Potential pond

[Tursiops2]

If child safety/education isn't an issue, you have more freedom of action. Putting in hard-standing isn't obligatory, but I do think it's advisable for practical reasons.

An underlay beneath the liner is essential to protect it from sharp stones. You can use a variety of materials for this, but membrane is probably best if you can afford it. I'm not sure what the point of putting a membrane on top of the liner would be, unless you're planning to put rocks in the pond, or you're using coarse gravel as substrate, but it would give extra protection to the liner, and I can't see any harm in it if you want to play safe.

As for finding leaks... Well, you'll have hard time finding leaks anyway, once you've filled the edges of the pond with substrate - you'd have to dig it all out It's probably a good idea, when you first fill the pond with water, to leave it a few days before planting, just to see if the water level goes down.

T2

[treecreeper]

Thanks for all this T2. The pond is taking shape in my imagination. By the way, Louise Bardsley's book gives a method for locating leaks. You squirt little shots of food dye into the water around the edge of the pond and watch how the spots move

[Tursiops2]

You're welcome, I'm always glad to see another pond going in . Come back if you have any more questions.

A tip: before excavating, set out your proposed design on the ground, using string pegged down with 6" nails, just to see how it fits in with its surroundings. You can then make any adjustments necessary.

Interesting suggestion about leak-finding - I can think of some potential problems with that, I'd like to see it in practice sometime.

Btw, what's your subsoil like?

T2

[treecreeper]

Originally Posted by Tursiops2

Btw, what's your subsoil like?

T2

I'm in North Wirral so there's about a foot of rich soil, I suspect the result of former market gardening, and underneath that pure sand. I'm about a third of a mile from the sea. Some of my neighbours have floorboards rather than a solid floor, and interestingly when the boards are up they say they can determine from the smell whether the tide is in or out. I wonder if that's anything to do with the many underground streams which are known to flow through the sand. I was told one of these ran close to my house.

By the way, the Romans were in Wirral so there's just a possibility I'll discover a hoard of coins when I start digging