On a summer day, I really want to relax on a suburban area 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. For this, there is no need to purchase a plot with a natural reservoir, because a pond in the country can be made independently.
You can act on this in one of many ways. For example, use a film or a special form. Well, if you really want to save on the full program, then even you can use even the old bath, which has been interfering for a long time on the site. However, this option involves the most manipulations.
Location determination
If your site has a free area, which is not located under the sun, then you can start creating a pond. The area should not be too dark. Lighting should be given special attention. 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, polluting the water, tend to light. It promotes flowering.
If the pond is not too deep, then fish and plants under the scorching rays of the sun will have to be tight. They may even die. In addition, relaxing in the sun in the heat is unlikely to be a pleasant pastime for you. A great place will be a platform where in the afternoon you can hide in the shade of a tree, fence or house. As for the evening and morning time, during this period the sun's rays will not be able to damage.
In the immediate vicinity of the trees, a decorative pond is also not worth it, as sprawling roots will damage the base, tear the film and shift the edges of the form. If night lighting is provided for the pond, it is recommended that you supply it with a filter and connect the pump, considering the location taking into account the proximity to the source of electricity.
Using the finished plastic mold
If you want to make a pond in the country with your own hands, then the easiest option will be to use a finished form of plastic or fiberglass. The first option will be ready to last about 10 years, as it is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and low temperatures. During mechanical manipulations, including installation, the plastic mold must be handled carefully to prevent damage. If a crack appears on the surface, then it will not be possible to repair it.
You can make a pond in the country with your own hands from a fiberglass shape, which is characterized by increased durability and strength. The life of this design is 3 times longer than that of the plastic version. The first step is to acquire a trough that must be dug into the ground. In order to dig a pit, the contours of a reservoir should be transferred to the ground. A bowl is placed on the ground, around which it is necessary to stick wooden pegs, and then pull a rope between them. It takes about 15 cm to step back from the shape.
After that, the bowl is removed, and you can start digging a hole. About 25 cm must be added to the height of the mold. It is important to ensure that the bottom of the pit is horizontal. Use for this you need a flat board or building level. At the bottom is a sand cushion that acts as a foundation. It is necessary to set the mold in the pit, and fill the gaps on the sides with sand and pour water from the hose for shrinkage. The form is filled with water, and the banks are decorated with stones and aquatic plants.
Film use
A pond in the country with your own hands can be made of 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 be equal to the limit from 2 to 10 and from 10 to 50 m, respectively.
If you want to buy a material that will be resistant to ultraviolet, then you should prefer a polyvinyl chloride fabric. It does not fade and tolerates cold well. Its service life can reach 15 years. Better butyl rubber film wins due to its durability and strength. Such material is more expensive than polyvinyl chloride, so its use is justified only when large water bodies of impressive depth are constructed.
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. Making such a pond in the country with your own hands, you must dig a pit. If plants will be planted in water, then for them along the banks it is necessary to form ledges in the form of shelves. Their depth should be a limit of 10 to 15 cm. The walls of the pit should not collapse.
If clay soil or chernozem prevails in the territory, then the walls can be made vertical without fear of sprinkling of soil. If the soil is sandy, then it is necessary to provide a slope. 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. The film spreads on top and is fixed around the perimeter with stones. Mounting must also be carried out on ledges, as well as steps.
Before you start making a pond in the country with your own hands, a photo of such artificial ponds is recommended to be considered. From them you can understand that there should be a groove around. Its width is 30 cm. This part is necessary so that the stones that will fix the film on the surface are on the same level 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 the plants.
Using an old bath
Before proceeding to 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 may lie in the old bath, which has become unusable. If you decide to use this technology, you need to add about 0.3 m to the height of the bowl. When you lower the bath into the pit, its edges will be below the soil level. On the perimeter, you need to dig a ditch, the width and height of which will be 30 cm.
The bath is located in the pit, its bowl is aligned horizontally with the help of a level. The voids formed on the sides are filled with sand. In the end, you should get a dug bath with a groove around the perimeter. If you want to make a pond in the country with your own hands, step by step you need to learn the technology. At the next stage, it provides for 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 especially level the layer. The main requirement in this case is to ensure that the bathtub has gained a dark shade. Then everything is covered with a film and left for a day so that the glue hardens. When making a pond from a bathtub in the country house 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 it is necessary to try to capture the edges and lateral internal surfaces.
