Water Gardens

Water gardens are a very attractive feature. Adding a simple pond or creating a series of pools can give your garden it's own unique character. There are many options available, and even a small shallow bird bath type water feature will still be a great way to attract wildlife into your garden.

The following small guides should provide some useful advice.

Garden Pond Test Kits

Testing kits are used to analyse pond water.

They rely on a chemical reaction between a reagent and the pond water. The result is a change in colour of the indicator that can be compared against a colour chart. Colourmetric test kits are available in 3 forms.

Liquid Form.

A measured sample of water is collected in a vial and test reagent added. Colour change will take place and after a set time, the resultant colour is compared to the colour chart and recorded. This is the method used to determine pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate whereas the number of drops of reagent it takes to change the solution from one colour to another is used to assess the various hardness values for the water.

Tablet Form.

A sample of water is collected in a vial, and a tablet is added and dissolved in the test water to produce a colour change. Same procedure as described above for the liquid test kit.

Test Strips.

This method offers quick test result. A single test strip will contain several different reactive pads, each one measuring a different parameter. The strip is dipped into a sample of pond water and the colour of each pad is then compared to that on the colour chart.