A decorative pond in the country is a unique element of landscape design, an object for pleasant contemplation. In addition, the pond will humidify the air and improve the illumination of the garden, thanks to the reflective surface of the water surface. If you are thinking about arranging a personal artificial pond, you immediately need to competently approach the choice of style, lighting and decorative elements.
The choice of a place to create a reservoir depends on many factors: it is necessary to take into account the soil, landscape, topography, lighting, and the presence of vegetation.
Relief and soil
When choosing a place for a future pond, it is better to stop at a site that remains wet for a long time after rain. Obviously, somewhere in the strata of soil at this place there is clay or loam. If the choice of places is limited, it is always better to choose lowland areas.
Illumination
The right choice of illumination will make it possible to avoid the strong growth of algae and flowering pond. Ideal - at noon, shading reaches at least 40% of its area, and total illumination reaches 6 hours.
Neighborhood with plants
The pond should be broken in an open place, away from high vegetation, which will pollute its surface with leaves, seeds, and litter.
Landscape
The pond should harmoniously fit into the landscape of the site. Often he settles down in front of the house or near the gazebo.
There is some specificity if it is planned to equip the pond with live fish: for example, with koi carps. In this case, it will be important to provide them with optimal water temperature, which depends on the breed of fish.
Earth and waterproofing works
You have chosen a place for the pond and determined what shape it will be. Now it's time to dig a pit. First, turning points and contours are marked with pegs. Then the terraces come off, with a depth of 30 cm and a width of 20 cm. Several levels of terraces can be formed to accommodate plants on them.
Now the main bowl is being dug. The coastal slope should be approximately 45 ° C. The walls of the bowl should taper down to prevent soil shedding and reduce the load of the mass of water. The minimum depth of the pond should not exceed 60-80 cm: a shallow pond will completely freeze in the winter, and will warm up very much in the summer, which will make it impossible to breed flora and fauna.
If waterproofing is planned with a film, to fix it along the perimeter a moat with a depth of about 15 cm is torn off. After the foundation pit is ready, its bottom is leveled, all stones and roots that can damage the film are removed.The surface is poured with clean washed sand by 5 cm, a monolithic slab of concrete M150 is poured on top. After solidification, it is completely covered with a geotextile. All these measures will protect the waterproofing film from damage and extend its service life.
The next step will be waterproofing - laying butyl rubber or PVC film. The canvas size is calculated from the total length of the pond and doubled depth. To fix the canvas along the edge, it is enough about half a meter of stock. The sheet is laid out freely, fixing the edges with bricks along the edge. To eliminate the negative effects of groundwater, a reliable drainage system is created, which is also included in the waterproofing system.
All the above waterproofing works are carried out before concreting, if this form of waterproofing device is chosen. When creating small ponds, concrete work is first carried out, and then the concrete surface is processed in several layers with a mixture of Hydraulic Board.
DIY concrete foundation
Concrete work begins before waterproofing is carried out by casting a base plate made of concrete M150, which is designed to protect the pond bowl from soil movements. On top of this plate, after it dries, waterproofing is laid.
After the base was dug under the bowl, a drainage system was arranged, a sand-gravel cushion 20–30 cm thick was poured, a concrete preparation 10 cm thick was poured, reinforcing the pool walls. For this, reinforcement A 12 mm is required. The rods are connected with a knitting wire in the form of a grid with cells of 20 x 20 cm.
Installation of mortgages is an important stage of work. Before the start of formwork, mortgages are installed: bottom discharge, nozzles, headlights, skimmers. An electrician is also laid. The formwork is installed with moisture resistant plywood 15 mm thick and wooden supporting bars.High-quality formwork will help save material and other leveling tools.
Concreting is carried out by heavy concrete of high grades with plasticizers. The walls vibrate so that voids do not form. It is more convenient to fill the bowl in 2 doses - first the bottom, then the walls. To prevent water from penetrating through the cold seam of the leaky joint, a self-expanding bentonite cord is laid in the joint when pouring, which increases by 6 times when exposed to water.
Aligning the pool bowl is done with a plaster layer. Using plaster, you can achieve the perfect smoothness of the pool bowl. The plastered surface of the bowl does not have cracks, voids, depressions or other irregularities.
