We make a pond in the garden with our own hands

When the garden plot has everything, from stylishly located beds to erected greenhouses and greenhouses, and there is a lot of free space on the plot, the gardener involuntarily thinks: “what to place in his possessions so that both benefits and looks beautiful? ". An excellent solution to this issue can be hand over a do-it-yourself pond in the garden. Of course, it is not so easy to make it, but it is possible. You should not listen to those who think that it is easy to make a reservoir in the garden. Many people believe that it is enough to just dig a deep mind and wait until the rains fill it with water.

This option, to make a decorative reservoir in the garden, is possible if the summer cottage itself is very wet and located deep in the lowland so that the groundwater is extremely close to the earth's surface.

In other cases, even during strong protracted downpours, rainwater is quickly able to be absorbed into the soil. To prevent this from happening, very good waterproofing is needed. The edges and walls of the pit under the reservoir must necessarily be unsuitable for moisture to escape into them.

The difficulties do not end with waterproofing. Even a filled reservoir requires timely and careful care, otherwise the water can literally bloom and begin to exude a very unpleasant odor. Of course, this cannot be called a beautiful reservoir and a better idea than taking a seat at a summer cottage.

Next, we will consider what methods exist in order to make and arrange a pond in the garden with our own hands.

A garden pond from an old waste tub is the easiest of these methods. It is enough just to dig the bath into the soil, to create the illusion of the depth of the reservoir, paint the bath in a dark earthy color, and pour sand on the bottom of the bath and decorate with decorations in the form of artificial algae or stones.

You can plant absolutely any flowers and plants around such a reservoir without fear that their roots will get wet and begin to rot (the water in such a reservoir is simply isolated by the walls of the bath).

The disadvantages of such a reservoir in the garden are obvious. First of all, it is a small size, as well as a shape. However, if nothing can be done with the size (unless, of course, the selected bathtub is of a huge size), then you can work on the shape a little, adjust it.

To do this, it is enough to lay decorative flat massive stones around the edges of the bath so that in some places they cover the edges of the bath, and in some places they hang half over the water.

Of the main advantages, one can single out the cheapness and simplicity of creating a reservoir. Even leaving does not require strong physical and material costs. So, if the water still bloomed or in the fall the entire surface of the water was filled with half-rotted fallen autumn leaves, you can simply scoop all the water out of the bath with buckets and rinse the bath well. If the pond in the garden ceases to delight you with its appearance, it is also easy to dig it up and remove it from the site.

Pond in the garden, ready-made.

Nowadays, in specialized stores you can buy everything up to the finished form for a garden pond. Such forms are most often made of fiberglass, but there are other materials as well. The mold, like the bathtub, just needs to be dug into the ground and filled with water.

As with the bathroom, the edges of the form are masked with decorative stones and plants. You can pour a layer of sand on the bottom, and put your favorite algae on the bottom in special baskets.

What is the difference from a bath? The fact that such forms are provided with different depths, and there is an opportunity to choose a shape to your taste. The lifespan of the reservoir directly depends on the material from which the form is made.

So, fiberglass can last about thirty years, but the PVC form is not so durable, but it can stand ten years. The walls of the mold are also easy to clean if necessary.

The disadvantage of such a reservoir for the garden is again the size. Forms are not sold too large and deep, and can hold a maximum of one cubic meter of water.

The bowl of the reservoir.

For this method of creating a reservoir in the garden, it will already be necessary to dig in advance the necessary depth of the foundation pit, concreted the walls and cover the lower surface with waterproofing material.

The size and shape of such a reservoir can be chosen to your taste, decorated and come up with your own design is also possible.

You can, for example, dig a very deep pit in order to place your favorite aquatic plants there for the winter. with such a large volume, the reservoir itself creates a natural balance of flora and fauna, and, accordingly, cleans itself.

The disadvantage of this method, first of all, is the complexity and laboriousness of the cultivation process. In addition, concrete is not durable and will leak and crack over time.

Despite some self-cleaning of the pond, it also needs to be looked after and sometimes helped to clean. And it is difficult to clean such a reservoir, since there is a high risk of injury to the waterproofing material.

And to remove such a pond from the site will take no less effort than to build it, because it is necessary to destroy the concrete pit, and this is not at all an easy matter.

Disadvantages: the work is very time consuming, concrete cracks over time and begins to leak (this problem is solved with the help of modern waterproofing films). It is difficult to clean the pond and there is a risk of damaging the insulating material. Removing a reservoir from the site is no easier than building it - a pit filled with concrete needs to be destroyed, and this is not easy.

One of the intermediate compromises between the finished form and the previous method is to create a pond without a concreting process.

The pit, of course, is also dug out, its bottom and walls are compacted, but then the entire pit, and not just the bottom, is covered with waterproofing material, which is perfect for PVC or geotextile.

They choose a material of such dimensions so that it can cover it all in a solid piece and go beyond it no less than fifty centimeters from all edges. If you liked this particular method, but at the same time it is not possible to find a film for your huge pit, then the edges of several films can be welded together or glued with special tapes.

Despite the obvious advantages, this method also has some disadvantages. These include that the film coating is still not as strong as concrete, and it can simply burst, and prolonged downpours make the risk of gradual deformation and destruction of the shores of the reservoir high.

And so, it is quite possible to create and arrange a pond in the garden with your own hands. And if you show your imagination and play with the shapes, colors and decor of the pond, you can create a real work of art from an ordinary pond.