Steps for Building a Pond

Step 1.

By far the single most important issue in planning your water garden pond is size. If you ask most water gardeners what it is about their pond they would change if they could? The answer would be to make their pond larger. Ponds can be as small as a 2 foot wide cedar barrel. Even the smallest ponds can be turned into a water garden with fish and plants. That is an obvious limitation however. If you want your water garden to be filled with Koi fish, aquatic plants, and have a waterfall, you will need to think big if you want to realize the full potential and enjoyment of a water garden. Of course you have to consider what you have in terms of location. If you are limited in space you will have to go smaller, and there are plenty of small ponds you can create to have a perfect little water garden. We will get to sizes next.

Step 2.

In the past most ponds were built out of concrete. Today, ponds are still constructed this way, but today's improved standard is a method of using waterproof liner for water garden construction. Liners are much easier to work with, and liner allows the water gardener to build a more natural looking pond. For smaller locations a pre-formed liner is typically used; however you can also use EPDM liner. These days the do-it–yourself pond builder has access to many pre-packaged pond kits that take most of the guess work out of what hardware you need for the pond.

Picking a size is better done at first with a rope or garden hose. Wiggle out the shape you want your pond to be. A typical basic pond shape would be the peanut shaped pond. That is the pond has big round ponds on both ends but narrows more in the middle of the two bigger ends. Once you have the shape, measure the longest length of the pond and then measure the longest width. That will then be the size of pond you will be creating. There are plenty of pond kits already made for you based on the size you measured. If you measured an 8 x 11 foot area of your shaped water garden hose, you will need a pond kit that is of 8 x 11 size. There are also calculations that can be made to determine your liner size needs. A rule of thumb is that what you envision from your garden hose shape to what the pond will actually look like in the end is reduced considerably. The reason being is that when you “rock” your pond it begins to take up space. An 8 x 11 pond will look more like a 5 x 8 because the actual pond water area will more or less be that size. Keep that in mind.

Step 3.

Selecting your location is a very important step to creating your water garden. You will get the greatest benefit by far if you install your pond close to your home. Since water gardens harbor and attract a great abundance of wildlife, you certainly want to position your water garden where it can be viewed all year round. Things to avoid in pond placement are trees, especially large rooted trees like fichus or oak trees. Never place your pond in the lowest area of your yard. Try to avoid any kind of water runoff as that can cause the pond to be a collecting area for chemicals and fertilizers that can be harmful to your fish, aquatic plants, and overall health of your water garden. If you want to grow aquatic plants such as water lilies, you will need to have the pond receive a minimum of 4 hours of sunlight per day. If you have an area with too much shade, you can still have fish living in your pond, but essentially all aquatic plants need light and lots of it. Very few aquatic plants can thrive in the shade. All this may require altering your terrain to achieve the kind of water garden you want to have. You also need to consider for your location if a waterfall is in order. That will require additional space.

Step 4.

Pond circulation would be the next subject of focus. Although pond circulation is not essential to your water garden, having circulation will allow you to keep more fish in your pond and have healthier aquatic plants. A waterfall is the best way to achieve pond water circulation while making it look natural in the process. A waterfall can act as both your circulation and your water garden’s filtration system by using a biological waterfall filter. We will get more in depth with waterfall construction later on. If you want a waterfall in your water garden, you must power it with a pond pump. Pond pumps are external or submersible. External pumps are and have been the most common for professional koi fish ponds, but more and more the submersible pond pump and skimmer system is being used especially with the pond being constructed out of EPDM liner. Using a pond skimmer works great for removing floating debris before it sinks to the bottom of your water garden. In general you at least want the amount of gallons in your pond to fully circulate once in an hour. So with a 4000 gallon pond you would want at minimum a 4000 gallon per hour (GPH) pond pump. If you have a waterfall you may want to increase the GPH of your pond pump by 1000. If you have a stream, even more. There is no exact science on this. It is mostly a matter of taste, but be generous on the amount of GPH you want especially if you are planning to build a stream and large waterfalls.

