However, if you are the owner of a small area, you can think about a mini pond. A mini pond is usually placed on a terrace or in a garden. But due to its modest size, it is quite possible to do it on the balcony or even inside the house.
In general, a mini pond is a body of water within 0.5 - 1 cubic meters. (but not less than 20 liters of water), which is a small ecosystem with plants and even animals (fish). It can be complemented by a fountain and other decorative elements.
In order to make such a pond with your own hands, you will need a wooden box, a waterproof container made of plastic or whatever, the main thing is stainless material, a waterproofing film, gravel, stones, sand, soil, and plants.
Here is a diagram of the mini pond device:

It should be remembered that in summer sunny weather a lot of water evaporates from the surface of the pond, so it must be topped up regularly.

Plants of a mini pond need sunlight for 6-8 hours a day. Therefore, northern and poorly lit areas are best avoided.
Almost all planted plants need a substrate for rooting (with the exception of plants that float with their roots in the water. You can use gravel from the bottom of the stream, or you can buy special "construction gravel", which includes sand and pebbles 16-32 mm in size Some plants can be placed in a pond in separate bowls. For example, water lilies grow well in a substrate with a predominance of clay.

In summer, ornamental plants in a small pond tolerate daily temperature fluctuations well; in the cold period, with proper preparation, they tolerate frosts, with the exception of foreign heat-loving plants, which are better for wintering indoors.
The pond looks very impressive on the terrace when the tub is deepened into the ground. And they decorate the perimeter of the reservoir with stones and various plants.

We build a pond with our own hands for the garden

Create a pond with your own hands for goldfish and aquatic plants within your capabilities. Make sure your garden pond is at least 60 to 90cm deep. Nothing beats a garden pond if you want to make your garden even more attractive. It is surprisingly easy to make and maintain. Dig a hole, cover it with a layer of sand, line everything with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film, and you have a pond of any shape you want.

Before you begin, make sure that: Your pond is located on a level surface with enough sunlight for at least five hours a day, a garden hose can be reached, and is visible from your home, veranda, or patio. Surprisingly, the larger your pond, the better.

Anything less than 60cm deep and 2.5m in diameter collects heat and becomes clogged with algae. In cold climates, it is necessary to dig a hole at least 90cm deep so that the fish can survive the winter.

Check before you dig. Mark the desired pond shape with a hose. Sprinkle sand or flour on the hose to outline the outline of your pond.

You will need:

PVC cover

Fine gravel

Bricks

Stone slabs

Round stones for the bottom of the pond

Step 1

Dig a hole at least 60cm deep, tilting the sides slightly. Remove large roots or sharp stones completely.

Step 2

Make sure the edges of the pond are level with a level. Place a 5-7cm layer of wet sand on the bottom and sides of the pit. This helps to flatten the sides and protect the coating from punctures.

Step 3

Place the PVC cover in the pit, leaving an extra 30cm of cover around the entire pond. Line the pond with bricks so that the PVC cover is not visible.

Step 4

Lay the slab so that it is 2.5-5 cm away from the brickwork. Let the water stand for two days to remove any chemicals.

Step 5

Lower the pots of aquatic plants to the desired depth. For example, water lily should be placed in such a way that the edge of the pot is 15-30 cm from the surface of the water.

Place the round stones carefully on the bottom of the pond. When choosing aquatic creatures such as fish, snails and tadpoles, check with your supplier to determine the amount of space they need.

It is worth taking a small plastic sealed box or a suitable container, and having fantasized a little, decorate it so that it turns it into a small body of water with its own ecosystem.
To do this, you need to take some soil, pebbles and green vegetation and the container with water will turn into a pretty pond.
On the terrace, you can place a large wooden tub, hidden in the ground. The water, of course, will need to be changed periodically, and if the pond is located in the sun, then it will be added during the day. But nevertheless, such a piece of the water element, combined with the general style of the entire garden, will become a real decoration and highlight of the garden.

Photo: fancy2110 (home-and-garden.webshots.com)
This pond is arranged in a concrete flower pot

The front garden is a great place for a mini pond. A small pool with water lilies will look good in the shade of the plants. As a container, you can use a galvanized basin or a trough covered with natural material.

In the seedling box or in the basin.
On balconies and verandas, a mini pond can be arranged in a seedling box, in a basin or in a tub. If you decide to make a pond on the balcony, then it is better to install it on a low table or hang it altogether. The outer sides can be decorated by gluing stones, pebbles or mosaics to them. Cover the bottom of the container with a layer of humus, then a layer of sand and a layer of pebbles. You can also make a small hole to drain the water, although this is not necessary for such a small reservoir.

Mini pond. A quiet corner of your garden

Marina Savinykh

Water is the source of life, a symbol of eternity and inviolability. It is known that nothing can soothe and relax as admiring the water. So in landscape design, mini-reservoirs have become popular.

The tradition of decorating gardens with artificial reservoirs originates in Japan. Water is truly the pearl of the Japanese garden. Water bodies are represented by the most diverse forms and are always decorated with finely selected aquatic plants, and often their inhabitants are goldfish. It's no secret that the Japanese landscape is more than aesthetic beauty, it is also a tribute to ancient traditions, legends and wisdom. Each landscape object contains a certain symbol that can influence the viewer.

To make the mini pond happy throughout the summer, you should think about its project right now. Many plants that will serve as a decoration for a mini-pond must be planted in early spring, by which time the type of a small reservoir, its shape and location should have already been determined.

At the moment, modern technologies make it possible to create miniature ponds with various levels of complexity on a site of any size. Even in the smallest area, you can place such a body of water, which will significantly enliven the landscape.

There are the following types of ready-made containers for artificial mini-ponds:

• structures using polymeric materials;
• ready-made structures;
• monolithic structures.

Structures using polymeric materials are arranged according to following principle: a recess is dug out at least one and a half meters and is completely covered with a polymer film, the edges of the film are decorated on the outside with tiles, natural stones, wooden frames, etc. But there are also disadvantages - the polymer film loses strength over time and can leak.