The edges and walls should be covered with a mesh, while the bottom will remain open. After this, a cement mortar is prepared from water, cement and sand. It is applied to the grid. It is not worth leveling the surface too much. For additional fastening of the reinforcement from time to time, stones must be inserted into the solution. They will also give naturalness to an artificial pond. The drain is well cemented. In the place where the grid on the surface covers the edges of the bathtub, large stones must be laid 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 at the edges, but in waves, trying to expand the coast.
Considering landscape ideas, a pond in the country with your own hands you can make very attractive. The relief can be changed by forming elevations and bumps. Slides of crushed stone, 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 into the bottom, and the solution is mixed right there. It is smeared on the side walls and overlap the cement layer. The voids between the stones must be filled.
Clay will dry in a few hours. After that, you can pour water in a thin stream into the bath. Around the bath and to the bottom, aquatic plants are planted. After a few days, the water will darken - it will take on a natural look.
Resident Artificial Pond
Before you make a pond in the country with your own hands, step by step you should 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 if you plant plants in it and start fish. Only at a certain depth and some varieties of aquatic plants are able to develop normally.
At a depth of 30 cm, you can plant bogs, yellow iris, etc. The most suitable habitat for reeds or ordinary arrowheads will be a depth of 30 to 50 cm. The deepest inhabitants are lotus and water lily, they need about 50 cm.
Having completed a fish pond in the country with your own hands, you can breed:
- koi carps;
- veiltail;
- crucian carp.
However, in this case, it is absolutely necessary to install a filter. Without it, the water will quickly deteriorate, which will negatively affect the decorative features - an unpleasant odor will appear, and the water will become cloudy.
Shore strengthening
Many summer residents think about the question of 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 that protects the banks and walls from shedding. If you decide to resort to technology with a geogrid, then you must choose it taking into account the size of the cells.
You will need:
- shovel;
- anchors;
- filler;
- geotextiles.
The latter is necessary for drainage. The top layer of soil needs to be removed and the drainage laid, the geogrid is spread on top. Between each other it is necessary to fasten separate sections. Cells are filled with crushed stone, soil or frost-resistant concrete. If plants are planted in the soil that will be located in the cells, then the roots will further strengthen the shore.
Gabions - fortification and decoration
Before making a pond for raising fish in the country with your own hands, you should think about strengthening the banks and walls. Gabion designs that make it possible to decorate an artificial pond are excellent for this. Boxes of wire are fixed to each other and are located on the edge of the reservoir. Corners need to be strengthened.
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 design will only become stronger over time - it will fill with soil and growing plants.
Ecological care with plants
Before you do the pond installation in the country with your own hands for fish farming, you should think about the appearance of the reservoir. Its edges should be strengthened to exclude violation of the existing landscape. 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;
- red currant;
- sea โโbuckthorn;
- swamp iris;
- sedge;
- cattail.
Even with the steepness of the slopes, which does not exceed 60 ห, you can use coconut mats. 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. Mounting to the film of the reservoir is carried out by waterproof mounting adhesive.
Then spread a thin layer of soil on which you can sow the lawn. If you are faced with the task of how to make a pond in the country with your own hands, 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 a geogrid.
Interesting ideas for designing your own shore
One of the ancient ways to strengthen the reservoir are piles. They are made of wood, but a special technique is required for clogging. A modern alternative is PVC piles. These are ready to last for decades, but manual installation is also indispensable for their installation.
With ease, you can arrange a pond in the country with your own hands, landscape ideas will help you with this. Considering them, you can highlight for yourself a technique that involves strengthening the pond at the stage of the pit. To do this, it is important to evaluate the steepness of the slope, study the features of the soil and determine the size of the reservoir.
Finally
A pond in a summer cottage may have its own style and design. Quite popular today are Japanese ponds, which are decorated with boulders, herbs and conifers. You can take as a basis the Chinese style, which looks more bright and magnificent. In this case, motley foliage and curved bridges are a mandatory accent. The landscape pond can be created in the style of Natur garden. This technology provides for the planting of local plants characteristic of this region. Plant exotic should be absent.