How nice it is to spend a few hours by a shady pond or lake in the hot summer time! Of course, it's great if there is one in the neighborhood. However, most often we spend free summer days in the country, and not everyone has the means to buy a large country house and the services of a landscape designer. In this case, there is nothing left but to make a pond with your own hands, especially since it is not so difficult.
It all depends on your imagination, the size of the plot and what is at hand. With a little effort and money, the country pond will not only delight you, but also cause burning envy among your neighbors.
Choose a place: general recommendations
The size and shape of your artificial reservoir primarily depend on the area allocated for these purposes. But the larger the area of the pond, the easier it is to take care of it - a small one needs to be cleaned more often. If youif you plan to have fish and plant a lot of aquatic plants, then a small pond will not suit you either, because it is very difficult to maintain the correct eco-balance in it.
The best place for a home pond will be an open part of the site, at the same time protected from strong winds. You should not place the reservoir in a well-lit place: the location should be such that the sun's rays do not fall into the water for more than 6 hours in a row, otherwise it will bloom, and only frogs can live there. Dubious prospect, right? At the same time, if the lighting is insufficient, the plants will develop slowly, and there will not be a beautiful place to relax.
If you decide to equip a small fountain, you will definitely need a pond diagram to properly connect the pump and other equipment. With a little effort, you can sketch out the plan yourself. Of course, in this case, it will be necessary to consider the proximity of the location of the power supply network.
You should not place your home pond under the canopy of trees. Firstly, this will lead to additional water pollution with fallen leaves, and you will have to clean the pond much more often, and secondly, tree roots can damage the reservoir bed, and it will dry out quickly.
And, of course, the whole idea will become useless if you cannot enjoy the beautiful view from the window or from the terrace, so when planning to make a pond on the site with your own hands, do not forget about the aesthetic side of the issue.
Home pond on a rigid base
If you are a supporter of a solid, durableconstruction, then you can approach the process on a grand scale: dig a pit of sufficient size and, using metal fittings and cement, cast a reinforced concrete bowl of the pond. Such a design, of course, will cost a lot, but it will last for many years (at least 30). If you are not a supporter of a global approach, you can get by with an easier and cheaper option.
So, how to make a pond with your own hands? One of the most elementary ways to make a dream come true is a ready-made “bowl”, which can be purchased at the store. Perhaps the main disadvantage of this option will be that it will not be possible to come up with your own original shape of the reservoir, you will have to be content with the proposed assortment.
The cheapest solution is a small plastic pond, 4 to 8 m2. Of course, there are larger molds, but they already belong to the category of pools and are much more expensive. When choosing a container, you should definitely pay attention to its depth - it should be at least 0.8-1 meters. In summer, the water in such a pond will warm up completely, and all its inhabitants will be comfortable, but in winter such a pond will not freeze to the bottom, which is also very important.
If you decide to organize a pond on the site with your own hands and want to use a ready-made base for this, then first of all you need to study the materials from which the molds are made - there are also a few nuances here.
The easiest and cheapest option might be a regular plastic container, but it has its drawbacks. Primarily,you need to be very careful during transportation and installation - such a tank can crack even with a slight bend. Also, plastic tends to be destroyed by sunlight, which means that the service life of such a product is not too long - 5-10 years.
If you want your pond to last longer, choose molds made of special reinforced plastic - they have a much longer service life (up to 20 years). These tanks are more flexible and less susceptible to UV radiation.
The highest quality and, of course, the most expensive are products made of fiberglass on a rubber basis. This form is resistant to temperature changes, does not collapse from exposure to sunlight and does not release harmful substances into the water, which is very important for the inhabitants of the reservoir. Such a tank will serve for more than 30 years, in addition, it can be repaired, which extends the time of use for an almost unlimited period.
Building ponds from a fiberglass bath is a simple process, and the result is quite aesthetic, as these forms come in different colors, and some even have a coating imitating stones, sand or small pebbles. This allows you to beautifully mask the edges of the reservoir and give it the most natural look.