Ready-made structures are made of polymer materials, metal, wood or ceramics, and can be mounted at various levels. Unlike polymer films, finished structures will last longer.

For monolithic ones, a recess is initially dug out at least one and a half meters, then walls are formed from reinforcement, which are subsequently poured with concrete. The advantages of such a tank are durability, increased strength, and the ability to embody any conceived shape.

The principle of caring for a mini-pond depends on the presence of plants and animals in it. If the design of the pond is limited exclusively to the external decor, then it is enough to change the water once a month. Care becomes much more difficult if aquatic plants, as well as fish and other aquatic inhabitants, are placed in the mini-pond.

It must be remembered that the mini-pond sets the general style of landscape design. A pond of "mini" type can be played as a corner of wildlife, decorating it with boulders and planting climbing and mossy plants. You can create a small piece of a fairy tale by placing goldfish and water lilies in a mini-pond, and plant marsh plants (reeds, cyperus, etc.) around the reservoir. A small reservoir will look more impressive if you set the backlight in a gentle tone. Then the mini-pond will become a favorite place for quiet seclusion in the evenings.

Corner mini-pond made of bricks

Landscape design this is not only the green part of the plot with plants, but also the territory adjacent to the house. Suppose there is a boring corner on your site where plants cannot be placed for some reason. You can revive it with the help of this mini pond made of bricks. Height and width reservoir is selected according to the dimensions of your free space.

Brick for reservoir we take the usual not rounded one, we deduce the semicircle due to the wide seams between the bricks. Interior reservoir: either a ready-made form or concreting the structure inside, a film for ponds is also suitable. Plants planted in containers will add to your water mini pond naturalness and beauty.

Do-it-yourself pond from an old bath

Let's talk about how our hands in the garden do a pond from an old bath... After renovation, an old cast-iron one often remains in the house. bath... You can use it further - make it out of it garden pond. The most important thing is to determine the location of the future. pond... Then dig a pit under bath... At the bottom of the pit, it is necessary to pour gravel, crushed stone 10-20 cm, then sand 20 cm. In the place where the drain hole in the bathroom, make the drainage layer deeper. This is so that later, if you wish, you can leave the drain hole and drain the water from it for the winter. If there is good drainage, water in bathroom not so much and it will absorb into the ground without any problems. The second drain hole must be cemented. Lay bricks in the corners, it is installed on it bath... Add earth, gradually tamping and adding water. Leave the top of the bathtub slightly above ground level. Decorating bath under pond flagstone stone. For this we have installed bath slightly above ground level, so that around baths Pour crushed stone 20-30 cm. On the crushed stone we lay the flagstone on cement mortar... It is as if the limestone stones are "wound up" inside baths, thereby closing its ugly edge. So that the shape of the pond does not really resemble a bathtub, we spread the stones along the edges of the bathtub and going beyond baths... Layers of stone must be put at least 3-4.

Surface baths white, for pond it is not beautiful and unnatural. You can cover the inside of the bathtub with a black film, then this must be done before the stone work. Bring the edges of the film under the stone.

And you can paint bath, but the surface of the bath is smooth, the paint peels off over time. Therefore enamel baths for pond it is necessary to clean up to give it porosity for better application paints.

For surface cleaning baths you need a "grinder", a special attachment on it with a sticky surface, to which an emery wheel "Petal" or a wire attachment "Brigadier" is attached. What paint to cover the surface will be advised by a consultant in any construction market. And the color is better to choose dark gray. To the bottom pond you can add some pebbles.

Fill in water and a pond from an old bathtub for garden ready. Done do it yourself.

Now you need to pick up plants for pond, plant them in small groups near the pood to your liking. Near a pond irises, hosts, badan look beautiful. It will be beautiful inside bath pond plant aquatic plants in containers, maybe even launch fish.

Water for the winter can not be flushed if in your garden the pond there will already be a biological environment, it will try to survive. Still, a bath in the depths of the earth is the warmth of the earth, snow will lie on top of the ice - it will also keep warm. For safety in the winter, you can throw a couple of plastic bottles into the water.

The idea of ​​decorating a pond with large stones

Idea pond decoration large stones. In this variant, the form pond semicircle. Myself pond can be made from finished form or cover with a film. Cover the edges with large stones. Because stones are very large with them it is easy to cover all the costs of the edges pond. To make such pond with your own hands it is very simple, no special skill is required, but it looks like a work of professionals. The only problem is that the stones are very heavy, they need to be carried together, stretch wide bundles or a dense bag under them and take them by the edges. Do not forget, under the stones, where they lie right on the ground, pour a little gravel, on top of the sand and cover with black lutrasil, so as not to tear the weeds between them later.

Directly into the water in this version, an ordinary indoor cyperius is planted in a container, it loves moisture very much and looks harmonious for pond.

The second option is very similar, only it is a fountain on a motor, decorated with gravel.

The style of garden ponds

Arrangement of a reservoir is aerobatics in the art of landscape design. On the territory of Russia today there is an increased interest in ponds, streams and waterfalls in the garden. Having played enough alpine slides, hedges and mixborders, the owners of suburban areas are gradually coming to understand a simple truth: without water, the garden still remains not quite harmonious, as if incomplete. But before proceeding with the renovation of the site, in which it is imperative to find a place for a reservoir or watercourse, it is necessary to evaluate all the forms in which water can appear in the garden.

With all the variety of gardens, and there are more than a dozen different garden styles, they are all divided into two large groups: regular and landscape. The former are characterized by a symmetrical layout, emphasis on the correct geometric shapes of flower beds. These gardens include Muslim, French and Italian classical gardens. The reservoirs in them also have strict geometric outlines; very often there are classical fountains, regular canals, cascades, aqueducts and ponds.
The landscape style is well known to Russians. Most of our compatriots prefer ponds and streams of natural forms inherent in English classical gardens (landscape); the stylistics of the Far East (Japanese and Chinese); natural style gardens (from the German Naturegarten). The free outlines of ponds and the lively run of streams and waterfalls in landscaped gardens give them extraordinary charm, make the garden as close as possible to a corner of natural nature.

