If you don’t have a big garden but do have a balcony, terrace, or veranda, a small pond is a great addition. Today, we want to show you this pond and tell you how easy it is to build your own small pond.
What is Mini Pond?
It’s easy to explain what a mini pond is: it’s a small pond in a bucket, old barrel, or vat. You can also use small pond bowls, of course.
These containers don’t let water in by design, but you can also use foil or sealing mud to keep water out.
How this kind of pond looks is completely up to the person who owns it. It can be big or small, built into the ground or sitting on a stone platform. All of these things have one thing in common: they make the room feel very calm.
If there is also a splashing water feature or a comfortable spot from which to watch birds using the pond as a place to drink or bathe, the peaceful atmosphere can’t be beat.
Mini Pond Location
No matter how small the pond is, it is important to know where it is. There are a few important things that determine the location: the amount of light, the plants you want, and how it will work out in real life.
First, let’s look at the first criteria. A small pond can be put almost anywhere except on the north side, which is cool and shady.
Six hours of sun a day is ideal, but it doesn’t have to be the blazing sun in the middle of the day. Too much water evaporates there in the summer, and too much sun makes algae grow.
And who wants a pond that is cloudy? A sun sail or umbrella can help if the position is not possible any other way.
The plants then: Either I arrange my plants based on where they are or the other way around.
If you really want water mint to grow in the pond, you have to change the location to fit the plant’s needs. For example, if I want the pond to be in partial shade next to my garden bench, I need to choose plants that can grow in partial shade.
The last practical point is that once the pond is full, it can’t be moved.
When deciding where to put my biotope, I have to think about how to cut the grass around it and whether I want to be able to see it from the window.
I have to consider the best way to mow the lawn around it or whether I want to have a clear view of my biotope from the window when determining the location.
Attention:When you have a small pond on your balcony, you always have to watch the stats.
Mini Pond Vessels
The right vessel is the next point. Since there are many options, you should follow these basic rules: It should be at least 10 cm tall and hold at least 40 l of water.
If you follow these values, you’re already on the right track.
In theory, we can recommend any container that won’t leak. This could be a wooden tub, an old feed trough, an old wine barrel, a ceramic pot, or even a plastic tub.
If the container isn’t that tight after all, or if you aren’t sure, just use a piece of foil or sealing sludge to seal it.
In spite of what most people think, zinc bathtubs are not as good as people think because humic acids in the earth dissolve zinc over time. This is not good for a mini pond because, when it is dissolved, it makes it hard for plants and animals to grow.
Mini Pond Construction
Now, we want to show you how to build a pond like this. You can be as creative as you want, but the basic steps of building are usually the same.
First, a pond liner is put over the container because it’s better to be safe than sorry. Then, gravel is put on the ground.
Before using this, it should be rinsed well so that the water is nice and clear. Get plant baskets for the plants. They should be made of plastic and let water through.
These are used to stop roots from getting too big and to make transplanting easier. To do this, put gravel on the bottom of the baskets, put the plant on the gravel, fill the basket with soil, and then put more gravel on top to make it heavier.
Then, the plants are put where they look best and where the water depth is right for them. The main components of the small pond have now been installed!
A tip: the less exposed the water’s surface is, the fewer mosquitoes will bother you while you’re having fun in the summer pond.
The next step is to use water. For the first filling, water from a pond or garden pond should be used so that an ecological balance can be reached faster.
With a little help from, say, crabs, tadpoles, and water striders, they will soon return to the pond and bring it back to life. Since there are a lot of living things in a mini pond, it is best to use a pond pump.
This cuts down on the growth of algae and keeps the water level even. If you don’t want a pump, you can try pond snails like the ramshorn snail or water fleas, which naturally eat algae.
Water features can also be useful and look nice. Here, though, you need to think about your plants. Some, like water lilies, only do well in still water and don’t like it when the water moves too much.
Even at night, lighting is a great way to draw people’s attention. Even a small spotlight on the bottom of the mini pond can show a lot.
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Mini Pond Plants
As was said about the place, it is important to think about the plants’ properties when choosing them.
Generally, it’s best to choose small plants because if you don’t, the plants will be too big for the mini pond.
The right water depth is the most important thing to think about when choosing plants.
There are basically 5 zones in the pond: Plants in Zones 1-3 have floating leaves (at least 40 cm of water depth).Zone 5 has plants that float in or on the water.
Another tip: With bricks or overturned flower pots, you can make the mini ponds different heights and create a 10 cm deep swamp in the middle of a 50 cm deep pond. Check out the last blog post to see which plants grow best in which zones.
Trouble
Even though a small pond is beautiful, there are a few things you need to watch out for to make sure it stays a place of peace.
Because there isn’t much water in the pot, it can easily fall over.
This risk is especially high in the summer, when a lot of water evaporates.
Here, it’s important to fill up the soft rainwater on time and take out the dead parts of plants often.
Using underwater plants that make oxygen, like milfoil or waterweed, can also help clear up water that is cloudy and full of algae. It’s also a good idea to use a pump or water feature (see structure).
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