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The usual advice is to just let it dry out - if it was a feral pond, then it'd dry out during the year anyway, so it's just a normal thing that small ponds do in the wild. Mine completely dried out over the drought last summer, and I thought all the plants and all the wildlife had died, but they didn't, and everything is bouncing back nicely, and if anything it's better now because my Pennyroyal is back, and I thought that had been choked out by my brooklime. Supposedly newts actually quite enjoy ponds drying out because it reduces predation.
Definitely don't use tapwater, you'll upset the balance. I know it feels bad to leave it to dry out (I was TRAUMATISED last year watching it happen), but that's the most "natural" treatment you can give it. Have a look at page 2 of this PDF on pond maintenance from Hertfordshire council
bothwell-
Reassuring, thanks - I'll hold off on the tap water. I was just conscious that the newts have loved it this year and are clearly breeding so wanted to make sure there was enough water for their eggs (so just didn't want it to dry out too soon).
Hopefully next year I'll get the water run off diverting in so I can keep rain water going in as needed...
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I was just wondering this too with our new pond. Thanks for the advice - we’ll leave it until the rain arrives.
andyfallsoff
JonD
Is this the place for pond advice? We have a (no pump) pond which filled with rainwater over winter and now has newts + other wildlife in it. It's getting pretty low now and I'm trying to refill, but have exhausted water from our water butt - all that is left is
Any thoughts what people would do...? Don't want to leave the newts homeless