Gardens of the avant-garde style stand somewhat apart, hallmark which is originality and conceptuality. It is almost impossible to predict the shape of a reservoir in such a garden: it can be symmetrical, and natural, or so unusual that you will not immediately dare to call the structure invented by the designer a reservoir or watercourse ...

Regular bodies of water

Regular style ponds should be started with Islamic gardens. Not because they are the oldest - perhaps they are not. But the fact is that no other garden style can find greater reverence for water. Water, which in Arab lands was an extremely limited resource, the greatest value, as a result, quite naturally became a symbol of luxury. The Garden of Eden, in the minds of Muslims, is a place in which fountains are sure to beat and roses are fragrant. The composition of all Islamic gardens is a strictly geometric square or rectangle, divided into 4 parts by shallow channels (such a structure of the garden was typical for ancient Persian gardens and took root for centuries). Apart from these channels, water is present in the form of rectangular ponds and fountains. The latter were present in many and were technically very perfect: their activity was carried out due to the force of gravity. Beneath the fountains (or under a rectangular pond with fountains installed in it) lay a labyrinth of pipes, crossed by valves and valves designed to control the distribution of water through countless fountain outlets throughout the garden.

Fountains are one of the most beloved forms that humanity has sought to give to water. The difference between Islamic ones is in their brevity: since the Koran forbids depicting living beings, then, as a rule, these were simple drinking fountains with a small stream of water barely rising above the bowl or the surface of the pond.
If we talk about the demand for the Islamic style in the gardens of modern Europe, including in Russia, then it is rather a lighter and more graceful Spanish-Moorish style, which can easily find a place in the patio or in the space in front of the house, even if it is small. as is the case with townhouses.

The French regular style, which entered the life of the nobility under the Sun King Louis XIV, is widely known throughout the world. In the magnificent Versailles Garden, created by the genius gardener Henri Le Nôtre, luxurious feasts were held, accompanied by splashing water jets and the glitter of water in canals and ponds. The triumph of man over Nature is the main idea of ​​this style, told through strict symmetry, sheared topiary forms and water squeezed into rigid frames. The water of the regular garden consists of austere pools, sculptural fountains, small wall fountains and cascades. The example of this style in Russia is the Peterhof Park.

Italian is very close to the French style, which in the classical version was performed as a small garden near the villa, surrounded by a trimmed hedge. Diagonal and straight paths invariably led to the center of the garden, where there was certainly a pond or fountain. Ponds, as a rule, were given the shape of a circle, oval or square. Older Italian estates were often surrounded by artistically designed water canals, somewhat reminiscent of the moats around the ramparts.

Both French and Italian regular styles are in demand today. In any case, no worthy landscape design exhibition is complete without projects of this kind. The most common use of this style in private estates is the front (entrance) plot of the estate in classic style or the classic symmetrical and correct design of the patio, where the water looks like canals, fountains or a mini-pond.

Special attention deserve formal decorative pools of a new generation, which are extremely numerous in the projects of the best European designers, in particular those who take part in the Chelsea Flower Show in London, and which are almost absent in Russia. It's perfect geometric shape reservoirs, as a rule, of very shallow depth, the main role of which is to create a feeling of freshness in the garden and play the role of a natural mirror, giving reflections of the sky, clouds and graceful vegetation surrounding such reservoirs.

I would like to separately note that ponds in each of the listed regular styles can be arranged both flush with the ground, and have a bowl raised above the ground with walls up to 0.5-0.7 m high, which is almost never found in landscape gardens.

Landscape style

The landscape style embodies freedom and naturalness: the trees are never cut in it, the paths are trying to make them inconspicuous and asymmetrical, and the water is trying to give the appearance of a natural reservoir, as close as possible in its external appearance to a natural one. The most ancient examples of this style belong to the Far East - China and Japan, and the most common today follow the principles of creating gardens in the British Isles.
Chinese gardens, as a rule, cover quite large areas. For centuries, their owners have treated the bodies of water with tremendous trepidation. The garden usually has a central body of water and several additional streams and waterfalls surrounded by rocks and lush vegetation. The ponds and lakes in the garden, as a rule, were large, in them it was possible to ride boats made in the shape of a dragon, thus moving through the entire garden. Today, ponds may not be large, but one or more bridges over a watercourse, of a characteristic shape, most often stone or wooden, are required.

The ponds in the Chinese garden have often become a haven not only for magnificent aquatic and coastal-aquatic vegetation, but also for animals. : koi carps, silver carps, and mandarin ducks are frequent guests of these gardens. The streams are very beautiful chinese garden- it was not in vain that they liked to put graceful gazebos on their banks ...

Insular Japan has always suffered from a lack of space for gardens, and therefore their landscape art is, in fact, the art of miniatures. This statement has nothing to do with monastery gardens and large parks. "Secular" Japanese gardens are mostly small, from a few square meters, areas intended for viewing and small walks. In any case, the garden for the Japanese is a small model of the universe. Water in the garden is not always present, but if it is, then its forms are very diverse and specific.

Japan tends to value less water surface how much the dynamics of the stream and the sounds made by streams and waterfalls. The waterfalls of the Japanese garden can be simple and complex, multi-stage. The place for the waterfall is chosen with great care. They are almost always covered with vegetation, which makes the landscapes even more romantic.

