gambusa minnows) are free from the county health department vector control (similar/different name based on location). Should the fish not survive a freeze I use mosquito dunks, 1/4 dunk for the larger pond until I can restock the fish. My Water Lilly is in a round bin from Dollar Tree and clay kitty litter. Duck weed is a good surface plant. See if you can attract dragon flies. I think it would do better in that long basket as it has nearly crossed the round container. Most places that do not allow rainwater collection is due to people allowing it to be sitting water or drinking. I'd call and ask for an exception to save to build a pond. I've done similar for a pond and in using my washer water for lawn care. I included my intentions and explanation, equipment, laundry cleaners in my request. The reason such things are not allowed is because humans were not responsible. If algae is a problem, the slimy type, use small barley bales off Amazon. In the large pond one lasts 6 months. My next goal is to get more native plants.
Hi, just wondering if you need any sort of filter to clean the water and stop it from stagnating?
hard to find those barrel halves in NZ for anything below $100, even with the huge wine industry here!
Hi excellent video thanks! my barrel is charred inside - should I use pond liner?
Hi thanks for your comment, charring is not in itself a problem - it is done to give flavour to the previous contents of course but will not affect water chemistry going forwards. It might though mean that the wood has dried and shrunk; try re-wetting and see if it holds, if not then you will need a liner.
Hi! What a beautiful wee wildlife pond! I notice that you didn't use a pond liner? Are they necessary in a wine barrel...seems counter intuitive as they are designed to hold precious liquids!
Hi there, thanks for your question - we were lucky enough to find a good barrel which held water right away (6 months on and it's still full!). If using a barrel where the wood has been allowed to dry out and shrink, it might be less watertight; you can try soaking it and it may swell back and seal. If not then you can always use a rubber or plastic liner stapled to the inside - fill with water before cutting off the excess liner to let it conform to the shape of the barrel. Good luck!
Thanks for replying! I did infact have a different problem- the water became very smelly after just a week. Not sure if I should empty it all out and start again? I am in NZ and it's a hot summer and we have water restrictions at the moment too. Maybe I need to wait until Spring?
Really enjoyed this video. Always wanted a little pond.
I do have a question........
I know its an old barrel.... but it is old and you haven't used a pond liner for it. Why is that?
Thanks
Hi there, great to hear you enjoyed our video. Many older barrels, especially those originally used for alcohol storage, are well-sealed. Most will likely leak a little, but topping up with rainwater sorts that.
I'd give the whole family west nile virus a week after getting this set up in the back yard.
Put a fountain pump in it
😂
dragonfly larva eat mosquito larva!
Really nice project - what do you do in winter? Can the aquatic plants survive? What do you do about leaves and other materials getting blown into the pond by the wind? Do you skim the surface with a small net or anything? 🙂
Hi there, glad you enjoyed watching! In the autumn, we cut back the plants and remove any blown leaves. This stops excess nutrients from building up in the pond, aside from that it is maintenance-free.
Love this idea and such a helpful video! Where can I buy all the things you mentioned in the video please, like the pond plants and plant baskets etc.?
Hi there, you should be able to pick them up from any good garden centre with an aquatics section.
If legal, gather some pond water and dead leaves from the bottom, even some muck and sand. Add it to your pond
Where do you get the plants from ? An ordinary Garden Centre ? Do you have to change the water if it gets polluted with leaves ?
Hi there, yes any Garden Centre with an aquatics section should stock these plants and they should be labelled as native species.
Any dead plant matter should be taken out, especially from fallen autumn leaves, as they will add excess nutrients, but if this is done fairly regularly there should be no need to change the water. Thanks for watching!
Plants came from a nearby garden centre that stocks a good range of aquatic plants - do a search to find suppliers near you.
How do you know if your whiskey barrel is a rectified one with creosote?
Would you recommend a wee water fountain? I was thinking of getting one of those solar powered ones.
Just a small thing so I can enjoy the sound of trickling water in my garden too.
