Hi,

I want to get new liner for my existing pond and reshape it completely
after being inspired by Alan Titchmarsh last week. This would mean
draining the pond, putting the frogs, plants and any inhabitants I
find into containers while I rebuild the pond, and then putting the
inhabitants back in. Hopefully this will only take a day but I suspect
it will take ages for the water to drain or be taken away in buckets.

When is the best time of year to do this? I just can't decide because
there never seems to be an less destructive time of year to do it. In
winter all the frogs are hibernating in the mud, in spring all the
frogspawn is everywhere and aquatic life is beginning to get a
foothold, in summer there is too much aquatic life at stake! Perhaps
autumn is best because everything is slowly dying down but nothing is
hiberating that early.

thanks for any help,
Gaz

"Gaz" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I want to get new liner for my existing pond and reshape it
completely
after being inspired by Alan Titchmarsh last week. This would mean
draining the pond, putting the frogs, plants and any inhabitants I
find into containers while I rebuild the pond, and then putting the
inhabitants back in. Hopefully this will only take a day but I
suspect
it will take ages for the water to drain or be taken away in
buckets.

When is the best time of year to do this? I just can't decide
because
there never seems to be an less destructive time of year to do it.
In
winter all the frogs are hibernating in the mud, in spring all the
frogspawn is everywhere and aquatic life is beginning to get a
foothold, in summer there is too much aquatic life at stake! Perhaps
autumn is best because everything is slowly dying down but nothing
is
hiberating that early.

Late Autumn. Most things will be going dormant and the plants can be
thinned out. Try to save as much wildlife as you can, but until the
plants get re-established there will inevitably be some wildlife
losses so next summer's aquatic life won't be quite so abundant.
Incidentally, frogs don't normally hibernate sub-merged. They usually
choose dark dank places such as under piles of logs, compost heaps,
leaf litter, etc.

--
ned

In article , Gaz
writes
Hi,

I want to get new liner for my existing pond and reshape it completely
after being inspired by Alan Titchmarsh last week. This would mean
draining the pond, putting the frogs, plants and any inhabitants I
find into containers while I rebuild the pond, and then putting the
inhabitants back in. Hopefully this will only take a day but I suspect
it will take ages for the water to drain or be taken away in buckets.

When is the best time of year to do this? I just can't decide because
there never seems to be an less destructive time of year to do it. In
winter all the frogs are hibernating in the mud, in spring all the
frogspawn is everywhere and aquatic life is beginning to get a
foothold, in summer there is too much aquatic life at stake! Perhaps
autumn is best because everything is slowly dying down but nothing is
hiberating that early.

Frogspawn is fairly robust, so once frogs have finished mating but
before you have the first tadpoles ... though IME that period is about
1hr long ;-)

Autumn you may still have the last of the taddies and baby frogs around.
But at least the water is warm. Winter doesn't bear thinking about.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gaz" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I want to get new liner for my existing pond and reshape it
completely
after being inspired by Alan Titchmarsh last week. This would mean
draining the pond, putting the frogs, plants and any inhabitants I
find into containers while I rebuild the pond, and then putting the
inhabitants back in. Hopefully this will only take a day but I
suspect
it will take ages for the water to drain or be taken away in
buckets.

When is the best time of year to do this? I just can't decide
because
there never seems to be an less destructive time of year to do it.
In
winter all the frogs are hibernating in the mud, in spring all the
frogspawn is everywhere and aquatic life is beginning to get a
foothold, in summer there is too much aquatic life at stake! Perhaps
autumn is best because everything is slowly dying down but nothing
is
hiberating that early.

Late Autumn. Most things will be going dormant and the plants can be
thinned out. Try to save as much wildlife as you can, but until the
plants get re-established there will inevitably be some wildlife
losses so next summer's aquatic life won't be quite so abundant.
Incidentally, frogs don't normally hibernate sub-merged. They usually
choose dark dank places such as under piles of logs, compost heaps,
leaf litter, etc.

--
ned


I agree, I did mine mid autumn, to minimise the damage.
My thinking was...spring ..obviously a bad time
Summer ..again, not a good time, too many critters plus if its too hot for
diggingm, nota good idea.
Autumn..good since plants are dying off, frogs have left the pond.
Winter...too cold and wet to work on it

Word of warning, a *day to reshape* the pond? No chance!! Better have plenty
of people helping you! IME it took several weeks to do it (I've done this
twice). First it takes a day to get stuff out carefully and put it somewhere
safe, plants, fish, invertebrates. Then several days to redig/reshape. Then
a day for the liner to go back in, then several days for the surround (might
be quicker, depending), then several days *at least* to let the water settle
down (assuming you will be using tap water to refill).

--
Tumbleweed

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