The correct placement of your pond.

When you are planning the building of your pond you should be sure to that you are going to build it in the correct place in your garden. For ease and to ensure the liner doesn’t get split, you should avoid building your bond near any maturing trees or near established trees.

If a tree is still in the growing stage, the roots are not fully developed and if you dig your pond where these roots are liable to grow you risk ripping your liner and losing your water. Replacing pond liner in a pond is by no means an easy task once it’s full of water. Cutting existing tree roots often leaves sharp points and if the roots regrow there is, again, a chance of ripping your liner. Also, trees shed their leaves and these leaves fall into the water of your pond unless protected by netting. A sludgy silt will for under the water that makes it look unclean and requires a lot of work to remove it.

You should try to keep your pond from receiving too much direct sunlight because encourages the growth of duck-weed and will mean more algae and therefore dirtier looking water; this weed will quickly cover the surface of your entire pond and virtually the only way to get rid of it is by skimming the surface every couple of days.

Make sure that the pond will suit your garden and, in particular, the area you want to place it. Make sure that your plan compliments the area around it because once its dug there’s very little opportunity for turning back and changing your mind.

Get the right equipment from the start.

First you need to calculate the volume of water in your pond. For a square pond:

Multiply the width by the depth by the length of pond in feet. To calculate the volume in gallons multiply this figure by 7.5.

To calculate the volume of a round pond, multiply the top diameter by the bottom diameter by the height in feet by 0.785. Then multiply this figure by 7.5 to calculate the volume in gallons.

Once you know the volume of your pond you should ensure that you buy the appropriate size filter and pump. Buying that is slightly too large is better than too small. If you buy equipment that is too small for your pond, it won’t clean all the water and you will never get clear water. If you are keeping Koi or other fish in your pond invest in some air lines to oxygenate the water and keep it from freezing over in winter.

Planting guide for your pond.

There are two types of plants that can be placed in your pond. There are marginal plants which will sit on the lip you should create. There are a great many varieties of marginal plants and once you’ve planted them in marginal baskets you should place them on the step of your pond ensuring that the soil is covered but the plant itself is out of the water.

Water plants go directly to the bottom of your pond and the most common type of water plant is the water lily. Again, you should plant these in baskets but entirely submerge the plant to the bottom of the pond. The stems will grow to the water surface where the leaves and flowers will grow in summer.

Both marginal and water plants require little maintenance because they get all the water and nutrients they require from the pond itself. They look incredible and also oxygenate the water to some extent meaning a much healthier pond for the wildlife in it.