Create a mini-pond: a biotope for your balcony
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost45-100 €
- Duration1-3 h
Do you want to have your very own pond in your garden? Why not try our mini-pond? This little biotope is so small it should even fit comfortably on a balcony. So let's get started – and soon you'll be able to enjoy the sight of the first water lilies, water mint and other flowers.
Measure out the corrugated plastic sheet
Zinc bucket planters or troughs, ceramic planters or outdoor plant pots are ideal for creating your mini-pond. Note that the container should be open at the top and closed at the bottom. A pond has areas which are different depths. To create these areas, use a corrugated plastic sheet that you can bend. First, measure out how shallow or deep you want your different areas to be.
Cut the corrugated plastic sheet to size
Cut the plastic sheet to size. The jigsaw and T 102 D HCS jigsaw blade for wood or a multi-tool are perfect for this. Laying down a piece of waste wood underneath the plastic sheet makes it easier to cut the sheet. Make sure you also secure the wooden board using screw clamps.
Fill the pot with stones, sand and soil
Create an artificial wall in your container using a corrugated plastic sheet. Create a waterfront and a swamp area inside your pot. To make sure the wall holds, cover the bottom of the pot with large stones. Then add a layer of pebbles, and fill the gaps with sand. Your deepwater area – which is the deepest section of your pot – is now complete. Fill the waterfront with more sand and pond soil. The soil should be slightly higher towards the edge of the pot and lower in the middle.
Add plants
Now you can add your pond plants. You can add water lilies to the deepwater area, for example. It's best to keep them in a little container, otherwise they spread out too quickly. Water mint and marsh marigolds feel at home on the waterfront or in the swamp area.
Plants such as water soldiers or swamp stonecrop will maintain a good quality of water in your mini-pond.
Fill your pot with water
You're almost done! Now it's time to fill up your mini-pond with water. Try using rainwater – but tap water is also fine, of course. If possible, fill your pond up until the water level reaches the edge of the swamp area. But you can also leave a little bit of space for the next time it rains. Your mini-pond for your balcony is now ready! Here's one final tip: you should change the water if it starts smelling bad. And keep an eye on any small pets that could fall in. Do you still have a lot of space left on your balcony? Then try building a trendy garden bar out of pallets or a triangular balcony table .