Garden ponds in the eastern garden always have islands, one of which is considered paradise and does not connect to the shore. There are several types of islands: forest, mountain, rocky, with young pines on the sand. In modern Japanese gardens, ponds are replaced by small stone pools of water, and sometimes there is not even room for them. Then this element of nature can be introduced into the composition of the garden in the form of a tsukubai - a stone bowl with water in the form of a barrel, in which hands were traditionally washed during the tea ceremony. In some cases, the tsukubai can be at ground level, but most often it is raised to a height of 20-30 cm. Usually, the tsukubai is placed on a low, small flat area in front of a stone wall, hedge or in the center of the garden and is certainly illuminated with a stone lantern.
Another decorative element of the garden that has a lot to do with water is a thin aqueduct made of a hollow bamboo stalk through which water runs. The Japanese name for this watercourse is shishi odoshi, which means "frightening deer" because it was originally invented by farmers for this very purpose. Most often, such structures are located at the edge of the pond.

Fascinated by the beauty and naturalness of the Far Eastern gardens, the English colonialists "infected" their compatriots with a love of natural landscapes. Today Great Britain is considered a state in which the landscape style (such words as English, romantic, natural have become synonyms for it) reached its heyday. Landscape composition techniques aimed at beauty and naturalness. A characteristic feature, in addition to the beautiful "bouquet" planting of trees, has become the vast spaces set aside for lawns. Beautiful ponds, streams, waterfalls and cascades surrounded by greenery and moisture-loving vegetation - feature such gardens.

The naturegarten style is very similar to the English landscape style, with the same natural form of ponds and streams, but its main principle in the design of the reservoir is to reject the most beautiful coastal plants, possibly imported from afar or, on the contrary, long ago entered into culture and underwent selection, in favor of "savages" - that is, the vegetation that is characteristic of the area and grows literally behind the fence. The design of the coastline with coastal plants characteristic of the area makes such a solution as viable as possible.

Avant-garde gardens

Today, the most interesting garden ponds are found in those gardens that are made in the avant-garde style. Landscape architects who love the avant-garde have always treated water with special trepidation, rightly believing that you can only have a rest and truly relax by a reservoir. Life-giving moisture can be present in such gardens in a wide variety of forms. For example, one of the exhibition gardens from The 100% Pure New Zealand Garden was a fantasy fantasy of the aesthetics of an uninhabited seaside. The water seemed to flow from the mountains, striving to reach the sea, and on its way passed the rain forest, and the wild cliffs of the west coast, and the dunes unprotected from the wind. More than 3000 plant species were used to create the garden!

The water of an avant-garde garden can become a symbol of respect for this valuable natural resource. For example, in the project Bradstone: Walking Barefoot with Bradstone, which won a gold medal at one of the exhibitions in Chelsea, a special drainage garden system was used: through special funnels, rainwater is collected from the roof of the house and from the walls of a blind fence that encloses the garden on both sides. It accumulates in large reservoirs inside the walls and is used to keep the water level within the garden's closed water system. Of course, in the absence of rain, replenishment water resources comes from civilized sources and yet this system is very interesting and environmentally friendly.

The combination of glass and water is very beneficial. As an example, we can cite an interesting "water" project - "Ravine Garden: gift of the Glacier" from the Lake Forest Garden Club. The glass blocks, set among the greenery of the trees, on a hillock, seem to melt, giving life to a stream. The stream flows down, surrounded by simple, but very graceful plants, but the water does not just go into the ground: it falls on a platform made of glass that looks like a block of ice that has not melted, and from it falls into the channel, creating an interesting lens effect.

An absolutely remarkable avant-garde pond was shown at the Chelsea Exhibition in 2008. Designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd. A thinly curved ribbon of water lilies running in the center intersected with a garden path, which was also a bridge from one side of the reservoir to the other. The composition was structured by beautifully arranged stones set in the water.

The Russians will soon celebrate the 20th anniversary from the moment landscape design came to the country in its modern form. Obviously, their preferences are ponds and streams landscape style... But allowing yourself only this kind of water is too strict a restriction, significantly narrowing the number of options. To appreciate the variety of forms and styles of design of modern reservoirs, it is enough to visit one of the European exhibitions on landscape design, for example, the English exhibitions in Chelsea or in the Hamptons.

You can create landscape design in an unusual way in different ways. One of them is the arrangement of an artificial pond on the site with your own hands. The water zone will allow you to bring harmony and comfort to the surrounding space. In order for this part of the territory to become a harmonious addition to your possessions, and not a place requiring tireless care, it is necessary to become more familiar with the technology of work.

You should start by choosing a site to bookmark. You will also need to choose the style of the pond. After all, it must match the exterior. The bowl of the reservoir can be supplemented with a waterfall or a decorative stream, and the coastline is framed by a blind area.

The design of the reservoir can be made restrained, while boulders of different sizes and conifers will be present in small quantities, as well as multicolored forbs. It is fashionable today to make ponds in a geometric configuration; they can have a rectangular or square shape. The artificial reservoir looks great next to the house, emphasizing the horizontal and vertical lines of buildings. Such a pond will be combined with a patio or patio, which is especially true if there are flower beds and linear paths nearby.

Seat selection

Before laying a pond on a site with your own hands, you need to choose the right place for its location. The pond should be in the shade for a certain period of the day. This will eliminate seasonal algal blooms. But you should not plan to place the reservoir completely in the shady zone, otherwise there will be a delay in the development of plants. In this case, you need to choose the middle ground.

The pond should be lit during the day for about 5 hours and be open from the southwest. It is undesirable to place the reservoir under shady trees, because the water after a while will be polluted by falling foliage. If you decide that you will do the pond on the site with your own hands, then it is important to determine its size.

The reservoir should not occupy more than 3% of the garden area. If 6 acres are occupied under horticultural crops, then you should not allocate 18 m 2 for a pond. The smaller the dimensions of the reservoir, the easier its construction will be, and the costs (material and labor) will not be so significant.

After you decide on the length and width of the reservoir, you need to take into account its visual perception. The water structure must be compatible with the rest of the landscape. In depth, the space is divided into three steps, the first of which is a zone for plants that will be located in close proximity to the coast; the shallow water zone will be intended for water lilies, and the deepening - for wintering fish, if you plan to breed them.