Devices for creating water effects and backlighting
If the pond was originally planned using water effects: fountains, cascades, jets, then you need to bring an underground, waterproof power cable to it in advance. Lighting and pump can be connected to the same source.
What elements of energy design can be implemented in the construction of a pond in the country:
A closed cycle fountain, where a pump from a tank drives water into a fountain bowl, from where water flows back into the tank. Subsequently, the water again flows into the tank.
A cascade or waterfall is best located on the shore, where it will be in harmony with the alpine hill.
As a backlight, you can use lamps located in the water, above the water and even built into the body of the fountain. You can install garden lights along the contour that recharge from the sun and give light in the dark.
Aquatic plants in design
There are so many aquatic plants. For the design of the pond to look attractive and function normally, it is necessary that the following types of aquatic plants be present:
Oxygen generators are plants that produce oxygen. They carry out biological water purification and are food for fish (for example, for koi carps).These include the marsh turkey, hornwort, urut spiky, asterisk.
Floating plants are used to decorate the pond's mirror. They can be placed in containers on underwater terraces. The most popular are duckweed, vodokras, azolla, Eichornia coliata.
For shallow ponds, deep-water plants are used in combination with floating. They also land in containers. The easiest to care for are water lily, egg capsule, apongeton.
Embankment plants are needed to decorate the contours of the pond and to protect water from overheating. Usually, for these purposes, low embankment plants are used: fern, thuja, barberry, juniper, etc. Other plants planted in pots also look good.
Shore and pond design
There are a lot of ways to design the shoreline of a reservoir:
the use of large stones of various shapes. The main types of stone used for decoration are marble, granite, sandstone, quartzite, etc .;
construction of flooring and bridge made of logs;
the design of the coast with tiles or tiles;
special decorative film immediately coated with a layer of gravel and imitating a rocky relief.
Choosing a method of designing a reservoir, it is necessary to build on its size and shape. The size of the stone should be proportional to the pond itself. Large stones will be in harmony with a large body of water, and small stones with a small one. Ideally, the shape of the stones should be similar.
Large boulders are laid around the perimeter so that part of the stone hangs over the water. No need to make a continuous coastline of stones. In the edging of the reservoir should alternate plants and stones in random order. After placing all the stones, they need to be fixed in cement, deepening into the solution by a third of their height.
Ponds of strict geometric shapes are best edged with similar materials: tiles, logs, boards.
Stylistic design
The design of the pond can be different - the main thing is that it is combined with the landscape of the site. A variety of stylistic solutions allows you to create amazing compositions that demonstrate the beauty of the water element.
Chinese
The pond is an indispensable companion of Chinese gardens. Traditionally, a path from large boulders should lead to the Chinese pond, and the banks should smoothly descend into the water. A small wooden bridge was often thrown across the pond, and a gazebo was set next to it for contemplation and tea drinking. Koi carps and lotuses are a typical element in a Chinese pond. The Chinese-style pond is decorated with bright and lush vegetation.
French
The French pond is a model of elegance and sophistication and at the same time the severity of forms. It attracts with clear boundaries and a neat shape. As a rule, French-style shores rise above ground level. For this style, characters are fountains, cascades, steps and sculptures.
Italian
A characteristic feature of the Italian pond is its symmetry. A pond of regular geometric shape, usually with a decorative fountain or cascading type, is at the head of the garden. Since Italian landscapes are regular, compositional, terraced, several levels can also be present in the pond. The banks are framed by many ornamental plants in terracotta pots, or in tubs and in beautiful containers. Often Italian ponds are decorated with street lamps.
Japanese
Japanese pond should be as natural as possible. You will never find rectangular ponds in nature, so they are not in the Japanese style. There may be a waterfall in a Japanese pond, but not a fountain. In general, the art of creating a Japanese pond is similar to creating a bonsai - everything is real, but in miniature. The pond should look like an ocean, a pebble on the shore - like a rock towering above the ocean.On the shore you can put a sculpture depicting a Buddha, a dragon, an animal or a bird, so that it is reflected in the surface of the water.