Step 5.

When digging the hole for your pond you should start out going the depth of one foot. Once you have done that create a similar shape of the pond in the center of that hole with spray paint. Keeping that edge about one foot from the edge of your actual pond. Dig that area out to about the depth of another foot for a total of 2 foot depth. If you live in an area where it freezes in the winter, you may need to go an additional foot to a 3 foot depth to avoid freezing of the entire pond. Dig the hole for your pond skimmer as well. Follow the instructions of your pond skimmer for proper installation and level. For a pond skimmer a ditch would need to be trenched to the biological waterfall or external filter so that the plumbing is buried.

Step 6.

Line the excavated area of your pond or water garden with underlayment. The underlayment does not need to be all one piece; however, the less pieces you have, the less work you have to do. You can cut the underlayment with anything sharp. After the underlayment is placed, it is now time to place your EPDM fish safe liner. Take your time with the installation of your liner. Stretch out the liner evenly and tuck into all corners and shelves. Minimize as much as possible ay folds and wrinkles. The weight of the water will flatten most of the small ones out. You will never have a perfectly smooth liner placement, so do not drive yourself crazy trying to accomplish this. Rocks and gravel will easily cover any imperfections as well as make the pond appear more natural.

HELPFULL NOTE:

Select a warm sunny day to install the liner. It will be more flexible and easier to handle. Begin by draping felt liner underpayment loosely over your pond and gently patting down the felt liner to the shape of your pond. Start from the bottom and work your way to the top. Now drape the 45 mil EDPM liner loosely over your pond and gently pat down the EDPM liner to the shape of your pond. Place some heavy smooth stones around the perimeter of the liner to hold it in place.

Step 7.

Position your biological waterfall filter now where you want to have your waterfall. Ideally, placing your waterfall directly opposite your skimmer will achieve the best results. You will need to now attach your liner to the biological waterfall, follow the instructions that come with the filter. Depending on how close your waterfall will be to your pond will determine how much liner you will need. Do note that most pond kits are put together with a waterfall design being right at the edge of the pond. If you are looking to construct a stream, you will need additional liner. At this time also attach the liner to your pond skimmer. Again follow the instructions that come with your pond skimmer.

Step 8.

Now it is time to “rock” your pond or water garden. This reduces pond maintenance and provides surface area for bacteria to live. Fish waste and other organic mater will fall to the pond bottom and get broken down by the bacteria living in the gravel and rocks. The rocks and gravel also help reduce UV rays and animal damage, as well as hold down the pond liner during high ground water conditions. Although technically placing rocks and boulders in your pond is easy, the artistic factor is what will make or break your pond or water garden. When selecting the rocks for your pond and waterfall, make sure you have a variety of sizes. The more diverse the selection of rock size, the more natural looking your water garden will be. Start at the bottom shelf of your pond. Place boulders all around the edge of the pond. Do this at the next level of the pond as well. Once you have encircled the inner part of the pond with stone, place stones at the perimeter of your pond about an inch or two in from the edges of the liner. If you want a more natural blending in appearance, use a bed of gravel or mulch to cover up the 6 inch overhang of the pond liner. Now rock your waterfall. Ideally you would place 2 large boulders as a foundation on each side of the biofall. Fill in the rest of the spaces with various size rocks. You will need to be patient here and allow the rocks to fit like a puzzle. If a rock is not cooperating place it to the side and use another one. Once you have all the big stones in place, fill the remaining areas of your pond and waterfall with pebbles and gravel. Fill in all of the gaps thoroughly. This will hide all of the liner and make your rock formations more stable.

Step 9.

You are now ready to place your aquatic plants on the shelving and begin to fill your pond with water. The water in your water garden will appear murky from all the rock dust. You can drain the pond once with a submersible pump and refill it again, or you can let the pond circulate several days and the dust will settle on its own.