It is not worth going too deep, it will be enough to prepare a hole of 180 cm.This will allow you to reach and overcome the line of freezing of the soil. When you have decided on the location and size of the pond, you can think about what materials will be used in the construction of the pond. In this case, one must be guided by the fact that the work could be carried out faster and easier.

An expensive and capital option is a concrete base, which is erected using formwork and additionally reinforced with reinforcement. A less expensive way will be to use a plastic container. You can also make a pond on a plot with your own hands on a budget; for this, a moisture-resistant film is usually used, with which you can lay out a bowl. This method is taken as the basis for a detailed description.

If you decide to create a pond in the garden with your own hands, then you will need to select materials for it. This should include waterproofing. For example, ready-made forms of various configurations are made from fiberglass. They are used to construct small ponds with an area of ​​up to 4 m 2. Regular plastic should not be used, because it is not ready to last long. But forms made of fiberglass are distinguished by their durability and reliability, but they have one drawback, expressed in high cost.

Before starting work, experts advise you to consider the technology step by step. Do-it-yourself pond on the site, the photo of which is presented in the article, you can create yourself. However, it is necessary to choose the right materials. For example, butyl rubber or PVC sheeting makes an excellent free-form pond bottom coating. The material is characterized by elasticity, durability, strength, resistance to aggressive substances and low temperatures.

Choosing a film, you can count on the fact that it will last about 15 years, and butyl rubber will last half a century. You can change the shape of the bottom in the future if you choose a film. It can be repaired, but it does not have a sufficient level of strength.

If you carefully familiarize yourself with the technology of building an artificial reservoir, you can easily make a do-it-yourself pond step by step on the site. A photo of several options for its execution is given in the article. You can use reinforced concrete to create the bottom. This material is reliable, and its main advantage is strength. Such a bottom is quite difficult to damage, but there is still one drawback - it is difficult to work with it when pouring, because special skills are required from the master. To create a high-quality bottom using reinforced concrete, the technology should be followed. The concrete must be of a specific grade. Reinforcement of the structure with reinforcement is required. This is especially true for bridges and sculptures that you will create yourself.

Preparatory work

The first step is to draw up a plan of the artificial pond, determining the width and depth. Using a water hose or sand, you can outline the intended contour. The shores of the future lake should be at the same level. It must be measured periodically during the formation of the pit.

Then you can start excavation work. The pit is dug to the depth of the coastal tier. After that, you can lay a line for digging in the deepest part. The digging process is quite difficult, so it is better to use the services of earthmoving equipment. If you nevertheless decide to complete this part of the work yourself, then you should prepare for the fact that water can accumulate at the bottom. You can remove it using a pump.

As soon as the pit for the pond on the site is prepared with your own hands, with the help of a cord it is necessary to determine its dimensions, taking into account the depth. In the process of digging a foundation pit for a future pond, the question will surely arise: what to do with the land? An excellent option would be to raise the level of the site. To do this, the excavated soil is evenly distributed over the garden. You can also use the land for the embankment of a stream or as a base for an alpine hill.

Forming the bottom of the bowl

In the next step, you can lay a strong film. In order to protect it from damage by plant roots and stones, geotextiles are placed under the layer. For this, it is recommended to use roofing material or old linoleum... Some resort to a method, which consists in filling the bottom with sand and compaction of this layer.

It is recommended to choose a sunny day for the work on lining the film on the bottom of the pond. Then the material heats up, becomes more elastic and stretches better. This approach will allow you to go around all the ledges of the pit. To form an edge around the perimeter, you need to dig an auxiliary trench to tuck and fix the film. Its edges are laid in a trench and covered with rubble.

You can strengthen the edge with plastic pipes or stone blocks. The first ones should be nailed to the pegs. This will prevent the earth from falling into the bowl. The edge is laid out with natural stone, you can decorate it with a group of boulders or a large figured block. The prepared plants are placed in plastic containers and placed on slopes. It is recommended to lay out the bottom of the pond with rubble and stones.

Final work

Arranging the pond with your own hands on the site, at the next stage you can already fill it with water. In order to select pumping equipment and calculate the amount of hydrochemistry for the care of a reservoir, you should take the readings of the water meter before and after filling. To prevent the liquid from stagnating, you can equip the pond with a stream. It will provide constant water circulation. For this, the source is raised above the level of the artificial lake, and water is supplied to it from the bowl using a submersible pump installed at the bottom of the pond. In this case, it is important to think about decorating the mouth.

For this, plantings, stones, glass containers or clay bowls are usually used. Pipes should be pulled to the source of the stream and connected to the filter. It is better that it be pressure-driven, since it is more efficient than flow-through equipment.

How to avoid mistakes?

If you are trying to create something with your own hands, you may run into some problems. For example, in the case of artificial reservoirs there are standard slips that gardeners make. Decorating the banks with pellets of the same diameter should not be carried out, because then the pond will take on a boring look. It is better to combine large stones with small ones, but you should not fill up the coastal zone with them.

The pond should not be made deep, because it has sheer walls and will resemble a stone bag. As practice shows, earthmoving companies advise to equip just such (deep) reservoirs for the reason that they are paid for the number of cubes of excavated soil. If you plan to breed fish, you should pay attention to the depth of the bowl. It shouldn't be too big.

You should not get carried away with container gardening, because it can interfere with the normal development of the plants on the site. Though container landing allows you to quickly change the external design by rearranging or rearranging plantings. You may also be intimidated by the prospect of a dirty pond after backfilling with earth. However, there is nothing to be afraid of. After all, soil for aquatic plants is a heavy mixture with a high clay content. It is not washed out with water, but over time becomes denser by the root system. If you are thinking about creating a pond with your own hands on the site, the photos in the article will help you assert the correctness of your decision, since they fully convey all the beauty of a garden with an artificial reservoir. Experts advise to equip a small reservoir first in order to practice and understand what mistakes can be made.

