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7 Responses to “But it says here we are in drought…..”
I live in south east london. I built my pond last July. After initially filling with tap water, i decided to always allow it from now on to be filled with rain water.
Since last July I cannot remember a drier 10 months. Even when I learn it has rained in north London it doesn’t rain here. i’ve literally got to the point of not expecting rain.
I’ve been filling pond from the tiny amounts in my 2 water butts.
Its max depth was around 15 inches in the central bit. it’s about down to about 3 or 4 inches now. All the shallows around the edges are just gravel and grass.
I seem to have plenty of baby water boatmen, tiny newts and water louse from looking.
If the worse happens I will do a rescue of some with a bit of water butt water..and if needs be some still-spring water from Sainsburys…and keep in a large bucket in the shade.
Is it okay to use shop bought bottled water? i absolutely will not use tap water.
Hi Flying Ants – rescue is a good last resort – and what we recommend (you’ve probably already read the drought advice).
Re the water – it would be a last resort as apart from the money it’s environmentally a bit dodgy given the various ‘costs’ of bottled water.
If you do use bottled water check the analysis and look for nitrogen and phosphorus levels being low (send me numbers if need be first).
The problem is the best water – the least polluted that is – will probably come from Scotland or another remote area having been trucked half way round the country first!
Amazing. Today we had the heaviest rain in months. Very heavy showers. The pond has improved by what looks like a couple of inches also rain I added caught in my wheel barrow.
The creatures in the pond seem to be very active, particularly the water lice.
Thanks for your advice. I’m hoping we get more rain now.
But yes if an emergency happens in the summer and I need to rescue some stuff I’ll of course look at the levels written on the bottle. I’m so determined though to not ever use tap water again. The blanket weed and duck weed just stays at tiny amounts at present.
I’m so totally relieved we got a load of rain today.
I’m really proud living in south east London and getting all manner of stuff in my pond. I saw a damsel fly laying eggs the other day.
Yes she was a blue one with a blue tip. She was laying her eggs on a dead branch of budleia I have half submerged in the pond.
I had a back swimmer all during the winter, even though the pond was frozen for several weeks. As soon as it melted the backswimmer was again visible on the surface.
Maybe those tiny water boatmen are actually baby backswimmers? It’s hard to tell from just looking. I’ll do a proper pond dip at some point. But I don’t want to disturb everything in spring/early summer.
I find it so thrilling that there’s so much stuff in my pond now as it’s in London. I see very tiny water beetles as well.
Yep I’m pretty sure they are a lot of tiny backswimmers. i spent a good long time this afternoon watching them darting at stuff trying to catch things..and they happily dart at each other very aggressively.
More rain again please.
For the first time in my whole life I like when it rains
May 26, 2011 at 12:30 am |
I live in south east london. I built my pond last July. After initially filling with tap water, i decided to always allow it from now on to be filled with rain water.
Since last July I cannot remember a drier 10 months. Even when I learn it has rained in north London it doesn’t rain here. i’ve literally got to the point of not expecting rain.
I’ve been filling pond from the tiny amounts in my 2 water butts.
Its max depth was around 15 inches in the central bit. it’s about down to about 3 or 4 inches now. All the shallows around the edges are just gravel and grass.
I seem to have plenty of baby water boatmen, tiny newts and water louse from looking.
If the worse happens I will do a rescue of some with a bit of water butt water..and if needs be some still-spring water from Sainsburys…and keep in a large bucket in the shade.
Is it okay to use shop bought bottled water? i absolutely will not use tap water.
May 26, 2011 at 9:38 am |
Hi Flying Ants – rescue is a good last resort – and what we recommend (you’ve probably already read the drought advice).
Re the water – it would be a last resort as apart from the money it’s environmentally a bit dodgy given the various ‘costs’ of bottled water.
If you do use bottled water check the analysis and look for nitrogen and phosphorus levels being low (send me numbers if need be first).
The problem is the best water – the least polluted that is – will probably come from Scotland or another remote area having been trucked half way round the country first!
It’s a tricky issue.
May 26, 2011 at 10:50 pm |
Amazing. Today we had the heaviest rain in months. Very heavy showers. The pond has improved by what looks like a couple of inches also rain I added caught in my wheel barrow.
The creatures in the pond seem to be very active, particularly the water lice.
Thanks for your advice. I’m hoping we get more rain now.
But yes if an emergency happens in the summer and I need to rescue some stuff I’ll of course look at the levels written on the bottle. I’m so determined though to not ever use tap water again. The blanket weed and duck weed just stays at tiny amounts at present.
I’m so totally relieved we got a load of rain today.
I’m really proud living in south east London and getting all manner of stuff in my pond. I saw a damsel fly laying eggs the other day.
But thanks for your advice.
More rain please, weather god.
May 27, 2011 at 7:01 am |
Hi Flying Ants – do you know roughly what sort of damsels they were? Red, mostly blue or just with a blue tip to the tail?
Jeremy
May 27, 2011 at 10:41 am |
Yes she was a blue one with a blue tip. She was laying her eggs on a dead branch of budleia I have half submerged in the pond.
I had a back swimmer all during the winter, even though the pond was frozen for several weeks. As soon as it melted the backswimmer was again visible on the surface.
Maybe those tiny water boatmen are actually baby backswimmers? It’s hard to tell from just looking. I’ll do a proper pond dip at some point. But I don’t want to disturb everything in spring/early summer.
I find it so thrilling that there’s so much stuff in my pond now as it’s in London. I see very tiny water beetles as well.
May 29, 2011 at 7:34 pm |
Yep I’m pretty sure they are a lot of tiny backswimmers. i spent a good long time this afternoon watching them darting at stuff trying to catch things..and they happily dart at each other very aggressively.
More rain again please.
For the first time in my whole life I like when it rains
July 6, 2011 at 1:24 pm |
It’s certainly balancing out now. When the rain comes down it pours unlike other years when we get light shower which bearly moisten the ground.