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Do-it-yourself
water garden
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Do-it-Yourself
Water
water plants
waterfall
concealed
pump & fi
fillter
118
Garden
by Jeff Timm
. . . right in your
own back yard.
free-form
pond liner
landscaping
rocks
JUNE 2000
119
water garden
HOLDING
POOL
WATERFALL/
STREAM AREA
POND AREA
CIRCULATION
PIPE ROUTE
PUMP
CONTAINER
LOCATION
CAREFUL PLANNING
PREVENTS A SLEW
OF TROUBLE LATER ON
Digging out a pond hole is grunt
work, not an intellectual endeavor.
Still, it requires some planning.
Before you grab your shovel, roughly
map out the shape, desired plant
shelves (Photo 2), and the pump and
waterfall locations. Here are some
more key considerations:
Select a location where you can
readily enjoy your pond, close to a
patio or visible from a window. Dont
stick your pond in the back corner of
your yard where only the squirrels
will enjoy it.
You can locate your pond in most
any area of your yard as long as it
doesnt receive runoff from rainfall.
You dont want lawn and garden
chemicals washing into your pond.
As a rule, the more sun the better, but
GARDEN HOSE
water garden
KEEP IT SIMPLE
CHOOSE A FLEXIBLE
LINER
GUIDELINES FOR
PURCHASING A LINER
Most professionals use a 45-mil
EPDM liner. (A mil is a thousandth
of an inch.) Its strong, yet flexible
enough to handle easily (Photo 5).
If you plan to have fish, make sure
your liner is stamped fish-safe.
Roofers often use a type of EPDM
thats been treated with chemicals
that can harm fish.
Purchase your liner in one single
sheet, large enough to cover the
entire pond bottom and sides. Liners
are commonly cut and sold from
100-ft. rolls with 10- to 20-ft. widths;
you can custom-order liners up to
LOW SPOT
BUILT UP
STRAIGHT 2x4
LEVEL
HIGH SPOT
CUT DOWN
PLANT
SHELVES
MAX. DEPTH
OF HOLE
PLANT
SHELVES
THE FAMILY HANDYMAN
JUNE 2000
123
LAY IN THE LINER so it loosely conforms to the contours of the hole. Dont
worry about folds and ripples; theyll flatten
out when you add water. Put rocks on one side
to hold the liner in place while you adjust the
other. Any excess material can be trimmed off
with scissors or a utility knife after the pond is
full of water and encircled with rocks.
EPDM
LINER
Fig. A
Pond features
SPILLWAY
FLEXIBLE
PLASTIC PIPE
FROM PUMP
LARGE
ROCK
PIPE
FOUNTAIN
HOLDING POOL
LINE THE POND SIDES with boulders and set in the pump container.
Wash down the rocks after theyre in
place and then empty the pond with your
pump. For large rocks, lay a scrap piece of
liner slightly smaller than the rock on top
of the pond liner before positioning the
rock. This helps prevent punctures.
LINE SIDES
WITH BOULDERS
PUMP
CONTAINER
126
LINER
LINER
Keep my
pond balanced
and clean!
water garden
MAKE YOUR POND
HOSPITABLE
TO PLANTS AND FISH
SHALLOW-WATER
PLANTS
GFCI-PROTECTED
OUTLET
WATER LILIES
WATERFALL
UNDERWATER
PLANTS
4"-6"
6"-10"
FLEXIBLE
PLASTIC PIPE
RUNS TO
WATERFALL
18"-24"
COVER LINER WITH
1-1/2" TO 24" DIA.
ROCKS AND
BOULDERS
SHELVES FOR
VARIOUS PLANT
TYPES
1/2" LAYER OF
NEWSPAPER
JUNE 2000
127
SUBMERSIBLE
PUMP
PUMP
CONTAINER
Simplify maintenance
with a skimmer and filter
KEEPING YOUR POND CLEAN
isnt difficult; once you get it
down itll be as routine as
taking a bath. Your pond
has two sources of pollution: debris that falls or
blows into the water
and algae. Pick up
leaves and other
wind-blown
debris with a
fine-mesh net.