Creating a pond from a tank

The good thing about containers is that they can be installed rather quickly. You can do this yourself in a day or two. If you want to use a plastic bowl, you can choose one with the edges decorated under a natural stone... In this case, the process will go even faster, because you will not have to give the shores a natural look.

Before you create a pond with your own hands on an area without a film, you need to install a ready-made container in the designated place. It should be laid on bricks and positioned as evenly as possible. Lime or light sand is required to circle the edges of the bowl so that the foundation pit corresponds to the relief of the container. This will allow you to mark out areas of different heights.

Next, a pit is dug, and you must act carefully, expanding and deepening by 10 cm.Using a level, you should make sure that the bowl is installed horizontally. If necessary, you can correct the position of the container by deepening the pit. When creating a pond on a personal plot with your own hands, the container must be filled with water by a third, then you can start filling the cracks with sand, stirring it with water. The further plan is to decorate appearance artificial reservoir.

A budget way to create a mini-reservoir

If you don't want to create a large body of water, then you may prefer its mini-version. A too primitive approach would be to use basins, buckets and baths. However, a tire can be used instead. The larger its diameter, the more impressive the size of the pond will be. The reservoir will have decent dimensions if you borrow a tire from KamAZ, BelAZ or the Belarus tractor.

Further work will look the same as in the above cases. First you need to dig a hole, the diameter of which will be slightly larger than the tire. The workpiece is installed there. Do not go deeply, otherwise the space will be filled with rainwater.

When constructing a pond in a summer cottage with your own hands, you can use the film, laying it in two layers on the bottom and side parts of the tire. The edges of the film should be folded under the sides. Then the pond is filled with water, and its banks are decorated with plants and stones of various shapes and sizes.

Coastal zone decoration

If you are a lover of natural style, then you will probably give preference to a large reservoir. Its shores are usually decorated with lush vegetation that belongs to the local flora. This could be:

• marsh killer whale;
• loosestrife monotonous;

But sometimes on personal plots you can find plants such as reeds or darmera. As mentioned above, you can choose a body of water in strict symmetry. In this case, the plants are planted near him in a certain order. Stack around the pond large slabs rectangular shape. Wooden flooring looks quite attractive.

Creating a pond on the site country house do it yourself, you can make it a romantic place by adding decorative bridges... Among tall plants suitable for such conditions, one can distinguish:

• marsh iris;
• to the gunner;
• host rogers;
• astilba;
• badan.

Between the stones, you should plant tenacious, forget-me-nots and stonecrops.

How to keep order?

Like any other structure on the site, the pond will require some maintenance during operation. It is not so difficult if you choose the right plants and ensure a normal biological balance. Such a system will regulate itself, and the owner will only have to help her a little.

Having created a pond for ducks with your own hands on the site, in the summer it will be necessary to remove weeds near it, and algae from the water. To do this, you can use a rake and a net. It is recommended to purchase chemicals, but only if you do not assume the content of poultry and fish. With the help of these substances, you can cleanse the reservoir and saturate the water with oxygen.

If the pond dries up, then the water must be added periodically. V autumn period you will have to remove the leaves, otherwise they will sink to the bottom. A special mesh is stretched over the surface, which will protect the reservoir from debris. For the winter, all equipment is also removed. With the onset of spring, dried stems should be cut off. The bottom and walls must be cleaned of silt; for this, a special technique is usually used.

Finally

You can create your own bathing pond with your own hands on the site. To do this, the pit is dug in several stages to make a slope with steps. In this case, the bottom is usually made of concrete, because using a plastic film bottom is dangerous. However, one of the successful solutions is to install a ready-made container. Thinking about the question of how to improve the pond on the site with your own hands, you can supplement it with a ladder if you plan to use it to take water procedures.

Before starting work, it is important to decide whether you are ready to care for an artificial reservoir on your own. Although such a system regulates itself independently, it still requires human participation. You will need to get the proper foliage trash equipment. Some summer residents and homeowners within the city boundaries find such structures a burden. Over time, they abandon them. Therefore, some part of the territory becomes non-functional and unattractive.

After the bustling city, your own suburban area seems like a piece of paradise on earth. Here flowers are planted, paths are paved and the lawn is equipped. And, of course, on your own site you want to see a reservoir. In this article we will tell you how to make a pond with your own hands at a summer cottage.

Types of reservoirs

The reservoirs on the site can be as for different purposes, different forms, and different sizes. In addition, they are of the following types of reservoirs:

• A body of water organized using a plastic mold.

• A pond, the bottom of which is made of PVC film.

• A pond with a reinforced concrete bowl.

The rigid plastic form is ideal for the construction of small reservoirs located in the immediate vicinity of flower beds or paths on the site. These ponds are easy to install and can be moved from place to place at will, decorating them with plants or stones in a variety of styles.

Large reservoirs can be equipped with pvc film or reinforced concrete. Such artificial reservoirs are usually installed once and are no longer transferred. Therefore, when planning a large body of water on a site, you need to carefully consider its location, as well as the surrounding plants.

Where can you place a reservoir on the site

Small reservoirs look organically anywhere - next to the house, near the flower garden, near the paths. They can be decorated with various plants, stones, small garden figurines, and fountains. The big advantage of small reservoirs is the ability to quickly transfer them from place to place. Thus, you can easily change the look of your own site.

Large bodies of water need to be located thoughtfully: firstly, they cannot be transferred from place to place as easily as small bodies of water, the basis of which is a plastic form. Secondly, they need to fit correctly into the surrounding landscape. The organization of a large reservoir requires a long preliminary planning and thinking, it takes a lot of effort and time, but the result can exceed all expectations and allow you to create a unique recreation area on the site.

Suitable materials for construction

Which choice to make - PVC film or concrete? Concrete or plastic mold?

The plastic form is a convenient workpiece, it will not be difficult to put it on. It does not need additional waterproofing.

