Many gardeners who have a house territory at their disposal want to place an artificial reservoir in their yard. The article describes in detail how to build it from the film, namely how to choose a site for the reservoir and dig a hole, fill it with water, which plants to plant.

How to make a decorative pond from a film with your own hands

Before creating a decorative pond, it is worth considering that it will take some effort, since it is necessary to build a foundation pit and blind area in the future. However, the final result is worth it - with the arrangement of such a reservoir, you can show all your imagination. It is recommended to build a landscape object closer to the house, where there is water and a power point. This will optimize labor costs.

The following tools and materials are necessary for the arrangement:

• building level;
• shovels;
• skein of string;
• pegs;
• stones for decorating;
• hoses;
• film;
• wheelbarrow for transportation of soil;
• sand;
• material for waterproofing;
• pump;
• filter;
• plants for planting.

Did you know? In Sichuan, tiered ponds were discovered. An unusual place called Huanglong was found 60 years ago and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

There are a number of general rules for the construction of a film reservoir:

1. It should be placed in an open area, away from trees, the root system of which can violate the integrity of the water bowl.
2. It is necessary to calculate the level of the shores of the pond well, because too large elevation differences can disrupt the decorative effect.
3. Too deep a pond is completely optional. Enough half a meter of the water cover. Since the surface will have a reflective effect, it will be difficult to assess the true depth of the pond.
4. You need to try to make the pond visible from anywhere in the garden. Too complicated form to make a reservoir in a limited area is quite problematic. Therefore, it is better to correctly choose the size and shape.
5. It is necessary to carefully select plants, giving preference to aquatic and hygrophilous species.

Even if the reservoir is modest in size, it also requires care. And this means that you should regularly clean it of debris, weed, weed, remove fallen leaves. In the hot months of summer, it will dry out, which means you need to control the liquid level in it. If there are fish and tropical algae, then you should take care of the place of their wintering.

How to choose the right place for the pond

Important points when upgrading a film pond are both the choice of the site on the site and the time of its creation. You should give preference to spring days or June, when meltwater will go to a sufficient depth in the ground.

The pond should be placed so that it is comfortable to contemplate. It should also fit well into the surrounding garden landscape. Next to him, you need to leave a sufficient size area where you can put a deck chair, garden table, chairs, an umbrella.

Important! On hot days in shallow ponds, the water overheats, it becomes impossible to monitor the growth of algae and plankton, and as a result, the inhabitants of such reservoirs may die. Therefore, carefully choose a place for a man-made pond.

You should not equip an artificial reservoir in the lowland, as it will flow streams of melt and rainwater. If there is a desire to place it in the shady part of the house territory, then it will be necessary to carefully approach the choice of plants for it. But most often, such reservoirs are created in the area of ​​the plot well-lit by the sun.

Choosing Plants for a Pond

For such reservoirs there is an extensive assortment of plants. This group will include those species that live in water, and those that prefer moist soils. To "lovers" of excessive soil moisture include perennial garden plants such as swimsuits, ferns, hosts.

They are suitable for landing in an area that is adjacent directly to the pond, but is located outside the waterproofing. In the dry period of the year, it will be necessary to water these plants, because water from the pond will not enter the zone of their growth. Due to the planting of such plants, you can easily go from the garden directly to the shoreline of the reservoir.

Plants can be divided into the following groups:

• coastal;
• floating;
• deep sea.

How to dig a pond

With proper planning of the arrangement of the film pond, he will be able to last about 15 years.

Step-by-step process of digging a reservoir:

1. Cut out the contours of the future structure on the site, giving the desired parameters and shape.
2. It is necessary to alternate thresholds and ledges for structural strength so that the banks do not collapse in the future.
3. The foundation pit itself should be dug 20 cm deeper than the “calculated” depth. This is done to lay a layer of rubble and sand.
4. The bottom of the pond must be cleaned of litter and plant roots.
5. Put a special felt, concrete or geotextile to protect the material from tears that may be caused by the activity of moles, germination of plant roots.

Care must be taken to construct a gutter in case the pond leaves the banks due to rains. To do this, anywhere in the coast you need to dig a trench and line its bottom with a protruding piece of film. And if this moat is sent along a certain route, water will drain to any part of the garden.

Important! Before starting the construction of the pit, you need to determine how deep the groundwater lies. If close to the surface, a check valve is necessary, because an elevated liquid level may squeeze out part of the bottom of the pond.

