Landscape ponds with flexible pond liners to construct wildlife pools
Using Pond liner Allows You to Create Any Design You Want ... Make Sure You Measure it Properly
If you prefer an unusually shaped pond or you need a pond that fits a particular home style or design then you can best achieve this by using flexible pond liner. A word of caution however ... try to avoid designs with too many indentations or sharp angles.
The best type of pond liner material is either EPDM (poplar in the USA) or Butyl Rubber liner (popular in the UK). Other popular materials for lower cost installations are PVC and Polyethylene... in my country South Africa LLDPE (liner low density polyethylene) is preferred in view of high UV intensity.
All you need to know now is where to site the pond and hw to measure the liner. Liner normally is cut from standard roll widths so try to design your pond around these widths. It is possible of course to join liner but it can be a tricky job and it does need to be done under clean conditions.
The last think you want is a leaking liner ...
Think About Depths and Planting Shelves
Sooner or later you will want to plant suitable aquatic plants and some grow best in 3 to 6 inches of water while others need 3 feet of water (like many waterlilies) so make sure that you allow for shelves in thinking of the right liner size. To see how to create a suitable planting area for your pond see the section lower down the page.
Use the method below to decide what size liner you need to buy to fit your desired pond dimensions (all liner comes in square or rectangular form).
First of all the width of the liner
Gentle Reminder: A pond has depth and the depth applies to both sides. This means if a pond is to be 1 metre in depth then just to cover the depth on each side you will need to allow 2 x 1 metre.
Take a look at the sketch ... width is defined as the MAXIMUM width. So measure at the widest point.
The liner must overlap on both sides of the pond by at the very least 30 cms per side.
The final material used for edging will be placed on top of this overhang.. You must then also add the MAXIMUM depth and the MAXIMUM depth again.
For example if you want a pond 2 metres wide and 1 metre maximum depth the width of liner will be 2+1+1+0.3+0.3 (for edging) = 4.6 metres.
Now the length of liner required
For the length repeat this process. For example if you want the above pond to be 3 metres long then the length of the liner must be 3+1+1+0.3+0.3 (for edging) = 5.6 metres.
The final sheet size you will need to buy is then 5.6 metres by 4.6 metres.
Inevitably some liner will be wasted but don't throw it away because you may well find it is perfect for that waterfall you always wanted. It is impossible to install a liner pond without pleats. Don't worry ... you won't notice after a short time.
If you plant to have quite a few shelves then allow another 30 cms per side. In our example this means you will need a sheet 6.3 x 5.2 metres.
Once you've decided on liner dimensions then go back and see if there is a standard width of roll-liner that matches. If not modify your pond design a bit.
How to Create Planting Areas for Your Flexible Liner Pond
No
garden pond should be without a range of pond plants of which there are
6 basic types including marginals and bog plants. These are the 2 main
types which you would plant around the edges of the pond are considered
here.
For more about selecting pond plants view the plant selection page.
When you landscape ponds for natural look and wildlife access with flexible pond liners make sure you get the edging of the wildlife ponds correct.
Creating a V notch in the flexible pond liner designs allows for access into and out of the pond and a place to plant effectively.
Landscape ponds this way and you can create a garden pond that blends into the surrounding garden area as if the pond had always been there.
Landscape ponds using flexible liner ...
This photo shows v notch filled with sand and pond filling with water. Marginal plants are best planted in sand/soil mixture.
Notice uninterrupted, natural transition from water to edge of pond (lip of v notch) allowing access by wildlife.
The UK Pond Doctor and pondkeeping answers site all about koi and koi ponds this massive and growing information site contains expert advice on all matters related to koi pond keeping
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