How To Incorporate A Pond In Your Backyard Landscaping
December 3
Whenever we look at water, our mind and soul start to relax. Whether it may be the waves at sea or simply in our bathtubs, it doesn’t fail to soothe our emotions. And that’s exactly what makes it a welcoming addition to our backyard.
For your outdoor landscape at the back, building a pond would bring a new dimension of flavor and attractiveness. Don’t get the wrong idea; it’s more of a decorative addition that will blend with your landscape and add serenity and character to your backyard, not a pond for you to swim or catch fish.
As good as it sounds, you need proper planning to enjoy your small paradise. Please keep read
ing to know more.
Backyard Pond Diy Complete Guide
You’d be amazed to know it’s not that expensive to craft a gorgeous pond in the backyard. Whether it’s a tiny pond in the garden or a big one in a villa, it doesn’t matter as the pond’s basic concept is the same. You need to consider a few things in case you want to DIY a backyard pond; for instance, the location, budget, equipment, design, etc. are a few important aspects that come to mind. After you have given them a thought, you can proceed towards investing in a pond to make your backyard landscape look even more elegant. That looks demanding but be confident, we got your back. Through our support, it’ll be a smooth sail.Assembling The Equipment
There are some necessary items you would need to complete this task. All of them are necessary to get a suitable backyard pond. The things you will need are:- Shovel
- Preformed Liner or flexible liner
- Pump
- Filter
- Rope
- Paint
- Spirit level
- Rake
- Rocks
- Utility knife
Liner
You need a larger liner than your pond’s dimension. Some extra room will come in handy. The fabric of the liner is also an essential consideration. Avoid PVC due to its short lifespan and vulnerability to sunlight. Synthetic rubber-like EPDM is the norm with its long-lasting lifespan and reliability.Pump
The gallon per hour(GPH) rating must correspond to the pond size. Too low and your pond won’t fill up; too high and you will waste money on additional purchase, maintenance, and operation cost. If you plan to add waterfall or fountains, you need factor in the head to supply water to those as well or they will be expensive showpieces. There are different kinds of pumps, for example, the heavy-duty but expensive direct drive, the cost-friendly but low work rate magnetic drive, or the hybrid drive with the balance of both. Pick accordingly.Filter
There is no excuse for skipping out on a highly functional filter. It protects your pond from unwanted harm while keeping the water clean. However, there are different filters with expertise on different kinds of stuff. A mechanical filter is best to trap debris, while a biological filter deals with harmful chemicals that affect fishes. If you want fishes in your pond, it’s a must to have both. Otherwise, you can do with a mechanical filter, but you would need regular cleaning up. As you can see, the importance of selecting proper equipment can’t be overstated. A little negligence can ruin all your hard work. So, pick wisely. Once you managed to collect all the equipment, you are fully prepared. Let’s build a pond.Find An Interesting Design
Your pond’s size doesn’t matter as long as your design is like the way you want it to be. Remember, your goal is to have a clean and uniform view. It could be something abstract, something like out of a picture, or just a calculated array of items placed explicitly in a specific order, as long as it looks good and feels good. There are mainstream natural and traditional designs in case you don’t have one in your mind. To name a few, the Circular pond, Hexagonal stoned pond, Raised pond, Japanese style ornamental pond, Koi pond, etc. are pretty popular pond designs.Pick A Nice Place
You have to take a decent amount of consideration when selecting a location to install a pond in your backyard. Ideally, your pond should receive a respectable amount of sunlight and shade but not be near an overhanging tree since digging around a tree could hurt its roots. Placing the pond at a level ground would result in better water circulation. If your house is nearby, you wouldn’t need to spend extra cash managing the pump’s electrical source. Additionally, you have a beautiful backdrop just a few meters out of your doorstep.Give It A Good Shape
After picking a design, you have a good idea of how much space you worked with and try to figure out a balanced amount of size for your pond. Get your hands on a pond liner and make some custom shapes. Use your shovel to dig 1 foot, then fill it up with a little amount of water using your garden hose. Now you’re getting DIY vibes, aren’t you? Play around with a few more shapes and decide on how you want it to look. There are preformed liners that already have a regular size and shape if you don’t want to waste any time, but where is the fun in that?Install The Pond
Select a warm and sunny day to set up your pond. How do you proceed will be different depending on what kind of liner you choose. A preformed liner gives you the easy route as it already comes as a shell. All you need to do is dig with a shovel, place the Liner, pump, and filter, match the Liner’s top with the ground with a spirit level, backfill, and voila! But if you want that DIY challenge, you can go with a flexible liner. In the first place, it might look like a hassle, but it’s easy as pie. Follow these steps accordingly:- The flexible liner gives you the option of making custom shapes. Take a rope, make any shape with it, and mark the edges with paint.
- Use the shovel and start digging the perimeter. Six feet sideways 18 inches deep is OK for a backyard pond. Dig some extra inches below and around. Match elevation using a spirit level.
- Remove any debris or roots using a rake.
- Add a layer of sand to protect the flexible liner. The 1-inch layer is good enough.
- Place the flexible liner loosely and when it’s sagged, weigh it down using rocks.
- Start filling the pond with water. It will smoothen out the liner.
- Put the pump and filter. Pumps with an attached filter would save you some time.
- Trim excess parts using a utility knife.
- Add your preferred landscaping.
Introduce Some Add-Ons
If you’re willing to spend a little bit, you could take your landscape to the next level. Make seating arrangements or some weighty stones, integrating a small bridge, waterfall, fountain, or a few flashy lamps. If rocks aren’t your thing, decorate your pond with flowers. Lilies, Water hyacinths, Irises are perfect for ponds. If you have space, some goldfish or koi to play around your lovely pond might not be a bad idea. Little things like that could give your backyard a significant boost in terms of providing an exotic view. Now, take a step back and have a look at the magnificent view you created with your own hands and bask in its glory. The hard work is done, time for you to relax.Pro Tips
- Before digging, contact local authorities, or you might hit a gas line, water pipe or an underground internet cable and be subjected to a fine.
- Ponds should receive sunlight during the daytime, but at noon there should be shade.
- Keeping the pond far from overhanging trees saves it from debris and other clogging forms, thus lesser maintenance.
- Your pond shouldn’t be more than 20 feet away from your backdoor. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the soothing sounds of the water.
- Use plants, tadpoles, and snails to counter algae growth.