The type used for
skimming swimming
pools works great.
Skim daily to prevent the
material from sinking to the
bottom, decomposing and creat
Fine-mesh net
ing sludge.
An easier but more expensive way to clean out this
debris is with an automatic skimmer system, kind of a
dishwasher for your pond. Once you have one, you cant
imagine pond life without it. A skimmer system works off
the inflow of your pump. Water is drawn through a tub
containing a mesh bag that collects leaves, paper and
other debris. The system bags it for youall you have to
do is empty the bag about once a week. The frequency will
depend on the time of year, the amount of wind and the
number of trees in your area.
Its easiest to install a skimmer system when you build
your pond. If you
Skimmer and filter system
decide to add it
later, youll
PIPE
TO
PUMP
have to
WATER
INLET
ASSEMBLY
(WATERFALL)
drain
FILTER
OVERFLOW
PIPE IF
WATER
GETS TOO
HIGH
SKIMMER
CONTAINER
BURIED IN
SOIL OUTSIDE
POND
SKIMMER INLET
DRAWS WATER
INTO CONTAINER
POND LINER
your pond, dig a hole and readjust the liner. (See the
Buyers Guide for manufacturers of skimmers.) Skimmers cost $200 and up.
The second threat to a clean pond is algae, microscopic plants thatll turn your pond green. A small amount
of algae is beneficial, but large amounts can have your
pond looking like the swamp monster scene from
Scooby-Doo.
Keep algae at bay by limitWATER PASSES OVER
ing nutrients and sunlight.
ROCK INTO POND
Here are some tips
to do this:
WATER PASSES
THROUGH
MESH FILTER
BACTERIA
GROWS ON
LAVA ROCK
FILTER
CONTAINER
OUTSIDE OF
POND AND
BURIED IN SOIL
PIPE FROM
PUMP TO
BOTTOM OF
FILTER
Filter system
ADDITIONAL
LAVA ROCK
PLACED IN
FILTER
GRAVEL
128
POND
LINER
water garden
more to ensure their survival. We recommend reading the
books listed in For More Information.
HOW TO CHOOSE A
24-HOUR-PER-DAY PUMP
Buy a pump thatll turn over the ponds entire volume
once per hour. To size your pump, calculate the approximate volume in your pond: Multiply the length (ft.) x the
width (ft.) x the averHigh-efficiency pumps cost
age depth (ft.) and
more but last longer and
multiply by the conversion factor of 7.48.
are less expensive to run.
Also note the height
and distance the pump needs to move the water between
the pump and the water inlet. With these figures in hand,
consult your pump supplier for the pump size and circulation pipe diameter for your pond. (See Buyers Guide for
pump sources.)
Once youve determined the pump size, decide
whether to buy a high- or low-efficiency pump. Highefficiency pumps cost more but last longer and are less
expensive to run. Since your pond pump will run 24
hours a day, seven days a week, the lower utility bills will
THE FAMILY HANDYMAN
BUYERS GUIDE
Youll find pond supplies at some lawn and garden stores
and home centers. For stores that carry a wide range of supplies and offer professional advice, look under Landscape
Supplies and Equipment in the Yellow Pages.
AQUASCAPE DESIGNS INC.: (513) 357-0123. A wholesale distributor of pond supplies, skimmers and filters. Its Web site,
www.aquascapes.com, can direct you to a retail distributor in
your area.
BECKETT CORP.: Dept. TFH, 5931 Campus Circle Drive, Irving,
TX 75063-2606; (888) 232-5388. Pump supplier.
www.beckettpumps.com
HEDBURG AGGREGATES: Dept. TFH, 4375 170th St. W.,
Farmington, MN 55024; (651) 423-5048. A retail distributor of
pond supplies.
LILYPONS WATERGARDENS: Dept. TFH, 6800 Lilypons Road,
P.O. Box 10, Buckeyestown, MD 21717; (800) 999-5459.
POND FILTRATION INC.: Dept. TFH, 11551 Rupp Drive,
Burnsville, MN 55337; (800) 882-5327.
www.pondfiltration.com
JUNE 2000
129