It’s not uncommon for us to sigh with bated breath on the Internet a photo of decorative ponds and dream of arranging something similar on our own site. But the process of creating a country pond at first glance is not so simple, it requires certain knowledge in the field of establishing basic water supply systems, gardening, as well as some building skills.
It is no secret that having made a couple of mistakes during work, enthusiasts of the beautiful are disappointed in the final product of their creativity and no longer get down to business, preferring to be content with beautiful pictures in landscape design magazines. But in vain. Indeed, the creation of a reservoir is a serious matter and, having no experience, it is not always possible to get the desired result the first time.
Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the Internet on this issue and be prepared for failure - our eternal companions on the road to success. The main thing to remember is that experience is the best teacher, and not be afraid to experiment.
In the meantime, in order to get closer to the desired and equip the decorative pond of your dreams on your site, we advise you to start small. Namely, with the creation of a small decorative pond from an old tractor tire. It will take much less time than usual, but we are sure that in the process you will gain many useful skills for the future.
Today we will not use any expensive materials and try to save a little time, as well as funds from the family budget.
So, to create a decorative mini-pond in a summer cottage you will need:
1. Materials:
- tractor tire (you can take a large tire from any large truck);
- a plastic film as an insulating material;
- a small pump;
- stones for decoration;
- small gravel for arranging the bottom of a reservoir or sea pebbles;
- ornamental plants to taste (preferably undersized).
2. Tools:
- jigsaw;
- shovel;
- a car.
Step 1: choosing a place
The choice of place should be taken with all responsibility. If possible, this should be a more or less smooth platform. It is not recommended to locate a pond in a site open for sun exposure throughout the day, since the water will heat up very much, and this is fraught with the development of pathogenic microorganisms and algae in it.
Also pay attention to the presence of deciduous trees above the surface of the reservoir.All leaves from them in the fall will be in your pond, and you will have to clean it almost every day during the fall season.
In addition to the above conditions for choosing a place for a reservoir, it is also worth highlighting the lack of strong wind.
Step 2: pit preparation
Dig and level the hole for the tractor tire so deep that half the tire is above ground level. If you do not want to spoil the lawn, then before laying the ground, you will have to cover it with a film or any other durable covering material.
Although our pond will not be so large, the amount of land that you have to take out is measured by several wheelbarrows, or even several tens of wheelbarrows. To avoid such difficult work, we advise you to think about the device at the reservoir of an alpine hill with ornamental plants. It can be made from excavated soil and the remains of stones, which for one reason or another were not in demand when decorating the reservoir itself. For example, we did just that and were extremely pleased with the result of our labors.
Step 3: tire preparation and isolation
You need to cut off the top of the tire as shown in the photo. The easiest way to do this is a jigsaw. Since the material is very thick and durable, cutting it by hand with a knife, for example, will be very difficult.
Lay the prepared tire on the bottom of the pit and cover it with plastic wrap. Distribute it in the inner area and begin to fill your future reservoir, making sure that the film is evenly distributed and does not form too large folds.
Tuck the edges of the film under the tire using some suitable tool, such as a large screwdriver. Whether to fix it in addition to the rubber or leave it as it is, is up to you. However, taking into account that the film will be securely fixed with stones, we did not see the need for additional fastening.
Step 4: stone decoration
For decoration, we used natural stone. Here you will have to play a game of Tetris, selecting and stacking stones properly. As a result, it is necessary to achieve a complete and harmonious composition, smoothly turning into an alpine hill.
Step 5: Alpine slide
Creating an alpine hill is an extremely creative and intuitive task, and besides, it's a matter of taste, so any recommendations here are superfluous.
In any case, you have everything you need: fertile soil from the pit, the remains of stones and your favorite plants. Therefore, it's time to show a little imagination and complement your decorative pond with an alpine slide to match.
The only caveat, which is perhaps worth mentioning, is the use of mostly undersized plants for landscaping. Given the small size of the reservoir, high vegetation can almost completely hide it under its own mass, which is not always the case.
Step 6: installing the pump
Place a small pump at the bottom of the pond, which is usually used in such cases to simulate a fountain. You can find it in any building hypermarket.
In principle, the pump can be completely abandoned, but then it will not be superfluous to arrange the discharge of water from the reservoir. The fact is that with insufficient aeration, the water will quickly become cloudy and begin to produce an unpleasant odor. Therefore, from time to time it will be necessary to lower it and fill in a new one - fresh. For this reason, the solution using the pump remains the most rational of the others.
In extreme cases, the pump can be replaced by a compressor designed for aeration of water in aquariums. Its task is to pump air, thereby saturating the water with oxygen. This is a great solution for those who want to protect their decorative pond from colonizing it with algae and the development of pathogenic microflora.
The effect of the compressor, of course, is not the same as when using a pump. But the dynamics of the resulting air bubbles on the surface of the water is guaranteed to you.
We used a pump, which we managed to find in the department for landscape design lovers.
During the winter cold season, water from the reservoir must be drained. In other circumstances, it would be nice to send for storage and the film, laid as an insulating material, but since it is securely fixed with stones, to do this, of course, is not so simple.
In any case, every couple of years, we advise you to replace the plastic film in order to avoid such troubles as a sudden leak of a reservoir.
In the meantime, just enjoy the beautiful creation of your own hands!