Everyone can decorate their summer cottage with a decorative pond. To do this, you need to allocate a sufficient amount of time. In this case, material costs will be minimal.
You can choose any shape and size of the pond. The advice of experienced builders will help you do this job well. How to make an artificial pond with your own hands will be discussed in the article.
general characteristics
A decorative pond (photo below) can be the highlight of a summer house or homestead. Here you can organize an excellent recreation area in the daytime. Nearby it is recommended to put a bench or hang a hammock. Having made a small waterfall or installing a fountain in the pond, you can enjoy the murmur of water. It calms the nervous system, restores mental strength.
In addition, a correctly selected and constructed pond can decorate the site, highlighting it among others. Make out a pond at your discretion. You can apply imagination, ennobled the appearance of the pond. However, the advice of professional designers should be considered before starting such work.
It should also be noted that water on summer nights attracts many mosquitoes, insects. Therefore, wanting to arrange gatherings near the pond in the evening, you must provide for the presence of a special pavilion or move the venue away from the water.
Types of Ponds
Decorative pond in the country (photo below) can be very diverse. There are several varieties of such landscape design elements. Conventionally, all artificial reservoirs for a summer house or a personal plot can be arranged in 4 groups.
The first category includes small ponds. They are included in the overall landscape composition and serve solely as decor. The second group includes ponds with shallow depth, which may have streams, waterfalls or fountains. It is near such ponds that a recreation area is arranged.
The third category includes “personal” lakes. Fish can live in them. This is a decorative object that resembles a huge aquarium. The fourth group of reservoirs are pools. They can swim, take water treatments. You can not combine a pool and an aquarium in one pond. Swimming in the water, where there is fish and vegetation, will become unbearable over time.
Place for a reservoir
Creating a decorative pond is a laborious process. In this case, the master must take into account a number of requirements that put forward to such objects. First of all, you need to choose the right place where the pond will be created.
An open area where there are no large trees nearby is best for creating a body of water. Otherwise, their roots can damage the pool bowl, and the leaves, falling down, will clog the water. Also, do not build a pond on the sunny side. Due to heating, the water in the pool will bloom, bacteria and other undesirable microorganisms will actively develop in it.
The possibility of further expansion of the landscape design object should also be considered. After the construction of one pond, many owners of a summer house or cottage want to create another one nearby or expand an existing reservoir. Nearby there should be enough space for creating a recreation area, installing a gazebo, pavilion, etc. It should also be noted that fountains, bridges, waterfalls can be present in the landscape design of the pond. They will also require enough space.
Material selection
Decorative pond in the country can be made of different materials. For small water bodies, various improvised forms are suitable. It can be barrels, bowls and other forms that are at hand in the country. However, for a medium or large pond, slightly different materials will be required.
Most often, the walls of an artificial pond are created from a finished form or a special roll material. Each of the options presented has a number of features. If the owner of the site wants to create a small pond, he can acquire a ready-made form. It is made of polyvinyl chloride or fiberglass. The second option is preferable. Fiberglass is more resistant to mechanical stress, more durable than PVC.
A special film of PVC or butyl rubber is also on sale. They are also used to create ponds in the country. The second option is more expensive, but more durable. Butyl rubber has a long service life (up to 50 years). PVC film will last up to 10 years. Then the work on the arrangement of the pond will need to be done again.
Which option to choose?
The device of decorative reservoirs requires maximum efficiency from the master. It is important to carry out the correct planning process for future construction. It is necessary to choose a place for the pond, to calculate its dimensions. In this case, it is necessary to correlate the area of the site and its free space with the size of the reservoir. The pond cannot be too big if the plot is small.
It is also worth considering in advance the design of each landscape design object. They should be harmoniously combined with each other and with the general view of a country or personal plot. Exterior design should be in harmony with the style of the facade of the house.
Among the options for arranging a pond, you should choose the one that best meets the requirements of the owner of the site. If you need a small or medium pond, you can give preference to ready-made forms. In this case, the creation of the pond will be as quick as possible. For large and medium-sized bodies of water, it is recommended to purchase a film. With its help, you can create an object of any configuration.
Pond from an old bathtub or finished mold
You can make a decorative pond with small dimensions from an old bathtub or a special container, which can be purchased at a specialized store. This is the easiest and fastest way to create a pond. Do not use too small containers with a volume of up to 100 liters. In such depressions, the water will dry out quickly on hot summer days. In this case, it will be impossible to plant plants nearby, to launch fish in the pond, etc.
An old cast-iron bathtub or fiberglass mold is ideal for creating a pond. First you need to choose the right place to create a reservoir. Next, you need to dig a pit. Its walls should be 30 cm larger than that of the bath. The earth must be immediately taken away from the construction site.
The bottom of the pit must be sealed and leveled. It has a bathtub. Using the level you need to determine the correct location of the sides. They must be smooth, skew is unacceptable. Sand should be poured into the space between the sides and the walls of the pit. It is carefully tamped.