We build ourselves
So, in order to build a pond on the site with your own hands, first of all you need to decide on the location and shape of the reservoir. Decided? Starting construction work:
- To begin with, we mark the contour of the pit. It is very easy to do this - set the formin the right place and outline its silhouette with a regular bayonet shovel, firmly pressing the handle into the edge of the tub.
- Add about 20 cm to the resulting contour to fill the plastic pond with sand.
- If you have purchased a form with ledges, then each level must be marked and dug separately, from largest to smallest, while remembering to add 10-15 cm on each floor for a sandy substrate.
- When the pit is ready, its edges should be well leveled and compacted, all glass, stones and tree roots should be selected. Failure to do so may damage the mold. Then you need to pour and carefully compact the sand with a layer of at least 10 cm - this will save your pond from subsidence.
- Install the plastic mold and make sure it is level by using a spirit level and a rule. Then carefully fill the pond with water to about a third, being careful not to move it.
- Carefully cover the gaps between the edge of the pit and the mold with sand. At the same time, you need to make sure that there are no voids left. Why periodically water the soil with water, but try not to make the pressure too strong.
For a week after installation, regularly water the ground around the pond and add sand as needed. After the subsidence of the soil stops, you can completely fill the reservoir, decorate the edges of the pond bowl with stones, flagstone and plant ornamental plants.
Country pond made of flexible materials
Nowlet's talk about how to make a pond on the site, if it is not possible to purchase a ready-made container or you want to equip a large bizarre pond.
The most budget option in this case would be to use ordinary polyethylene with a thickness of at least 500 microns. However, despite the fact that it is quite inexpensive, there are quite a few disadvantages of such a coating. The fact is that polyethylene is a rather thin material, it is very easy to damage it, and under the action of sunlight it becomes completely brittle and quickly collapses. A pond on a polyethylene substrate will last you a maximum of 2-3 years.
PVC-film for the pond - the material is also not too expensive, but much more durable, such a coating can withstand 8-10 years. Polyvinyl chloride coating can be ordinary and two-layer, in which a woven mesh is laid for strength. Of course, PVC has the same disadvantages as polyethylene - it is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation, it is easily cut and torn, but, unlike the latter, it can be repaired. For this, special kits are sold. In addition, PVC stretches better, and after filling the pond with water, most of the folds stretch and straighten out over time.
The most expensive, but at the same time, the highest quality is a coating made of butyl rubber: the service life of such a material is about 50 years, and it does not care about the sun's rays. In addition, butyl rubber is not afraid of low temperatures, so you do not have to drain the water from the pond in winter. It is a very flexible and ductile material that can withstand significant loads,therefore, if you decide to equip a spacious pond of an unusual shape, you simply cannot do without it.
Marking the pit
To equip a pond on the site with your own hands, you will need:
- pegs;
- rope;
- film coating;
- geotextile or felt;
- sand;
- rubble or large pebbles;
- shovel;
- special film repair kit;
- bricks;
- building level;
- garden hose for irrigation;
With the help of twine and pegs, you need to mark the desired shape of the pit and start earthworks. If you plan to break a pond of a fairly large size, you can bring an excavator. In the process of work, it is necessary to ensure that the ledges and slopes alternate, this will make the banks of the pond more stable. It is also necessary to provide terraces (at least 30 cm wide) for planting plants. Descents from one level to another must be made quite gentle, with an angle of inclination up to 45˚.
It is worth remembering that the depth of the pond should not be less than 80 cm, otherwise in winter the water in it will freeze to the bottom, and its inhabitants will die. Thus, you need to dig a pit, about 15–20 centimeters larger than the estimated size of the reservoir. This is necessary in order to be able to fill the terraces and the bottom of the pond with sand, in order to avoid subsidence and damage to the film. The sand cushion must be carefully leveled and compacted, after removing all pebbles, sharp sticks and plant roots from the bottom.
