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Construct your pond with vertical sides,
a flat bottom, no deeper than 3',
nor less than 18"
All right, get it all out ... I know that's not what most people say and I know that is not the way natural ponds are formed. Well, I thought you wanted to know how to build your pond using your brain, and Mother Nature's help. If so, just humor me.
Why vertical sides?
It is very important to remove all shallow water from your pond. No built-in shelves and no "beaches"! Shallow water heats up too quickly in sunlight. Hot spots encourage algae growth. Also, animals will wade into shallow water, but will hesitate to step into something with no apparent bottom. Plus, you need water volume to minimize the effects of changes in weather. The most volume you can get for a given surface area is with vertical sides. Do it.
How in thunder do you dig a pond with vertical sides?
Ah HA! That's what I wrestled with until I came up with the "wonder wall"', the wonderful articulated wall design. The wall is made of inexpensive wood in sections 2-4' in length and the desired depth of your pond (between 18"-36"). The wall sections are hinged together with metal strap, top and bottom. When joined they can be lowered into your hole like a big snake and then leveled (very important) and back filled to produce the perfect foundation for your pond.
The "wonder wall" solves all the problems
of building vertical sides. It's my fantastic gift to you!
This wall is the best way to level the critical top edge, plus, once this wall is back filled, it becomes rock solid and will support a person's weight and your rock edge or deck work on top of it. And, it is the perfect installation tool for your pliable liner. You can see pictures of this "wonder wall" in my video and get all the details of it's construction in the accompanying workbook. Believe me, this wall is the way to go, use it ... it is my gift to you.
Flat pond bottoms solve
a lot of problems and create none
Why a flat bottom?
For one thing, why not? You can't see the bottom of a completed pond and there is no reason in nature that favors a contoured bottom. The real benefit of being flat, however, is the use of planters to hold your plants at the right depth (see Plants). The planters have four legs. It you want them to stand straight and want to be able to rearrange them within the pond, build your pond with a flat bottom at a constant depth! It just makes sense doesn't it! Nod your head and say "Yes".
And then there is the battle over inches.
More than 18" deep, but not more than 36". Here again, we diverge from nature in order to produce the best chances of obtaining ecological balance in our lifetime. We need every bit of our water to be a positive support system, so we must make maximum use of sunlight and minimize the negative affects of temperature changes.
Sunlight does not penetrate water in sufficient amount to grow plants below 36". Besides, you'll be tired of digging by then. Since you want the bottom of your pond to produce grasses, you need the light.
The reason you do not want it less than 18", however, has to do with temperature. We want to insure that the deep water stays at a relatively constant temperature, the temperature of the surrounding earth. This has to do with fish health and nutrient stratification.
During the day, the upper levels of the water are heated by the sun. Likewise, at night they cool down, affected mostly by air temperature. That change in temperature is like having a draught in your house during the winter. It is disturbing to your fish. Later we will talk about using floating plants to minimize the amount of temperature fluctuations, but for now, just understand the depth criteria for what it is.
Less than 18" and all the water fluctuates in temperature,
more than 36" and sunlight does not reach the bottom.
How about freezing?
Yes, if your 36" pond freezes all the way to the bottom, your fish and plants will not do well. But I am talking about ponds built in the original 48 states and not on the top of some 14,000 foot mountain. If you have serious freezing problems, there are other things you can do to minimize damage. But building your pond deeper than 36" is not the best answer.
Why a pliable liner?
It is the cheapest, easiest-to-handle material that will give you non-toxic installation and long life. If it is easy to install, costs less, lasts longer, and is non-toxic ... it's perfect for the job.
Concrete weeps, is toxic, is very hard to build with,
takes forever, and it cracks easily. Are you crazy?
Preformed fiberglass is OK if it fits the dimensions and shape you want. I have only seen a very few fiberglass ponds that have fit the criteria of vertical sides and flat bottom. Plus, if you have ever tried to install a preformed anything in the ground, you know what a pain it is.
"Ribet"
Detailed instructions on building your
new pond are available on this site, click here.