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Ways to create a country artificial lake and decorate a reservoir with your own hands. Do-it-yourself pond - how to make an artificial lake Artificial and natural pond

Give the landscape suburban area completeness, decorative items created with your own hands will help make it attractive and cozy artificial lake. Admiring the surface of the water, it will be pleasant to relax after a hectic day and enjoy the coolness in summer heat. If desired, anyone can build and decorate a man-made country pond. An exciting activity will bring pleasure and benefit the family, and fatigue will be pleasant if you approach the matter creatively.

Where to start building a reservoir

Before you make an artificial lake with your own hands, you need to choose for it appropriate place. It is better to place a decorative pond in a shaded corner without a large number of trees - straight Sun rays deteriorate the quality of water, and falling leaves pollute it and complicate maintenance.

It is also important to decide on the shape and size of the future lake. Its parameters depend on the characteristics of the garden landscape and the preferences of the owners. Designers do not recommend occupying a reservoir with more than 10% of the total area of ​​the site.

The depth can be any. However, it is important to take into account that to decorate the lake with lilies and lotuses you will need at least 60 cm. To keep the fish, it is necessary to provide a bottom recess for their wintering below the freezing level of the soil (approximately 1.5 m from the surface).

As for the configuration, with proper decor, both strict geometric shapes that complement the garden architecture and fancy curves that imitate a natural reservoir will look equally successful.

Methods for creating a lake bowl

There are several technologies for constructing reservoirs for decorative lakes. They differ in both cost and complexity of implementation. The most common:

• production of a monolithic concrete bowl;
• PVC film coating;
• installation of a polypropylene container.

Monolithic concrete tank

Decorative ponds made of concrete are considered the most reliable, durable and durable. However, their arrangement is quite expensive and takes a lot of time. It is unlikely that it will be possible to cope with the construction of a large lake without special equipment and the services of professionals.

Creating a bowl for a decorative lake is carried out in several stages:

1. Using a hose or pegs with a rope, outline the outlines of the future reservoir. They dig a pit 20 cm larger than the desired parameters. The walls of the tank should deviate vertically at an angle of 45 degrees, that is, expand upward. This form is resistant to the pressure of the water mass and counteracts soil subsidence.
2. When constructing a pit, terraces are laid out on its bottom and walls - ledges for plants. The bottom is covered layer by layer with layers of gravel (10 cm) and sand (20 cm) and, having been well moistened with water, compacted tightly. The base is overlapped with sheets of roofing material.
3. The bottom and walls of the pit are reinforced with a mesh of wire-tied reinforcing bars. Bars or bricks are placed under the mesh so that it is inside the concrete layer. The reinforcement is fixed with formwork made of painted wooden boards or laminated plywood.
4. Fill the bottom and walls concrete mixture creamy consistency. Experts recommend using hydraulic cement or regular cement with a marking of at least M500 for the reservoir. The solution is prepared from a mixture of 1 part cement, 3 parts river or ravine sand and 5 parts fine expanded clay or gravel.
5. After the bowl has hardened (usually 2-3 days are enough for this), dust and debris are removed from its surface and treated liquid glass or other waterproofing solution.

Bowl made of PVC film or ready-made mold

The task can be simplified by lining the bottom of the lake polyvinyl chloride film either a butyl rubber membrane or by installing a cast polypropylene container. In this case, there is no need to concrete the walls of the future reservoir.

The construction sequence is as follows:

1. After marking the form, they dig a pit with ledges. The bottom and side terraces are covered with 10–15 cm of wet sand, compacted and covered with geotextiles. For reliability (especially if the lake is large), you can place several reinforcement bars on the bottom and fill it with concrete.
2. A polypropylene container is installed in the finished pit or covered with a polymer film without tension. The film at the edge of the reservoir is securely fixed with cobblestones. The lake is gradually filled with water.
3. The space between the bowl and the walls of the plastic mold is filled with a mixture of soil and sand and compacted. The edges of the film coating are carefully trimmed and masked with stones.

Design of an artificial pond

After constructing the bowl, you can begin the most exciting stage of the work - decorating the reservoir. Space for implementation original ideas almost limitless. However for harmonious composition It is important to think through every detail. It’s easy to turn a photo of a decorative lake into a design plan with your own hands, dividing it into zones with a marker and marking places for decorative elements and plants.

Stones and decorative accessories

Large sea pebbles will look neat and attractive at the bottom of a shallow artificial lake. The edge of the reservoir can be decorated with cobblestones, large stones of volcanic rocks: diorite, gabbro, perlite, tuff and others.

It’s easy to build a beautiful waterfall from a pyramid of flat stones near the shore. To do this, they install at the bottom of the lake submersible pump With flexible pipe and arrange the source in a stone cascade. You can place an old ceramic jug near the pond by threading the end of the hose connected to the pump through the hole in its bottom. An elegant stream will look original.

The coastal landscape will be decorated with ceramic or plaster figures, several interesting figurines or a small decorative fountain. An elegant bench, a miniature bridge, paths-streams made of stones and evening lighting will successfully complement the composition and give it completeness.