How to lay a film

In order to implement the plan with the arrangement of a film pond, it is necessary to correctly calculate the amount of film that you need to cover the foundation pit. Often, a stock of waterproofing material is required. There is such a principle of calculation: it is necessary to add up the length and depth indicators, adding about 600 mm for allowances, the material of which will be strengthened at the edges.

You can choose a plastic film of any color:

1. Blue will give the pond a resemblance to a pool, and if you plan to start fish, then when lightly colored, they will be perfectly visible.
2. Brown is suitable for decoration of landscape, natural reservoirs, because it imitates the color of the soil.
3. Black gives a mirror effect.

When selecting a film, it is necessary to take into account its qualities:

• thickness should be more than 0.5 mm;
• composition - PVC is preferable to polyethylene;
• resistance to ultraviolet radiation;
• strength.

Bonding of the film, if necessary, is carried out using special glue. Before directly laying the insulating coating, experts recommend laying a layer of sand, which will prevent possible damage to the film layer by tree roots.

It is impossible to lay a polymer cloth without creasing, therefore it is recommended to make one large hall, and not many small ones, at the same time stick it to the main coating.

It is important that the film is located on the surface of the excavation not in stretch, but freely, to prevent damage when filling the reservoir with water. To fix the film material, a trench is made, then the polymer is fixed with slats and gravel.

After that, lay decorative stones at the bottom.

Limestone and dolomite rocks are best avoided when immersed in water during the construction of the pond, as they alkalize the environment, and this is undesirable for the health of all living things in the pond.

How to pour water

Water enters the pit with a hose. At the same time, it must be served with a small pressure on the center of the lake. Fill all planted plants with a layer of pebbles to avoid clouding of the water in the pond during rain. The film must be trimmed after the water has settled and settled for several days.

To care for the water in the pond on the garden site, you will need to install the following equipment:

1. A pump that helps to supply water to the reservoir under pressure.
2. The filter for clarification. It will be needed for places where fish are found.
3. Sterilizer to remove algae from the pond.
4. Compressor for oxygen saturation of water.

What plants to plant

Before planting plants in order to decorate the pond, you need to decide on some questions:

• whether plants can survive the winter;
• when and how to plant;
• which plants to choose.

All plants that are planted in the pond or on its shore are oxygenerators that produce oxygen to ensure the life of all living things in this environment.

Did you know? In Udmurtia there is a pond that was artificially created for the needs of a weapons factory. The reservoir area is 1640 km², volume - 76.3 million cubic meters.

Here are a few groups of such plants:

1. First group - Coastal plants whose rhizomes are immersed in water and the leaves are above the surface. These include: calamus, marsh iris, arrowhead, lake reeds.
2. Next group - plants are deep-sea. The main representative of this group is a water lily or nymphaea. For shallow ponds, its dwarf varieties are better suited. If the reservoir is deep enough, then you can land specimens of medium and small nymphs.
3. Third group - these are floating plants that are able to stay on the surface and are not attached to the bottom of the reservoir by the root system. This group includes water hyacinth, pistol. These plants are not able to withstand the cold, and they must be transferred to aquariums for wintering.

Water lilies do not tolerate the constant spray that falls on their foliage, so they should be planted as far as possible from the fountains.

Ideas for decorating a film pond

You need to think about the style of decorating the pond at the cottage.

There are two main options:

1. A pond with a clear geometric shape is chosen if there is a desire to highlight the strict forms of the garden plot itself or the buildings on it. This austere style blends well with lawns and flowerbeds of regular shapes and gives the impression of peace and order.
2. The landscape reservoir is constructed in any form, it looks natural and organically fits into any style and landscape design. Pond decoration in this style is much easier than a regular geometric pond.

For the design of the pond, in addition to the basic elements, it is good to use beautiful lighting. It will be especially beneficial in the dark. You can arrange lighting both under water and above it. Various fountains, waterfalls, the functioning of which is ensured by the operation of the pumps, will also look beautiful.

If the size of the pond allows, you can equip the island, and the bridge, and line the paths along the banks. It is advisable to additionally build a small terrace where you can put garden and beach furniture.

Designer figures, stone or wooden fences - a pond can decorate everything, but it’s important not to overdo it so that you will not get a heap of miscellaneous in form and style of parts. A decorative pond in a certain way helps fight mosquitoes, because it attracts dragonflies, which can catch hundreds of insects per day.

Having familiarized yourself with all aspects of arranging a decorative pond from a film, you will realize that it will take relatively small physical and material costs to create it. But when you finish its construction and decoration, and sit down to rest on the shore, you will realize that all the efforts and troubles were worth it.