A biotope is a shared habitat for plants, animals and other organisms. In your garden, for example, you can create a pond for frogs, toads, dragonflies or newts, but also a dry biotope for ant, bees and lizards, a wildflower meadow for bees, bumblebees and butterflies or a pile of leaves or brushwood for hedgehogs and insects. The pond is particularly popular among homeowners: firstly, water has a calming and relaxing effect, and secondly, many animals can be observed in the wild in and around the pond. Homeowners also contribute to biodiversity in their garden with a biotope.
Choose the location for your garden pond carefully. An east-west orientation makes the most sense, as it provides enough sun for the plants, but also shade to curb algae growth. Ideally, the biotope should receive five to six hours of sunlight in summer. Trees and shrubs should not be too close, as the falling leaves affect the water quality. If you create the biotope with pond liner, plants with pointed rootstalk such as bamboo should not be placed in the immediate vicinity, as their underground and horizontally growing shoots could damage the liner. A rootstalk barrier may be necessary.
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Plan your garden pond generously. A natural pond should be at least 15 square metres in size, preferably twice as large, so that the ecological balance is right and the biotope requires less maintenance. In addition, smaller ponds heat up more quickly in summer, which promotes algae growth, and freeze to the bottom in winter, which larvae and other small creatures cannot survive. The deep water zone should be 80 centimetres deep, and at least one metre deep if you are introducing any fish. The edges of the biotope should not be too deep or too steep so that animals that fall in do not drown. A few flat boards are often enough as a simple exit aid.
Biotopes can be created with a basin or a pond liner. The basin is simpler, as the hard plastic tub only needs to be placed in a pit, secured and filled. The basin is suitable for smaller ponds and needs to be replaced every five years. With a biotope lined with a pond liner, you have more and larger design options in terms of shape and size. Eco pond liners made from plasticiser-free polyethylene or synthetic rubber (EPDM) last longer when compared to PVC liners and are less harmful to the environment. Make sure that the film is UV-resistant and frost-, tear- and rot-proof. Alternatively, you can also seal the biotope with loam or clay, although this is not one hundred per cent waterproof like a pond liner.
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The plants must adapt to the ecosystem. A biotope has different zones that should be planted differently. Underwater plants in the deepest zone of the pond, such as water crowfoot or waterweed, extract nutrients from the water and at the same time release oxygen into the water. Floating plants such as pondweed, water lilies or pond roses shade the water surface and prevent the water from heating up too much and algae from spreading. Rushes, grasses, irises, reeds and water mint grow in the transition from land to water - they fortify the bank and serve as a hiding place for animals. Plants that are harmonised with each other function like a natural filter and ensure clean and crystal-clear water.
Exotic plant species do not belong in the biotope. The animals that live in and around the biotope are dependent on native plants for food and hiding places. This keeps the ecosystem in balance and attracts wild native animals such as frogs and dragonflies.
Many homeowners with a garden pond dream of water lilies. Water lilies have one major disadvantage: they spread very widely and can completely cover an entire pond in a short space of time. Although this looks beautiful, the heavy shading leads to a lack of oxygen in the water, which many organisms cannot survive. This is why water lilies in a garden pond are only for experienced gardeners who look after their garden themselves or for homeowners who hire a professional gardener to look after their garden and pond.
No. Fish stir up the soil and enrich the water with unwanted nutrients through their excretions. This is why a biotope with fish becomes cloudy. Fish also eat the spawn of amphibians, for example. Goldfish, koi carp or exotic water turtles should therefore be avoided. In larger ponds, sooner or later native small fish such as sticklebacks will colonise, reproducing in the plumage of the mallard ducks. If you do add fish to your biotope, you should definitely install a purification filter to filter the additional nutrients out of the water. And the water should be at least one metre deep so that it does not freeze through to the bottom in winter and the fish can survive the winter.
According to the liability of the owner of a work, which is regulated in Article 58 Paragraph 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, the owner of the work is liable if a work was constructed incorrectly, maintained inadequately or insufficiently secured. For example, the homeowner if a child (whether their own or someone else's) falls into their biotope. It is therefore essential to think about safety when planning a pond and have a fence erected around the biotope, for example. A sign disclaiming liability in advance does not exclude the liability of the owner of the work. How to avoid accidents with children:
A biotope is natural and requires little maintenance. There is actually a lot to do, especially if you have water lilies that spread quickly and extensively. If there are no water lilies in the pond, all you need to do is regularly cut and remove any plants that get out of hand and fish out leaves and other organic matter in the autumn. With a leaf protection net, you can prevent too much biomass in the pond and only need to remove branches and leaves occasionally.
Many homeowner interested in a biotope, are afraid of mosquitoes. Wrongly so. On the one hand, mosquito larvae are much more likely to breed in pot saucers or rain barrels, and on the other hand, they are eaten by frogs and dragonflies in an ecologically balanced pond.
You don't need a (large) garden to create a biotope. In principle, you can set up a simple container, for example a metal tub or a zinc tub, in a corner of the seating area or on the balcony and fill it with stones, gravel and nutrient-poor rainwater.If the container leaks, it can be lined with pond liner. However, pay attention to the statics if you want to place the biotope on the balcony or terrace: One cubic metre of water in a container one metre long, one metre wide and one metre deep weighs one tonne - balconies and terraces are generally designed for only a load of 150 to 300 kilograms per square metre.
