How to make a water feature out of a pot

Water features are always an interesting and attractive addition to your garden.

They are easy to set up once you have chosen the pot that suits you and your garden.

Don’t worry if the pot has holes in it as they can easily be filled with strong filler.

Obviously you must have a large enough clay pot that will keep the water cool enough during our hot summer so the fish do not boil.

My smallest pot contains about 150 litres of water.

The first job is to hose out the inside to get rid of any loose particles.

Then the pot must be sealed, my preference is for water based bitumen paint, I give the pot two coats within two days then leave to dry for a minimum of 10 to 14 days.

There are a number of sealers you can use, just visit your local hardware store for a selection.

Use tap water not rain water as tap water contains more mineral content, then use a chlorine neutralizer and a pond conditioner, I use a product from a pet store called ‘blackwater’, basically it ages water..

I then place a besser block on the base with the holes free for fish to shelter and place the water plant pot on this.

Cover the dirt in the pot with loose gravel as this will stop the dirt from making the water cloudy.

Do not use organic soil, use pure dirt.

Put your fish in and a bit of waterweed and you have a beautiful feature in your garden.

I collect my fish from a local creek and they are very hardy and learn to live on mosquito larvae and any other insect that falls into the pot.

You will probably need to clean out the pot every couple of years so there’s not a lot of maintenance.

If you are in Queensland depending on height of pot you may need to make it cane toad proof.
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