PVC film allows you to create ponds with the most unimaginable edges. However, its service life, although long, is not as long as we would like. Under the influence of low temperatures, PVC film can lose its properties. Typically, the service life of such a film is no more than a few years.

Concrete is the most difficult material to work with. It requires significant preparatory and construction work: preparation, reinforcement, waterproofing. However, if the construction of a large reservoir with a bridge is required, building material better than concrete with reinforcement - not to be found.

Pond with a bowl made of hard plastic

1. At the selected location, a hole is prepared in the ground for the size of the bowl. To dig a pit suitable shape, turn the bowl over and transfer the outline of the bowl to the ground. Do not forget to make allowances at the edges of the pit of about 15 cm and leave a small margin of depth for the sand bed of about 5 cm.
2. You can cover the prepared foundation pit with a thick PVC film. The soil is compacted, after which it is hard plastic mold put in place so that the edges of the bowl are at the level of the soil.
3. The bowl is leveled, filled with water by about a third, and then the voids between the bowl and the walls of the pit are filled in. Previously excavated soil can be used for these purposes, but sand is better.
4. As the voids are filled, the soil should be spilled with water to avoid severe shrinkage.
5. The edges of the bowl are decorated with stones or planted in the immediate vicinity of water-loving host-type plants.

Pond with a bowl made of PVC film

1. First, you need to mark the boundaries of the reservoir with a cord and wooden stakes, giving it the desired shape. The edges of the pit must be at the same level.
2. Then a hole is dug along the contour in the soil of the required depth.
3. Be sure to remove all stones and roots, they can damage the film.
4. The bottom is covered with sand by 10 cm, spilled and compacted.
5. Now you need to cover the bottom of the future reservoir with geotextiles.
6. It was the turn of the film. The film must be laid out in the sun in advance so that it becomes more elastic. If it is impossible to cover the pit in a single piece, you need to weld the edges of the parts the right size... The film is laid in such a way that it goes beyond the edges of the reservoir, where it will be pressed by stones. The perimeter of the reservoir can be decorated with stones or the protruding film can be covered with earth and moisture-loving plants can be planted.

Photo

A pond with a reinforced concrete bowl

1. Such a body of water requires careful preparation. This means that a drawing is required here, as well as calculations regarding the determination of the approximate flow rate.
2. Based on the measurements taken, a pit is being prepared, on the bottom of which at least 5 cm of sand must be poured. The sand must be carefully compacted. Fittings are installed in it, which will support the vertical walls of the reservoir; metal rods are also laid on the bottom, giving rigidity and strength to the reinforced concrete bowl.
3. The bottom of the reservoir is poured with concrete. For vertical reinforced walls, formwork must be prepared. Then fill it with concrete and leave to dry completely.
4. Arrangement of a reservoir with a reinforced concrete bowl is impossible without good waterproofing. Therefore, you need to process the resulting bottom and walls of the reservoir with a waterproofing compound, and then think about finishing - PVC film or tiles.

Photo

In addition, for such stationary reservoirs made of pvc film or reinforced concrete, it is necessary to consider a filtration and water purification system. This means supplying electricity to the reservoir and installing special equipment.

Additional accessories in the form of fountains or mini-waterfalls also need both electricity and lighting.

Photo

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How to make a pond in the country with your own hands - step-by-step technology and mistakes

Beautiful decorative ponds, photos and pictures of which can be seen everywhere, have become an integral part of many garden and summer cottages... However, not everyone knows how to make such a decoration with their own hands. A pond is an element of decor, a place where people relax, are distracted from the bustle of the city. Water is the best stress reliever. Recommendations, a photo gallery, advice on arrangement will help to overcome the steps on the path to a beautiful, serene, and also teach how to ennoble a home plot with minimal investment... The arrangement of a pond in the yard, its design will not take much of your time.

What style to choose, where to place it?

The initial stages of the improvement of the reservoir are important and necessary. Thoughtful styling in harmony with landscape design will be the basis for creating a reservoir. You need to choose a style in accordance with the architecture of the house, buildings. In the interior of the garden, you can arrange a formal version (of the correct geometric shape), or a free natural reservoir, which forms an integral composition with other decorative elements.

Formal views are the main decorative element in the garden. They are suitable for small and large areas, come in different sizes, and are placed in the center. Free reservoirs are equipped in arbitrary shapes, giving a natural natural look, hiding artificiality.

do-it-yourself pond in the country - in the photo
do it yourself a small pond in the country

in the photo - a pond at a summer cottage
in the photo - a pond in the garden

By choosing Japanese style, remember, stone, water and lanterns are the basis of the image. Think in advance about the form, location. Bonsai-style trees and a tea house will complement and decorate the garden. Garden walls, windows, moon gates are considered an indispensable attribute of Chinese manners. The entrance to the structure is equipped with an entrance gate. The English garden seeks to merge with nature, the French one is filled with majesty and a large space with fountains, cascades, sculptures. Italian mini-pits with fountains are placed in front of the main entrance of the house and are the central composition.

Choosing a place and material for arrangement

Many craftsmen know how to make a reservoir with their own hands, given the size, location, choosing sunny open areas. Trees located in the immediate vicinity will create additional hassle. Fallen leaves, constant shade of trees hinder the growth of ornamental plants and pollute the water. It is possible to arrange the structure under the trees, but it is obligatory to be in the sun for 5-6 hours a day.

do-it-yourself pond in the country

Consider the size of the site. The reservoir should harmoniously fit into the landscape design. Small garden plots with an area of ​​6 acres are equipped with small structures that are easier to build, financial costs will be negligible. Deep and voluminous make for large territories and fish farming. Do not plan to launch fish, do not dig a large pit.

do-it-yourself pond in the country
in the photo - do-it-yourself summer pond

To build a foundation pit with your own hands, you need to buy, prepare materials for future construction. Great opportunities for your imagination open up here. You can build a decorative lake on the site from any materials. A capital reservoir with a concrete base will take time and money. Various plastic containers, a lake from an old bathroom, tires from large tractor wheels will cost less and will look beautiful if done correctly. The structure can be easily made using a special elastic durable film.

