On a summer day in a suburban area, I really want to relax near a small pond, where flocks of bright fish splash and water lilies bloom. If such beauty is located on your site, then this can be called a dream at all. Implement it quite simply. To do this, there is no need to purchase a site with a natural reservoir, because a pond in the country can be made independently.
In this case, you can act according to one of the many methods. For example, use a film or a special form. Well, if you really want to save money in full, then you can even use an old bath, which has long been in the way on the site. However, this option involves the most manipulations.
Determining the location
If your site has a free area that is not located under the rays of the sun, then you can start creating a pond. The territory should not betoo dark. Particular attention should be paid to lighting. If it is not enough, then aquatic plants will not develop normally, which cannot positively affect their appearance. However, the sun is also not the best place. This is due to the fact that unicellular algae that pollute the water tend to light. This promotes flowering.
If the pond is not too deep, then the fish and plants under the scorching rays of the sun will have a hard time. They may even die. In addition, relaxing in the sun in the heat is unlikely to be a pleasant pastime for you either. An excellent place will be a platform where at noon you can hide in the shade from a tree, a fence or a house. As for the evening and morning time, during this period the sun's rays will not be able to damage.
It is also not worth placing a decorative pond in the immediate vicinity of the trees, as the growing roots will damage the base, tear the film and displace the edges of the form. If the pond is to be illuminated at night, it is recommended to provide it with a filter and connect the pump, considering the location, taking into account the proximity to the source of electricity.
Using a pre-made plastic mold
If you want to make a pond in the country with your own hands, then the easiest option would be to use a ready-made mold made of plastic or fiberglass. The first option will be ready to serve for about 10 years, as it is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and low temperatures. During mechanical manipulations, includingDuring installation, the plastic mold must be handled with care to prevent damage. If a crack appears on the surface, it will be impossible to repair it.
You can also make a pond in the country with your own hands from a fiberglass mold, which is characterized by increased durability and strength. The service life of this design is 3 times longer than that of the plastic version. The first step is to purchase a trough, which must be dug into the ground. In order to dig a pit, the contours of the reservoir should be transferred to the ground. A bowl is installed on the ground, around which it is necessary to stick wooden pegs, and then pull a rope between them. It is necessary to deviate from the outlines of the form by about 15 cm.
After that, the bowl is removed, and you can start digging a hole. About 25 cm must be added to the height of the form. It is important to ensure that the bottom of the pit is horizontal. To do this, you must use a flat board or building level. At the bottom there is a sand cushion, which will act as a foundation. It is necessary to install a form in the pit, and fill the resulting gaps on the sides with sand and pour water from a hose for shrinkage. The form is filled with water, and the banks are decorated with stones and aquatic plants.
Using film
A pond in the country with your own hands can also be made from plastic film. The material may be made of butyl rubber. The size of the reservoir, as well as its shape, can be any. The film is sold in rolls, the width and length of which can beequal to the limit from 2 to 10 and from 10 to 50 m respectively.
If you want to purchase a material that will be resistant to ultraviolet light, then you should prefer PVC fabric. It does not fade and tolerates cold well. Its service life can reach 15 years. Higher quality butyl rubber film benefits from durability and strength. Such material is more expensive than polyvinyl chloride, so its use is justified only when constructing large reservoirs of impressive depth.
The canvas must be taken with a margin of 0.6 m. It will be needed so that the material can be fixed along the edges on the shore. When making such a pond in the country with your own hands, you must dig a foundation pit. If plants are planted in the water, then for them along the banks it is necessary to form ledges in the form of shelves. Their depth should be between 10 and 15 cm. The walls of the pit should not collapse.
If clay soil or black soil prevails on the territory, then the walls can be made vertical without fear of soil spilling. If the soil is sandy, then a slope must be provided. As soon as the pit is ready, stones, roots and other elements must be removed from the bottom. In order to avoid tearing the film, a layer of geotextile and sand is laid on the bottom. A film is spread on top and fixed around the perimeter with stones. Fastening must also be carried out on ledges, as well as steps.
Before you start making a pond in the country with your own hands, photos of suchartificial reservoirs are recommended to be considered. According to them, you can understand that a groove should be located around. Its width is 30 cm. This part is necessary so that the stones that will fix the film on the surface are flush with the ground. To fix the stones, it is necessary to fasten them with cement mortar. When the container is ready, you can pour water into it and start planting plants.
Using an old bathtub
Before proceeding with the device of the reservoir, it is necessary to consider a photo of the ponds in the country. With your own hands in this case, you can easily cope with the work. The basis can be an old bathtub that has fallen into disrepair. If you decide to act according to this technology, then about 0.3 m must be added to the height of the bowl. When you lower the bath into the pit, its edges will be below the soil level. It is necessary to dig a ditch along the perimeter, the width and height of which will be 30 cm.
The bath is located in the pit, its bowl is leveled horizontally with a level. The voids formed on the sides are filled with sand. As a result, you should get a dug-in bathtub with a groove around the perimeter. If you want to make a pond in the country with your own hands, you need to study the technology step by step. At the next stage, it involves mixing the adhesive mass, which is intended for laying tiles. Dark pigment must be added to the components.
