The owners of their own plots near the house always try to ennoble them. An excellent solution to this issue are artificial reservoirs. They decorate the site and bring a special charm to it. In our article, we will deal with all the nuances that relate to this issue.
Types of water bodies
In order to figure out how to make an artificial reservoir, you must first find out what types of such reservoirs exist. Three varieties can be distinguished:
- Dam. It can vary greatly in size. In fact, it's just a dug ditch. On personal plots, such reservoirs are used extremely rarely. The water in them is usually dirty and blooms quickly.
- Pond with a special soft waterproofing bottom coating. Such reservoirs are commonly called ponds. In size, they are usually smaller than a dam, they can accommodate unpretentious fish (for example, crucian carp) and beautifully beat in terms of design solutions.
- The third type of reservoir has a solid bottom and walls - this is a pool. Swimming pools can be of completely different shapes and sizes depending on your personal needs.preferences.
But today we will talk about ponds!
Biocoenosis
First of all, you need to remember that without proper care, your artificial reservoir will quickly turn into something resembling a swamp, inhabited at best by frogs, and at worst by mosquitoes and swamp midges.
In order for the biological balance, called biocenosis, to be normal, you need to maintain several elements of the ecosystem of your reservoir in harmony:
- Provide the pond with quality clean water. If it does not have a forced circulation system, then you will have to change the water in it more often.
- Also, to maintain the biocenosis, you will need high-quality soil. Usually, pebbles or sand of different fractions are used for the pond (it is better to take river sand, and not quarry sand).
- Another point important for biological balance is the right choice of vegetation (aquatic, bottom and coastal).
- In addition, you should take care of the inhabitants of the reservoir (fish, crayfish). If possible, provide your pond with filters, pumps and aerators.
Shape of the pond
If you are new to creating an artificial reservoir, then stop at a pond of the correct geometric shape. And the best option is a rectangle, options with oval pits will be a little more difficult. Another point that favors a reservoir with regular shapes is the ease of fitting them into the landscape of the site.
If you started the construction of an artificial reservoir with your own hands andwhile choosing its irregular geometric shape, then you will have to work hard. But there is a very big plus of such reservoirs - they imitate natural ones in an extremely realistic way. But it will be problematic to successfully fit them into your site. Although nothing is impossible, look for photos of artificial reservoirs of irregular shapes in the areas and see for yourself.
Style
We will tell you about the three most popular styles of artificial reservoirs. You need to understand that in fact there are a huge number of them, but it is simply not possible to describe everything.
- Minimalist style is a reservoir of regular shapes. Sometimes additionally decorated with an artificial waterfall. It is easy to combine with the colorful vegetation on the shore, as well as the trimmed lawn around it. But the reservoir itself lacks vegetation of this style. Water purification in this case is forced filtration.
- Pond in the so-called Russian style. It has an oval shape or a coastline similar to natural forms. Sometimes bridges are built on it. The vegetation here, as a rule, is characteristic of the natural flora of the reservoirs of the middle zone of our country. There are no bright plantings and nearby. Discreet bushes can be placed near the pond. Water purification is always natural, but if your body of water is very small, then use forced artificial filtration.
- The third style is exotic. Such an element of the decor of the site can be designed in the form of a stream or a curved reservoir of complex shape,imitating the bends of a stormy mountain river. Water is always flowing, using forced circulation. It flows in steps over specially laid out stones or can be made in the form of a waterfall. It is very problematic to implement such a reservoir on your own and without experience. If you do not want to involve specialists, then take at least a few consultations from them on the construction of an artificial reservoir of this type.
Choosing a seat
For the construction of the pond, try to choose a space that will be closed from the winds from the east and north sides. Calculate it so that you can organize the collection of rainwater for your reservoir, as well as make a system for removing its excess into the sewer or drainage system. It will be great if there is an electrical outlet next to it (for connecting a pump, lighting and other needs).
It is also important to place the reservoir so that during the hottest summer period, direct sunlight does not fall on it for more than 7 consecutive hours a day. If this is not possible, then you can correct the situation by planting shrubs, medium-sized trees around the perimeter of the pond and building a gazebo next to it.
Materials
First, we will choose the base for the walls and bottom of our pond. The dense polyethylene film will not require replacement within 2-3 years. If this option does not suit you, then choose PVC film - it is durable and resistant to various mechanical stresses, but is afraid of frost. But the rubber film is not afraid of frost and directsun rays. This is ideal for a fish pond. Geotextiles must be laid under the selected film. This material is needed as a waterproofing layer.
If hard walls are planned in your pond, then most likely you are building a pool or you don’t want difficulties with a pond. For such tasks, there are ready-made solutions. Plastic molds for ponds are very durable. They are not afraid of frost.
Marking the reservoir
After we have decided on the place and materials, it is time to start making an artificial pond in the country or at home. If you are a beginner, then limit yourself to ten square meters for him. Although there is one important point: it is easier to maintain biocenosis in a large reservoir.
Draw your future pond on the ground, stepping back from each edge by 1.5-2.0 meters. This space will be needed to decorate the shores of the pool. Next, move on to digging.
Digging a pond
We remove the soil, and along the contour of the future reservoir we make a groove that will act as a kind of drainage. After the necessary pit is dug, we proceed to leveling the coastline. There should be no elevation changes.
If we talk about the depth of the pond, then it all depends on the occurrence of groundwater in your area. If everything is in order with the drainage system, then choose the depth arbitrarily.
Organization of the reservoir
After the completion of the digging, the bottom is rammed and covered with the necessary layer of drainage material. Further along the entire perimeter of the coastline of youran artificial reservoir, pegs should be driven into the ground (driving depth 30 cm, indent from the edge 25 cm). They are placed from each other at a distance of about 50 cm, and they must all be strictly on the same level, without a difference in height. Attach the hose to the top of the pegs and grab it there with a nail or self-tapping screw. Additionally, we also attach a PVC tape here, which will be protection against soil shedding. You should end up with something that looks like a bridge that stands on supports.
Next, we roll out the geotextile. We roll it out with a margin. We roll out the selected film on top. We fill all the edges of the films into the drainage groove along the perimeter of the reservoir, cut off the excess. We fill the drainage groove with gravel. After that, we beautifully decorate the edges of the artificial reservoir and fill it with water.
Decor and landscaping of the pond
Of course, after completion of the work, your artificial reservoir will remind you of a simple dirty puddle. This is a normal part of the workflow. Do not decorate the pond with wild aquatic plants. They are very aggressive and grow extremely fast.
For decoration, use various stones, ordinary gravel, river sand. But not limestone, as it spoils the water very much. A good decor can be special films, spreading which, you will achieve an imitation of a sandy and rocky shore or bottom.
Around the pond it is necessary to make a path of paving slabs or artificial stone. It is stylish, and besides, it is protection against accidental ingress of soil from the site into the water. In the pondpour pebbles on the very edge, this will be necessary to cover the eggs, as well as to protect the fish fry, if one is planned in your artificial reservoir.
You can plant it with greenery two weeks after the completion of the construction work. It is advisable to use only plants from stores for this, and not wild ones. All of them are mounted in plastic containers that can be hidden at the bottom.