in the photo - a pond on your site

How to Create a Lake Using Black Film Step by Step

— Sketch out the project of the future reservoir, indicating the width, depth, location of the curtains (thresholds for planting plants). The drawn drawing will allow you to correctly position the plants, decorative elements, avoid mistakes, alterations.

step 1
step 2

• Draw the outlines of the lake using a garden hose, sand, spray paint, and other tools at your disposal. Uneven surface must be leveled.
• A pit is dug to the depth of the near threshold (for plants and flowers), the next tier is marked, and dug up. The lake can be made in several tiers. You can do without thresholds if it is small.

step 3

• To buy a film required size, the finished pit is measured with a cord, 40-50 centimeters are added on each side of the bowl.
• The next step is to fill up the sand and tamp it. No sand, proceed with the next layer. A small version can be made without sand.
• You can protect the material from cuts, damage with the help of geotextiles, which are laid on the bottom, the walls of the excavation after a layer of sand. You can replace purchased material with existing old unnecessary linoleum, carpet, roofing material.

step 4
step 5

• It is more convenient to fix the material by tearing out a shallow trench along the edges. The edges of the film are laid in it, sprinkled with a layer of earth, rubble.
• A stream and submersible pump, which is placed on the bottom. The pump is connected to cleaning filters. The trickle is placed above the level of the lake so that the water flows freely downward, rises with the help of a pump. You can hide it under beautiful stones and plants. A hill from a brook is planted beautiful flowers, decorate with various decorative elements (sculptures, clay pots).

step 6
step 7

• The coastline is laid out around the perimeter decorative stones(natural cobblestones), preventing the soil from slipping into the pond. Place the plants, sprinkle the bottom with small pebbles, fill with water.

The construction of the lake with your own hands is completed, maintain cleanliness, order in the reservoir, remove debris and algae in a timely manner. Use preparations to maintain biological balance, plant fertilizers, anti-algae products, to clarify the water. Find appropriate place, do the right thing, arrange it beautifully. Mistakes, miscalculations can turn an attractive good body of water into a continuous problem, keep this in mind.

Such luxury decoration garden can be done by hand in various stylistic directions. Also, the pond can be decorated with decorative streams, paths, a neat coastline, etc.

Place for a pond

In order for the pond to have natural light, it is better to place it near the house, on the south or east side, away from areas densely planted with shrubs and fruit trees.

It is advisable to place the reservoir next to a water source so that it is easier to fill after cleaning.

How to make a fence from plastic bottles with your own hands, as well as which model to choose, read.

Shrub to create a hedge -.

Shape and size

When choosing the size of the reservoir, you need to focus on the area garden plot... For example, on 6 acres, it is better to build a structure of 3x3 m with a depth of 80 cm or 2x2 m with a depth of 50 cm.

If it is planned to put fish and other aquatic inhabitants into the pond, expanses of water will have to expand, otherwise the inhabitants in a tight space will not survive.

When choosing a shape, you need to be based on personal preference and stylistic features of the site. Teardrop-shaped or bean-shaped designs look natural. For garden plots with height differences, designers are advised to consider options for small creeks with streams.

Choosing a pond base

When the place and size of the pond is selected, you need to decide on its basis. You can build a pond in the country from:

Step-by-step instructions for creating

To create an artificial pond with your own hands, you need to perform several stages of work with high quality. Before that, you need to prepare the necessary materials:

• PVC covering;
• fine gravel;
• rope;
• stone slabs;
• round stones;
• sand;
• bricks.

To create an artificial reservoir, you need to follow the step-by-step instructions:

You can also see how to make a film pond with your own hands in this video:

A small artificial pond can be made from an old bathtub. It is installed in the pit, having previously closed the drain hole. The inner sides are treated with glue for ceramic tiles with the addition of paint. A chain-link mesh is laid along the perimeter of the container, a cement-sand mixture is applied to it, and on top - various decorative elements - stones, tiles, gravel, etc.

Decorating

When the main part of the work is completed, you can proceed to the decorative stage.

Stones and water

If there are cobblestones, they can be used to line the perimeter and bottom.

It is important to remember that only stones can be placed on the bottom without sharp corners, especially if the base is made of foil.

Water is poured from the hose with a weak stream. Within 2-3 weeks, the liquid can be cloudy - this is a biological process, then the water will become clear and clean.

To maintain these qualities, you can get tadpoles that feed on algae and filter the water.

Find out how to plant and care for a delphinium in the garden at.

Additional decorations

The pond can be equipped with underwater lighting that will look spectacular in dark time days.

You can also install mini spotlights. For this, LED and halogen lamps are used. To make fountains, you need special surface and underwater pumps.

The use of lighting in a pond is a modern design solution

Animals in the pond

If you want to populate the pond with fish, create for them the necessary conditions a habitat

A pond without vegetation and living creatures will soon lose its aesthetic appearance.

That is why landscape designers are advised to think in advance who will live in the reservoir. For example, at the bottom you can land high views plants, lotuses, water lilies, duckweed.

Before buying fish, you need to clarify the conditions of their habitat. It is important to remember that some species are at war with each other and will not be able to survive in the same territory.

Pond care in summer and winter

Summer is a period of active vegetative growth, so you need to monitor the plants planted in the pond and nearby.

It is necessary to remove overgrown algae, they can be used at their summer cottage as fertilizers and mulch. Plants blooming in the reservoir in the summer months are fertilized with prolonged-release agents. Weeds growing on the bank are regularly removed.

From June to August, you can plant exotic plants: calla, lotus, lazichiton, water lettuce, saber.

It is important not to forget about constant monitoring of water quality.

The pond, which is not inhabited by amphibians and fish, can be drained and covered with garden film before winter.

If there are inhabitants in it, then before the first frost, the de-icer is turned on.