Gardening of a reservoir from a bath
The decorative design of ponds can be very different. Most often, a pond from an old bath is decorated with plants. The roots of plants will be able to stay at the bottom if a number of special events are carried out. First you need to pour a layer of dry clay about 6 cm thick into the bath. Next, water is added to it to obtain a solution of sufficient density.
The solution must be smeared around the perimeter. In clay, you can immediately fix the root system of perennials. They will become a magnificent decoration of the pond. Top you need to fill up a layer of earth. Various plants are planted here, decorative stones are laid out.
Inside the bath, you can put the bulb of a water lily. This must be done in the spring. In the summer you can see a beautiful flower on the water. Lily will bloom for a long time and beautifully, delighting the owners of the cottage with its delicate bud. In autumn, you will need to get it out of the pond and put it in a small container with water. She is taken to the basement.
Calculation of a large reservoir
To create a decorative pond with your own hands, which will differ in large dimensions, you will need to make a preliminary calculation. This will avoid soil shedding. In this case, gardeners use a film. Ready-made forms are suitable for a small or medium reservoir.
First you need to determine the length and width of the pond. For example, it will have dimensions of 3 x 4 m. Next, the smaller figure must be divided by 6. This will allow you to find the optimal indicator of the depth of the reservoir. The calculation looks like this: 3/6 = 0.5 m. Such a depth can be a pond.
Next, you need to correlate the desired dimensions of the pond with the dimensions of the pit. It can be calculated according to the following formula: pond length (width) + double depth + 1 m stock. The calculation will be as follows:
Pit length = 4 + 0.5 x 2 + 1 = 6 m
Pit width = 3 + 0.5 x 2 + 1 = 5 m.
It is these dimensions that the foundation pit should have so that the soil does not crumble when creating a recess.
Excavation
You can make a decorative pond yourself. To do this, you will need to perform a series of earthwork on the site. First, you need to markup according to previously calculated data. If the bottom is stepped, each of them is dug separately. At the same time, the depth indicator should be 5 cm lower than the expected level.
The foundation pit must be dug carefully. Its walls must be tamped. Stones, other unnecessary objects are removed from the bottom. The surface should be flat. A pit of sand 5 cm thick should be poured into the pit. A stepped pit is more stable.
Particular attention should be paid to the upper edges of the pit. They must be durable, well-packed. It is necessary to apply the construction level during the work. With it, it is determined whether the surface is even. Only after the proper arrangement of the pit can you start the subsequent work.
Film arrangement
The decorative reservoir needs to be correctly covered with a film. When a sand cushion is created, it is densely packed. On top you need to lay a layer of non-woven material. It can be felt, batting or other similar cloths. Such a layer will not allow sand grains to wipe the film.
When the substrate is flattened, you need to carefully stretch the film on it. In this case, you need to pay attention to the position of the lower canvas. It should not move out. The edges of the film should extend beyond the pit by 45 cm. They do not need to be fixed yet. It will only be necessary to press the film with stones in a few places. In this case, it will not shift.
After carrying out the listed works, the pond can be filled with water. This will allow the film to fit snugly to the bottom, the embossed walls of the pit. When the water is in the bowl, you need to remove the stones and sprinkle the edges of the film with earth. Further, the sides must be further strengthened with decorative stones.
Expert Advice
The construction of a decorative reservoir requires a certain skill from the master. He must take into account several nuances. Filling the pond with water, you can not make a big pressure. You need to use a small hose. By gradually filling the bowl, the film can be straightened. If the pond is completely filled with water, this procedure will be much more difficult.
It should also be noted that the water after filling the pit may become cloudy or green. This is a natural process. Don't worry about it. After 2-3 weeks, a certain balance will be established in the reservoir. The water will become clear again. Tadpoles cleanse water well. Therefore, when frogs spawn in the pond, do not clean it.
If the house has small children, you need to protect even a small pond. According to statistics, babies often fall in such ponds. To avoid an accident, you need to carefully fence off the pond, not allowing the child to come here without adults.
Decoration
A decorative pond can become a real masterpiece if you think about its proper design. You can provide for the presence of slides, fountains, waterfalls. Some hosts set various compositions, for example, in the form of a jug. From it, water will pour into the pond.
You should also pour soil around the pond. Plants are planted here. You can run fish into the pond. A real aquarium is equipped here. At the bottom, you can set the layout of the ship, houses, plant algae. Fish should be fed periodically.
The slides on which the plants descend to the water look beautiful. They are difficult to create. Mounds from the earth are decorated with stones. Flat cobblestones are not suitable for this. They will slide along the slope.
Care Features
Water in an artificial pond needs to be cleaned periodically. A net is taken out of fallen leaves, branches. Otherwise, algae will develop here, the water will turn green and cloudy.
If the pool is used for swimming, you need to install a filtration system. It is covered so that trash, leaves do not fall into the water. The pool with fish cannot be closed, as they will not be enough air.
Having considered the features of creating a decorative reservoir, you can do it yourself. The pond will be the decoration of the entire site.