Buying Pond Liners

Archive for the ‘Pond Tips’ Category

Installing a Koi pond can be very rewarding. Here are some easy to follow directions for creating your own wonderful water garden in your yard:

* You will need to choose the location where you will be placing your pond carefully as there are several factors that must be considered. You should find a location that receives approximately 6 or more hours of sunlight daily and you do not want to place your pond under any large tree’s as the falling leaves can affect water quality and digging your pond may be problematic if roots are in the way. Before beginning your dig you will want to create a pond shape by using a length of rope of a hose to give you a guideline when digging.

* On to the digging.. You will want to create a pond with different dimensions and levels to add more detail and to allow the fish and plants to thrive. A shallow ledge will allow for the fish in your pond to feed and for plants to flourish while having deeper areas will give the fish more security from predators. The standard depth for your shallow ledges should be between 8 and 16 inches and the deeper levels should be between 17 and 40 inches. If you live in a colder climate where freezing can take place it is recommended that you go approximately 32 to 40 inches in depth.

* Once you have dug your initial pond you should line the bottom with either sand or carpet pad to protect your pond liner from roots and rocks.

* Once you have lined your pond with the base liner you can then place the pond liner over the hole and pushing it into place. Use rocks or bricks to hold the pond liner in place while you begin filling it with water.

* You will want your liner to overlap the edges by approximately 1 or 2 inches so you will want to trim the excess material once your pond is filled and the shape is correct. You can then create a border to hold the overlapping edges of material in place using rock or stone.

* If you are installing a fountain or waterfall you will then need to install the filtration and circulating system for your pond. Check with a local fish supplier or hardware store that specializes in outdoor ponds for the correct chemicals to use to treat your pond to avoid algae buildup. This is very important as some chemicals can be harmful to your fish. You should wait about 30 days from the day you first treat your pond with the initial douse of chemicals before adding your fish or plants to the pond. This will allow for the water quality to be at its best. Remember to feed your fish 2 or 3 times per day, but only feed them as much as they can eat in a couple of minutes as overfeeding can cause illness to your fish and poor water quality if the old food is allowed to sit in the water for extended periods of time.

When designing your outdoor pond you should give figure out how large you are going to want it to be and what your general shape will be. Once you know how large you want it you can figure out how large your pond liner should be in order to fit correctly.

To get this size calculated correctly you will need to know the pond depth (typically 1 1/2 feet deep, but it could be deeper). Double this number and add an additional 2 feet for overlapping purposes. Next you will add this number to the maximum width and length of your pond.

Do not make the mistake of ordering a pond liner that is too short. You should always err on the side of caution and order one slightly larger if you are unsure since you can always trim overages off, but you cannot add any extra to a too short liner. Be sure your measurements include enough material to go under your border and account for any ledges you have designed into your pond.

Here is an excellent calculator for figuring out your pond liner dimensions:

Pond Depth _____ x 2 = _____

Pond Width + Pond Depth = _____ (Width)

Pond Length + Pond Depth = _____ (Length)

Pond Liner Size = Width x Length

When caring for an outdoor pond there are several things you need to be aware of. First and foremost is the time of year and what it can mean to the care of your pond.

During the fall months you should invest in a good pond cover (typically a netting material of some kind). This will keep falling leaves from getting into your pond and causing poor water quality while allowing your water plants to continue thriving until the first winter cold snap. You should continue to keep your plants fertilized while they are blooming and trim off dead flowers when they appear.

Keep close watch for any type of pest that can cause damage to your plants. One of these nasty creatures is the leafminer. Leafminers flies love water lilies and some of the damage caused can be tiny pin holes in the leaves of your plants. It is recommended that you simply remove the affected leaves rather than beginning a chemical treatment of the plants.

Another pest to watch out for is the China mark moth larva. As with the leafminer, the larvae will live in the leaf tissue and float around your pond causing small holes in the edge of lily pads. Again as with the leafminer you should remove the affected leaves and avoid spraying your plants and pond area with chemicals.

October is always a great time to do a general clean up of your pond to keep it healthy and clean.