English
The pond in the English style is much easier to equip, since it does not require a clear boundary. The lines of the English pond should be smooth. An English body of water is usually created of a landscape type - trees and shrubs grow in abundance near it. English ponds look natural.
Some Care Tips
After the device at the dacha site of the pond and landscape design, you will have to take care of the pond. What is included in the concept of care:
In spring, filters and a pump are usually turned on in mid-April. Immediately you need to conduct bottom cleaning and cleaning the surface of debris. At the same time, annual plants are planted.
Since June, tropical plants have been planted.
Bottom cleaning should be regular and carried out using a bottom vacuum cleaner.
In summer, a skimmer must remove debris from the surface of the water surface.
In summer, filamentous algae are necessarily removed. If the oxygen generators do not have time to clear the water of green algae, you can use special chemistry - algaecides.
Water lilies and irises need to be fed with fertilizers.
All summer it is necessary to control water quality with special tests.
In the fall, tropical plants are taken out of the pond, placed in containers with water and put for wintering in a bright, frost-free room.
In autumn, in the period of leaf fall, it will be more convenient to cover the surface of the pond with a fine mesh so that the yellow leaves do not sink to the bottom, and remove it by winter.
In winter, the water from the pond is discharged. It is necessary to drain water from all pipes and hoses. Remove and clean filters and pumps.
Conclusion
A pond in a private suburban area is prestigious, fashionable and simply beautiful. If it is troublesome to keep a large deep pond with fish, then to build a small pond with your own hands is affordable and even possible for the owner of a small area.
A decorative pond in the country is a unique element of landscape design, an object for pleasant contemplation. In addition, the pond will humidify the air and improve the illumination of the garden, thanks to the reflective surface of the water surface. If you are thinking about arranging a personal artificial pond, you immediately need to competently approach the choice of style, lighting and decorative elements.
Content
Choosing a place for a reservoir
The choice of a place to create a reservoir depends on many factors: it is necessary to take into account the soil, landscape, topography, lighting, and the presence of vegetation.
There is some specificity if it is planned to equip the pond with live fish: for example, with koi carps. In this case, it will be important to provide them with optimal water temperature, which depends on the breed of fish.
Earth and waterproofing works
You have chosen a place for the pond and determined what shape it will be. Now it's time to dig a pit. First, turning points and contours are marked with pegs. Then the terraces come off, with a depth of 30 cm and a width of 20 cm. Several levels of terraces can be formed to accommodate plants on them.
Now the main bowl is being dug. The coastal slope should be approximately 45 ° C. The walls of the bowl should taper down to prevent soil shedding and reduce the load of the mass of water. The minimum depth of the pond should not exceed 60-80 cm: a shallow pond will completely freeze in the winter, and will warm up very much in the summer, which will make it impossible to breed flora and fauna.
If waterproofing is planned with a film, to fix it along the perimeter a moat with a depth of about 15 cm is torn off. After the foundation pit is ready, its bottom is leveled, all stones and roots that can damage the film are removed.The surface is poured with clean washed sand by 5 cm, a monolithic slab of concrete M150 is poured on top. After solidification, it is completely covered with a geotextile. All these measures will protect the waterproofing film from damage and extend its service life.
The next step will be waterproofing - laying butyl rubber or PVC film. The canvas size is calculated from the total length of the pond and doubled depth. To fix the canvas along the edge, it is enough about half a meter of stock. The sheet is laid out freely, fixing the edges with bricks along the edge. To eliminate the negative effects of groundwater, a reliable drainage system is created, which is also included in the waterproofing system.
All the above waterproofing works are carried out before concreting, if this form of waterproofing device is chosen. When creating small ponds, concrete work is first carried out, and then the concrete surface is processed in several layers with a mixture of Hydraulic Board.
DIY concrete foundation
Concrete work begins before waterproofing is carried out by casting a base plate made of concrete M150, which is designed to protect the pond bowl from soil movements. On top of this plate, after it dries, waterproofing is laid.
After the base was dug under the bowl, a drainage system was arranged, a sand-gravel cushion 20–30 cm thick was poured, a concrete preparation 10 cm thick was poured, reinforcing the pool walls. For this, reinforcement A 12 mm is required. The rods are connected with a knitting wire in the form of a grid with cells of 20 x 20 cm.