Drainage and waterproofing
When the sand drainage pad is ready, we move on to the next stage of work. In order for the pond film to remain intact for as long as possible, geotextiles should be laid on a layer of sand, preferably in 2 layers. Next, we straighten the film itself and fix it on the banks with the help of bricks or large stones. Do not try to straighten and unfold all the folds - let the water do it for you.
We place the flexible garden hose so that its end is in the center of the future reservoir, and we begin to supply water, making sure that the pressure is not too strong. As the pond fills with water, partially release the edges of the film and straighten it along the slopes of the pit. After the reservoir is filled to the brim, leave it for 1-2 days. During this time, under the weight of water, the film will straighten out and fill all the voids.
After it completely sags, you need to cut off the excess parts, leaving at least 40–50 cm for arranging the banks. The edges are fixed with pegs or special metal arches, and then masked with flagstone, large stones and pebbles. It's time to install the pump, decorate the hoses from the fountains and start planting plants.
Pond above the ground in the country
When there are kids in the family, one of the main problems when building a pond is how to make the pond safe. It is best if such a reservoir is slightly raised above the soil surface. Firstly, it greatly facilitates its care, and secondly, the risk thatsmall children or pets accidentally fall there.
In this case, you can not do without a reinforced concrete foundation. Dig a pond pit in its deepest part, form terraces for plants, as well as in the previous case. On the banks of the reservoir, using wooden formwork, fill in the concrete foundation of the desired height; for strength, it can be reinforced with a metal mesh. After the foundation is completely dry and settled (this will take at least two days), the formwork can be removed, and the inner walls can be plastered to smoothness. This will help prevent tearing of the film. We line the bottom of the pit with it and fill the bowl with water. At the same time, we fix the edges of the material so that they are behind the concrete fence. After the pond is full, let the water settle, cut off the excess film, fix it and decorate the edges of the bowl.
Inventory: what you need
Of course, building ponds is not easy, but what can you do for yourself, because if everything is organized correctly, the result will please the eye for more than one year.
However, it is not enough to build a home pond - you also need to take care of it. Here are some technical tools that will be very useful to you:
- Garden tools for cleaning the water mirror from leaves, twigs and other debris. These can be a variety of nets, skimmers, scissors, bottom cleaners, water vacuum cleaners, and so on.
- Special hoses that can withstand long (up to several years) exposure towater.
- Radio sockets - you will need these to connect the fountains, lighting and cleaning filter to the mains.
- If you want to get fish, you can't do without a biofiltration plant, UV lamp and other devices.
- And, of course, you need a pump for pumping water, which will allow you to partially renew the liquid, as well as drain the pond for the winter.
Rules for caring for a country pond
The pond in the garden is, of course, very beautiful, but if you do not want to become the happy owner of a personal swamp in which frogs croak in the evenings, then you need to properly care for it. First of all, you need to ensure that the water in it does not bloom. Of course, it is best to purchase a special purification system, but this, unfortunately, is not a cheap pleasure. However, there is another, more accessible remedy: take a canvas bag and stuff it with high-moor peat. Place such a "surprise" under the water, and there will be practically no algae left at the bottom of the pond.
It is also necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the reservoir - regularly remove debris from the surface and add water as it evaporates. If your pond is small, then it is recommended to drain it completely for the winter period, and for large tanks, a complete cleaning is necessary at least 2-3 times a year, while the water must be completely pumped out.
From what is at hand
And what about those who do not allow the size of the site to accommodate even a small pond? Do not be upset: a small pondyou can also equip it in the front garden by adapting a trimmed metal barrel or just a large basin for this purpose. Such a mini-pond can even be placed on the balcony of a city apartment, decorating the container with glued pebbles or mosaics. Of course, you will not hear the murmur of a fountain near such a "reservoir", but you are provided with coolness and lush greenery of aquatic plants.
