Pond

I'm thinking of having a little pond about 6x6 feet and not too deep, almost a shallow one. I don't want to use building materials. Can I scoop a hole in the ground, cover it with plastic, fill the thing with water? Does this work? Any ideas welcome. The soil here doesn't hold water.

Yes this will work, use black plastic the thicker the better, maybe double thickness, remove as many rocks, roots as possible, line hole with several layers of news paper, wet them down, they will help contain small leaks. Be very careful with the plastic. Be careful when installing pots,rocks are walking on the plastic, you don't want to puncture the plastic.The plastic won't last for ever. This is not a permanent type pool but it will let you have a pool with very little expense and find out if you like haveing a pool.I had a big pond fixed like this for 3 years, then some visiting kids filled it with wood, rakes,buckets,tires etc, what ever they could find on the place. I chewed on those kids for an hour, chewed on the parents some too. LOL !! I was disgusted when I got it all cleaned out. So I started useing large containers lined with plastic if need be. I also used a water bed mattress(cut open) in a tractor tire, worked till my big dog got in it and started scratching. Now I have a 55gal plastic barrel cut out on the side for my water garden. These pools have cost me a lot of labor but little money. I have enjoyed ever one of my pools luck just wasn't with me.
Lindag

Dinu, check out the water garden forum for more ideas on ponds, and some do's and don'ts. Good luck!!!!

Thanx Lindag and go.. I shall certainly give it a try. My DW asks me where? Now I have to choose a suitable spot. :~)

Dinu, here are some things to think about when you plan where to put a pond, especially if you are going to dig out a space for it:

1. Light vs. shade. Many pond plants do best with full sun, although I have a pond in partial shade, and the plants in there seem to do okay with about 4 hours of sunlight each day.

2. Proximity to other outdoor spaces. Place your pond near a seating area to enjoy the sight and sound. Our ponds are located within 20 feet of our deck, so we can enjoy the sound of water moving, and see the plants and fish easily.

3. Before you dig. Do you have any utilities underground? Depending on where you live, you may find the "perfect" spot is already taken up by gas or water lines, or telephone or electrical wiring running into your house. We have a toll-free phone number we can call to have our utilities marked with flags or paint, so we don't accidentally dig them up. (The utility companies encourage the use of this free service, because it's less expensive than repairing damaged lines, not to mention the danger of someone digging up a gas or electrical line.)

4. Low spots in the yard. It may seem logical to place a pond in a naturally low area. If you are creating an artificial pond, that's not necessarily a good idea - you may find that rain water gets underneath your liner, and causes problems.

Hope these help a bit in your decision! You can find much more expertise on the pond forum, where you will find many experienced "ponders" who will be glad to answer your questions.

one more very important, don't plant under a tree that makes a mess in fall. Like oak, crape myrtle, and I'm sure that there's a huge list of trees that will make your pond life miserable.

Yea, I shall keep those useful tips in mind when I actually do it. Just yesterday I have procured an old zinc bath tub and I'm thinking of lining this with plastic. It gets a little rusty. I'm thinking of painting it first.

Back again to this old thread, but with the dream of having a pond coming true!

Terry, this is what I did:
Selected the north-east corner of our premises which is directly underneath the overhanging neighbour's tree and a couple of 'Asoka trees' lining my compound. That was the best available space, but I have to tolerate the thousands of leaves that fall in this place (now directly into the pond) from those trees as well as the sandal wood tree.

Dug up a hole myself using a crowbar and a pick-axe. The dimension is about 9ft x 6ft, oblong. Depth is about 18 inches - thought it sufficient. There is another level around the perimeter about a foot from the bottom, mostly to keep, may be a few pots with water-loving plants.

As per my friend's advice, I removed all rocks, big roots and small roots and when the 'finish' was ready, he told me to burn dry leaves sufficiently to scar or kill the roots (from Asoka, sandal and the Aegle marmelos tree which were there not in good number). The nearest trees are about 6 feet away from the pond. It gets full afternoon sun for about 4 hours.

Then cleaned all the ash. Built a bund with mud at the brim to keep the plastic and to prevent seepage from underneath the lining. Wetted old newspapers and lined the entire area of the pond including the bund. (But I am afraid of the termites that may eat up every gram of newspaper).

Bought a (blue) sheet of SILPAULIN in 200 gsm thickness and lined it properly. Allowed water to slowly fill from the bottom and as it got fuller, tried to reduce the folds that emerged due to its oblong shape. As it was nearly full, the plastic was pressed against the bund while mud was filled on top around the edge of the pond.

To enable walking around it, placed some square tiles.

There is already a stone bench very close to it and we can sit and look at the right side.

Since there is very heavy traffic close to my house it is very dusty. Just the same night I filled water, the first rains of the summer came down and brought along with it, all the dust that had accumulated on the leaves of those trees and made the pond's water very brown!!! Add to it the leaves and little twigs that broke in the storm. That made me realize how difficult it may be to maintain a pond in such a location, the first day of its coming into being! My younger daughter had a little bath in it in the evening, just before it rained.

Will think of adding a few fish later on. I have bulrush growing in an old container and this will be in a corner of the pond. May be some water lilies. The Aegle marmelos fruit (hard shell) will fall directly into the water like a bomb. I have taken some risk on this. My neighbour is showing no interest in pruning off these two branches that overhang my yard a long way.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome. Will post a pic when I borrow my friend's cam. How long will this plastic last?

Gosh Dinu... sounds like you've been working hard! Do you have any kind of pump in it to circulate water? You may end up with stagnant water if there's no circulation. I think there are ways to work it without a pump. I would have to read up on it tho. The trick would be to balance the plant life and wild life so it could sustain itself.

I get a lot of debris in my pond... most of it I don't worry about. Most stuff sinks to the bottom and the water stays relatively clear. In the spring I climb in and try to clean up any of the muck that has accumulated on the bottom. During times of the year when leaves are falling you can put a net over it to catch the leaves before they go into the water.

Oh yes, Susan, it was real hard work. Only today I came to work in the office after a long leave (vacation for about 20 days - we can avail leave like that since it is our own accumulated leave). Did a few other important projects too at home. It was really physically taxing.

The pond emanates a sort of stink but my friend who inspired me says that will eventually settle. In the meantime, he also has given me a water lily, bulrush and two other types of water plants along with some small fish. The water has turned black now and the fish can only be seen when they near the surface. I have added more fish varieties recently. There are two that eat the muck.

Does these fish help in circulating water?

Since this pond is directly beneath the trees mentioned up there, now a lot of leaves from sandal tree and flower/stamens from the Aegle marmelos are already sunk into its bottom and my friend says that this will help plant life in the pond along with fish. Yesterday, I covered a nylon (old) net to catch the hard fruits from the Aegle marmelos from falling directly into the water. But it allows leaves through it. It is actually a piece of cricket net (used for cricket practice to prevent the hard ball - slightly larger than the tennis ball -from going through). The net is at a height of about 7 feet. It is also the season when those leaves fall from that tree. That should not be a problem later on till next season. Will post a pic sometime.

Now, tell me more what should be done.