Installation of mortgages is an important stage of work. Before the start of formwork, mortgages are installed: bottom discharge, nozzles, headlights, skimmers. An electrician is also laid.
The formwork is installed with moisture resistant plywood 15 mm thick and wooden supporting bars.High-quality formwork will help save material and other leveling tools.
Concreting is carried out by heavy concrete of high grades with plasticizers. The walls vibrate so that voids do not form. It is more convenient to fill the bowl in 2 doses - first the bottom, then the walls. To prevent water from penetrating through the cold seam of the leaky joint, a self-expanding bentonite cord is laid in the joint when pouring, which increases by 6 times when exposed to water.
Aligning the pool bowl is done with a plaster layer. Using plaster, you can achieve the perfect smoothness of the pool bowl. The plastered surface of the bowl does not have cracks, voids, depressions or other irregularities.
Devices for creating water effects and backlighting
If the pond was originally planned using water effects: fountains, cascades, jets, then you need to bring an underground, waterproof power cable to it in advance. Lighting and pump can be connected to the same source.
What elements of energy design can be implemented in the construction of a pond in the country:
Aquatic plants in design
There are so many aquatic plants. For the design of the pond to look attractive and function normally, it is necessary that the following types of aquatic plants be present:
Shore and pond design
There are a lot of ways to design the shoreline of a reservoir:
Choosing a method of designing a reservoir, it is necessary to build on its size and shape. The size of the stone should be proportional to the pond itself. Large stones will be in harmony with a large body of water, and small stones with a small one. Ideally, the shape of the stones should be similar.
Large boulders are laid around the perimeter so that part of the stone hangs over the water. No need to make a continuous coastline of stones. In the edging of the reservoir should alternate plants and stones in random order. After placing all the stones, they need to be fixed in cement, deepening into the solution by a third of their height.
Ponds of strict geometric shapes are best edged with similar materials: tiles, logs, boards.
Stylistic design
The design of the pond can be different - the main thing is that it is combined with the landscape of the site. A variety of stylistic solutions allows you to create amazing compositions that demonstrate the beauty of the water element.
Chinese
The pond is an indispensable companion of Chinese gardens. Traditionally, a path from large boulders should lead to the Chinese pond, and the banks should smoothly descend into the water. A small wooden bridge was often thrown across the pond, and a gazebo was set next to it for contemplation and tea drinking. Koi carps and lotuses are a typical element in a Chinese pond. The Chinese-style pond is decorated with bright and lush vegetation.
French
The French pond is a model of elegance and sophistication and at the same time the severity of forms. It attracts with clear boundaries and a neat shape. As a rule, French-style shores rise above ground level. For this style, characters are fountains, cascades, steps and sculptures.
Italian
A characteristic feature of the Italian pond is its symmetry. A pond of regular geometric shape, usually with a decorative fountain or cascading type, is at the head of the garden. Since Italian landscapes are regular, compositional, terraced, several levels can also be present in the pond. The banks are framed by many ornamental plants in terracotta pots, or in tubs and in beautiful containers. Often Italian ponds are decorated with street lamps.
Japanese
Japanese pond should be as natural as possible. You will never find rectangular ponds in nature, so they are not in the Japanese style. There may be a waterfall in a Japanese pond, but not a fountain. In general, the art of creating a Japanese pond is similar to creating a bonsai - everything is real, but in miniature. The pond should look like an ocean, a pebble on the shore - like a rock towering above the ocean.On the shore you can put a sculpture depicting a Buddha, a dragon, an animal or a bird, so that it is reflected in the surface of the water.
English
The pond in the English style is much easier to equip, since it does not require a clear boundary. The lines of the English pond should be smooth. An English body of water is usually created of a landscape type - trees and shrubs grow in abundance near it. English ponds look natural.
Some Care Tips
After the device at the dacha site of the pond and landscape design, you will have to take care of the pond. What is included in the concept of care:
Conclusion
A pond in a private suburban area is prestigious, fashionable and simply beautiful. If it is troublesome to keep a large deep pond with fish, then to build a small pond with your own hands is affordable and even possible for the owner of a small area.