The resulting glue is applied to the inner side surfaces of the bowl. There is no need to specifically level the layer. The main requirement in this case is to ensure that the bath has acquired a dark shade. Then everythingcovered with a film and left for a day so that the glue hardens. When making a pond from a bath in the country with your own hands, you will need to fix the edges of the bowl with a metal mesh. To do this, parts are cut off from it and laid out around the perimeter, while trying to grab the edges and side inner surfaces.
Edges and walls should be covered with mesh, while the bottom will remain open. After that, a cement mortar is prepared from water, cement and sand. It is applied to the grid. Do not level the surface too much. For additional fastening of the reinforcement, from time to time it is necessary to insert stones into the solution. They will also give naturalness to an artificial pond. The drain is well cemented. In the place where the mesh on the surface covers the edges of the bathtub, large stones must be placed in the groove. They will emphasize the shape of the pond. It is recommended to move away from the rectangular shape and lay out the stones not clearly along the edges, but in waves, trying to expand the banks.
Considering landscape ideas, you can make a pond in the country with your own hands very attractive. The relief can be changed by forming hills and irregularities. Hills of rubble, for example, can be poured in several places. You can give the pond almost any shape, they do not have to be rectangular. Dry clay is poured to the bottom, the solution is mixed right there. It is smeared on the side walls and covered with a cement layer. It is necessary to try to fill the voids between the stones.
The clay will dry in a few hours. After that, you can pour in a thin streambath water. Aquatic plants are planted around the bath and at the bottom. After a few days, the water will darken - it will take on a natural look.
Inhabitants of an artificial pond
Before you make a pond in the country with your own hands, step by step you must learn the methodology of the work. It does not consist only in digging a hole in the soil, inserting a container into it and pouring water. The pond will be decorative only when you plant plants in it and get fish. Only at a certain depth and some varieties of aquatic plants are able to develop normally.
At a depth of up to 30 cm, you can plant a marsh marigold, yellow iris, etc. The most suitable habitat for reeds or an ordinary arrowhead will be a depth ranging from 30 to 50 cm. Lotus and water lily are very deep inhabitants, for them it is necessary about 50 cm.
Having completed a fish pond in the country with your own hands, you can breed:
- koi;
- veiltails;
- carp.
However, in this case, it is necessary to install a filter. Without it, the water will quickly deteriorate, which will negatively affect the decorative features - an unpleasant smell will appear, and the water will become cloudy.
Strengthening the shores
Many summer residents are thinking about how to strengthen the pond in the country with their own hands. To do this, you can use a geogrid or gabions. These methods are based on the use of a mesh structure,protecting the banks and walls from shedding. If you decide to use geogrid technology, you must choose it according to the size of the cells.
You will need:
- shovel;
- anchors;
- filler;
- geotextile.
The latter is needed for drainage. The top layer of soil must be removed and drainage laid, a geogrid is spread on top. Separate sections must be fastened together. The cells are filled with crushed stone, soil or frost-resistant concrete. If plants are planted in the soil, which will be located in the cells, the roots will additionally strengthen the shore.
Gabions - strengthening and decoration
Before making a pond for breeding fish in the country with your own hands, you should think about strengthening the banks and walls. Gabion structures are excellent for this, which allow you to decorate an artificial pond. Wire boxes are fixed to each other and are located along the edge of the reservoir. The corners need to be reinforced.
Gabions allow you to build retaining structures along the coast. You can get rid of additional drainage, because this role is played by the porous structure. Such a structure will only become stronger over time - it will be filled with soil and growing plants.
Caring for the environment with plants
Before you start building a pond in the country with your own hands for breeding fish, you should think about the appearance of the reservoir. Its edges must be reinforced to prevent violation of the existinglandscape. The most environmentally friendly method will be the use of the root system of plants planted along the coastal zone. For the middle band, you can use:
- weeping willow;
- redcurrant;
- sea buckthorn;
- marsh iris;
- sedge;
- cattail.
Even with steep slopes, which do not exceed 60 ˚, coconut mats can be used. The slope is leveled, and then natural fiber mats are laid on it. In this case, it is necessary to ensure an overlap of 20 cm. Fastening to the film of the reservoir is carried out with waterproof mounting glue.
Then a thin layer of soil is spread on which the lawn can be sown. If you are faced with the task of how to make a pond in the country with your own hands, then it is important to take care of its attractiveness. Boulders and large stones look quite aesthetically pleasing, which are laid out in the form of a fence near the water after the installation of the geogrid.
Interesting ideas for decorating the shore with your own
Piles are considered one of the ancient ways to strengthen the reservoir. They are made of wood, but hammering will require special equipment. A modern alternative is a PVC pile. These are ready to last for decades, but their installation also cannot be done by manual force.
Easily you can arrange a pond in the country with your own hands, landscape ideas will help you with this. Considering them, you can identify for yourself a technique that provides for the strengthening of the pond at the stage of excavation. To do this, it is important to assess the steepness of the slope, study the characteristics of the soil and determinepond size.
In conclusion
A pond in a summer cottage can have its own style and design. Quite popular today are Japanese ponds, which are decorated with boulders, herbs and conifers. You can take the Chinese style as a basis, which looks more bright and magnificent. In this case, variegated foliage and arched bridges act as a mandatory accent. A landscape pond can be created in the Natur garden style. This technology involves the planting of local plants characteristic of this region. At the same time, plant exoticism should be absent.
