Don’t forget the Pond Liner
I remember my attempts at pond building as a child. I dug a hole at the bottom of my parents garden and then ran back and forth for the best part of a day trying to fill it with water using a watering can. Of course, all the water would simply disappear into the earth and being no more than 7 years old, I had no idea why my pond wouldn’t hold the water like the ‘natural’ ponds I would see outside.
What I didn’t realise back then was the water would never stop soaking into the porous earth. Without liner, just like the sand castle moats you build on the beach, the water simply drains away.
Ensuring the pond is lined is a fundamental of pond building. Pond liner is usually cut from a roll (much like a carpet) so you just have to calculate how much liner required for the size of your pond. This pond liner calculator will help, just measure the width, length & depth of the pond.
Do I need Liner Underlay?
Large pond projects definately require pond lining underlayis a must. Especially if there is the likelihood the liner could be punctured from rocks or tree roots!
You have the pond liner so what is next?
Once you have lined your pond and filled it with water it doesn’t end there. The water musn’t become stagnant so you need to ensure it is renewed or filtered continuously. Depending on the purpose your pond will almost certainly need a pump, particularly if you intend keeping fish! When choosing a pond pump you need to know the size of the pond. The pump must be powerful enough to pump and renew all the water in the pond within a certain time frame.
Had I known the correct way to construct a pond at 7 years old, I probably would have continued my quest. Alongside making mud pies that clearly nobody is going to eat. The race to return with another refill before the previous bucket of water disappeared into the ground along with soaking my parents kitchen was great fun!