Hi there, one of the tiny ones in this barrel would be fine - so long as the pump isn't strong enough to trap much invertebrate life. It would also benefit the aeration of the water. Let us know how it goes!
Looks great. Three questions:
1) Was the barrel waterproof or sealed when you go it? If no, what do you recommend to accomplish that?
2) What about mosquitoes in the standing water?
3) I live in the Pacific Northwest of USA where we get about 44 inches of snow and the freezing that goes along with that. Any suggestions? Just let the water freeze? What about the plants?
I was lucky to find a good barrel which held water straight away. If using a barrel where the wood has been allowed to dry out and shrink you can try soaking it and it may swell back and seal. If not then you can always use a rubber or plastic liner stapled to the inside - fill with water before cutting off the excess liner to let it conform to the shape of the barrel. Good luck!
Regarding the mosquitoes, we do get a lot of similar comments from viewers in USA; they aren’t such an issue in the UK but we know that small insects are essential to the food chain and provide food for a multitude of larger insects, fish and birds. So if you can cope with them, the wider wildlife will benefit!
Tough one on the cold weather - perhaps try stocking with native plants that are used to surviving in those extremes? Thanks for watching.
@@simonrose1598 Wow. Cool tip. Thank you.
I think there is some spray at the hardware store to seal small cracks or gaps but the liner may be the better way to go.
@@wwtorguk curious ... would a solar powered water pump be appropriate? It would help the folks dealing with mosquitoes.
@@takamatsuikiye
what about rain and overflow? in uk rains like crazy
It will run down the sides ... not a prob
😻
A question, I have something like this, but there are so many mosquitos around it now, do you have any suggestions for that? Thank you
👍❤️❤️❤️
Does the barrel have to be water tight? Can fabric growing baskets be used to hold aquatic plants in the water? Thanks for the video!
Hi there thanks for watching, yes ideally the barrel needs to be watertight - most barrels that have been previously used for liquid storage (usually alcohol) will be sealed already and not use harmful chemicals. And yes, any growing basket that will hold the soil in will work.
Thank you. This makes me think I can actually make my own pond. My daughter wants to add fish. Would this size be big enough?
Only for nano sized fish, and not too many. Fish are animals that need a LOT of research before taking them on, but they are wonderful.
I did something similar last year, but had one or two issues, the main one being blanket weed. I have a powder solution to get rid of it, but just keeps coming back, swamping all the other plants and just looks a mess. I've even removed everything and started again, but same issue. Other problems - winds knocking high plants over (solved with bamboo canes holding pots in place), the metal rings outside have just corroded off, no idea how long it'll last), something eating the lily leaves, and pigeons eating any flower heads. These ponds are definitely not plug and play, they need a lot of maintenance unless I'm doing something wrong..?
Hi there, it sounds like you are doing everything right, any garden pond will need some maintenance. To tackle the blanket weed, try moving the pond to a shadier spot than it is currently in, and ensure no other excess nutrients are being left in, such as dead/rotting plant matter.
How do you deal with mosquito larvae?
Would it be possible to keep fish in this or would you need to have a pump drawing water through a gravel filter with bacteria to convert the ammonia which the fish produce and which eventually poisons them into nitrites and nitrates?
Hi! I had a pond for many years with "carnival goldfish" that overwintered underneath the solid frozen water. Never had mosquitoes because they and other wildlife such as the several visiting or resident frogs ate those and as for the ammonia... No issue. But only if you have some plants. That alone filters naturally. In mine, I did have a small trickle pump to move the water also,which may have helped. I did that because the barrel was right below my porch and I wasn't taking chances to be attacked by mosquitoes daily! Anyway, feeder goldfish work too, they will grow only as large as the space they're provided. They become quite friendly like koi! Get bright orange and white, not grey, so you can see them. And above all else, expect raccoons and birds like herons who may try to snack on your fish! 🐸
thank you for this beautifully photographed and spoken video -- strange how I felt this was a holy information - it must be that the wetland core idea and reality goes back to the very dawn of creation, life began -- I wish we could build up a strong green movement worldwide to protect the whole planet more effectively thank you thank you