Preformed Plastic Ponds

Thargor · 08-07-2023 6:42am #1

Hi, Im thinking about adding a preformed pond like this to my garden sometime before Spring, no pump or filters or anything just relying on rainwater which should be no problem in Limerick (or will it?):

Oase Preformed Pond 500L | Garden Ponds

Have any of you used one of these and had any success with it? Does growth eventually hide the edges because Id be worried if the plastic is still visible it would look a bit crap, plenty of Youtube tutorials on putting them in but very little followup a year later.

magicbastarder · 08-07-2023 9:41am

i put one in our front garden, to replace one that had been lined with butyl rubber. the reason we lifted the rubber liner was that foxes during lockdown had started chewing on the rubber. we reckon it was because they were probably starving and may have seen frogs in the pond. anyway, they shredded the rubber.

i'd look for PVC liner if i were you. the problem with the preformed ponds is that you need to dig the hole to match the liner, and that's a faff. what i ended up doing was filling the pond about a quarter full, and then washing builder's sand in on the outside with a hose, to about the same level, and repeat that a few times so i stepped up the 'ground' with the water level in the pond. with PVC or rubber liner, you just dig a hole the size and shape you want, and the water will mould the liner to it.

we have two ponds, no pumps, no filters, and they're doing fine. just put in some oxygenating plants. the one in the back garden is probably seven or eight years in now, no major issues; just a couple of small patch repairs.

do you have a water butt? a pond in your garden will not get enough rain to stay full without being topped up.

blackbox · 08-07-2023 9:53am

Steer clear of PVC liners. They go hard in winter and don't last.

The most difficult thing with pre formed is getting the hole exactly right so that it doesn't distort.

If you put the edges slightly below ground level, they will quickly become hidden.

Personally, I find butyl rubber the best job (but expensive). Lots of animal visitors but none have eaten it over 30 years.

Thargor · 08-07-2023 9:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120821234#Comment_120821234

Oh really is that true about the water butt? Thats a bit disappointing. I have a lot of gutters and chutes I could tap but this will be a bit too far from the house for that. I was going to bury it at the bottom of a bit of slope for catchment area like someone on here said a while back.

Do they go dry in Summer or just the level dips a bit? I wouldnt mind having to carry the odd bucket down to it Im just trying to gauge how well they work.

I walk past an old cattle trough on the way into work every day and its always full to the brim with rainwater, the rain in Limerick since I moved here 3 years ago is just ridiculous, dont know how Galway scores higher for rainfall.

magicbastarder · 09-07-2023 8:17am

During the winter you might be okay, but a pond will not generally get enough rainfall onto its own surface to keep it topped up.

That's certainly my experience in Dublin anyway.

SnowyMuckish · 09-07-2023 10:01am

We’ve had our pond a few years. It filled quickly with rainwater. No issues with water levels even during June’s drought. The plastic is visible in ours due to a mistake when placing it into the ground. Make sure you take time to do it correctly and that it’s level with itself not level with the ground if you get what I mean. Ours slopes with the ground so plastic is visible. If it’s properly level you won’t see the plastic.

I don’t use any pumps/ filters just oxygenating plants.

There is a shelf around the edges of the pond you’re looking at to plant marginal plants which should bush up easily and hide the plastic easily.

One thing to be weary about is the depth of the preformed ponds. They are deceptively deep so we fenced off ours for the sake of the young children. Also I added a serious amount of stones to make an exit ramp as it’s visited by hedgehogs each night and there’s absolutely no way out even with the shelves inside it.

Thargor · 09-07-2023 4:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120824637#Comment_120824637

Yeah definitely watching the levels when I do it, Im leaning towards this one now after marking out a few different sized areas with rope today:

https://mvstone.ie/product/heavy-duty-preformed-pond-315l/

What size was yours? Do you think that would be a bit small for amphibians and the more interesting insect visitors like dragonflies etc?

Also sorry for all the questions but what did you plant in yours after it filled?

SnowyMuckish · 09-07-2023 6:24pm

I think any size will attract insects. We had plenty of water beetles and dragon flies within the first season. For the the first time I saw 2 frogs visiting this year during June’s drought but still waiting till next season for tadpoles hopefully.

I think we went with this option https://fountains-decor.ie/product/preformed-pond-pe-1000/

We got most of the plants from Future Forests and one other nursery that I can’t remember. The most important thing to do regarding plants is research them carefully, some tend to get very large and unruly so choose wisely, check final size and spread and only buy from reputable nurseries to avoid invasive species.

As for plants, the first thing I bought was an oxygenator called hornwort, I bought a mini version of a water Lilly (as most are too big for my pond). For the margins I bought marsh marigold, ragged Robbin, cuckoo flowers and some sort of rushes(apparently dragon flies really like rushes). For the shallowest shelf I bought ‘water forget me not’.

I built stone ‘huts’ on the shallowest shelf too, this is where the frogs hid during the heatwave.

Thargor · 09-07-2023 9:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120826769#Comment_120826769

Thats perfect thanks a million for all that info, I think Id better keep it at 500L just in case I end up regretting one of the smaller ones, the 1000L must have been a beast of a hole to dig.

AmpMan · 10-07-2023 8:38am

EDPM liner is the way to go . You will always regret not making a pond bigger!

As someone above stated - check your levels, then check them again......

10-10-20 · 18-07-2023 11:35am

OP, had you planned on putting fish into it? If you do, you will need a pump of some sort or a combined pump and UV lamp to keep the green algae at bay.

10-10-20 · 18-07-2023 1:24pm

Oh and on the topic of whether the sides of the pond will remain visible under the water-line - the walls of my 280l pond with goldfish was greened-over in the second year and now looks like a lush green 1970's carpet.

Thargor · 19-07-2023 7:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120865971#Comment_120865971

No plans for fish, my approach to gardening is to be as zero maintenance as possible as per my wildflower meadow thread, dont have the time or energy.

Funnily enough you should say that though an abandoned bungalow with a completely overgrown garden untouched for 20-30 years was bought by a couple beside my parents recently down in Galway and when they started clearing the garden they found a pond under all the bushes that still had some fish in it, dont know what they were, looked like a cross between goldfish and koi, black and orange spots, ~10cm long. Whatever they were they must be seriously inbred by now!

Thargor · 19-07-2023 7:11pm

For pond stones, I have access to a lot of Burren limestone (not from the actual Burren I wouldnt steal that, just from my fathers land which is near there), the pure grey stuff, both in gravel form and in long flat slabs for ramps/habitats. Do you think this will be useable or will it affect the pH too much and I should buy approved garden center stuff with the safe for ponds symbol?

10-10-20 · 19-07-2023 7:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872060#Comment_120872060

pH isn't a major concern if there are no fish, so yeah, all of that will be usable!

Preformed Plastic Ponds

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