Decorating a garden lake with plants

You can start landscaping no earlier than two weeks after the construction of the reservoir. During this time, a biological balance will be established in the water. To speed up the process, you can add several buckets of water from a real pond to the bowl.

To select plants correctly, the area with the decorative lake is divided into two zones: water and coastal. It is advisable to use perennial flowers and herbs that are resistant to weather vagaries and do not require complex care. It is important that they are mutually combined and fit harmoniously into the composition in size, shape and color.

At the bottom and lower terraces of the reservoir, it is useful to place several ceramic or mesh containers with oxygenating algae: bladderwort, vallisneria, hornwort, urutia. By producing active oxygen, they improve water quality and absorb bacteria.

The water surface will be decorated with several charming lotuses, cute water lilies or elegant aponogetons. Velvety islands of pondweed, duckweed and watercolor will complement the picture.

The following species will take root well in the lakeside zone: pinnate aruncus, holly calamus, brook gravylate, waxy orontium and hosta. A little further, the shore can be decorated with flowering islands of buttercups, forget-me-nots, and delicate clumps of loosestrife and noble frogwort.

Bright garden daylilies, juicy irises and fragrant hyacinth candles will add elegant multi-color accents. Emerald thickets of ferns, tradescantia and cyperus will serve as a good background. Space decorative stones will be filled with picturesque streams of ground cover: ozorella, saxifrage, thyme and sedum.

Don't clutter the composition big amount details. It is enough to make a few decorative accents. The reward for your efforts and creativity will be a delightful garden corner for family recreation.

To improve your landscaping summer cottage or a country house, you can use several tricks. The most common and quick option, which has a lot of positive characteristics, is an artificial lake. You can make an artificial pond yourself using a minimum of materials and finances.

Where to start for an inexperienced builder

To build an artificial lake on a site, you need to make initial measurements and calculations. But first you need to decide on the appearance of the lake, its functions, and decorative arrangements.

Where to start for an inexperienced builder:

1. Determine the parameters and shape of the future reservoir, selecting the appropriate types of building material.
2. It is advisable to accurately determine the decorative arrangement of the lake. You need to make a conditional sketch that indicates areas for placing plants, masonry, stones and other elements.
3. Select the central composition if it will be present in the finished version. It could be small tree, flower bed, garden figure, a natural stone, an island with lawn grass.

What can a water tank be made from?

The hardest work physically is digging a pit. The second problem arises at the time of finishing the pit. If the bottom and walls are not finished in a special way, then the lake will become covered with silt, it will smell unpleasant, and the walls will begin to slide over time.

The pond bowl can be made from the following materials:

• Plastic container for special purposes. You can make the container yourself from plastic containers.
• The simplest option is to cover the bottom of the pit with plastic film, and then finish the polyethylene with other building materials.
• You can make the base like a swimming pool. Concrete the pit and then cover it with tiles or tiles. Cover the bottom with gravel or crushed stone.

These are the most common options for forming a pit. Sometimes they use more complex ways finishing. Some projects use all the presented methods simultaneously.

Advantages and disadvantages of the foundation pit

An artificial lake requires special care, since it is often located close to the house and is purely aesthetic. To ensure simple and high-quality maintenance, it is worth considering an option regarding the base of the pit.

Before choosing a finishing principle, it is worth deciding on the advantages and disadvantages of each option. The advantages and disadvantages of each option are determined, which make up a comprehensive list.

The pros and cons of pit finishing options are presented in the table.

The simplest principle for making an artificial pond

So as not to think for a long time about how to do it artificial pond on a summer cottage, you should resort to the simplest and cheapest option.

The principle of manufacturing a pond in accordance with the budget price list:

1. Dig a pit of suitable size and shape.
2. The easiest way to make a bowl for a pond is to cover the bottom and walls with plastic film. During the installation process, it is worth making several holes in the material to organize drainage.
3. When the film is laid, it needs to be fixed. You can add sand to the bottom. But it is advisable to use gravel or crushed stone for backfilling. This option will keep the water clear.
4. The film, which is located on the banks of the future reservoir, is also fixed first with a small amount of sand, and on top with natural stone.

Why do you need an artificial lake on the site?

The pond on the site primarily serves an aesthetic function. It's nice to sit near the pond on a hot day or summer evening. You can decorate the structure at your discretion and admire the creation.

An artificial lake on the site can serve as a swimming pool if its dimensions and design principles allow. The water in such a pond will warm up well, which will allow children to swim in it.

There are options for household reservoirs that are used for the purpose of growing certain crops, swimming poultry, watering. The only condition for such use is the correct design of the pit.

Features of the finished tank arrangement

The artificial lake is finished in accordance with functional features use. To do this, first prepare a decoration layout, and then select materials.

Garden plastic pond easier to decorate on the banks. You can recreate a sandy beach with stone decoration elements. A variety of flowers and cultivated watery plants will add appropriate color.

In the middle of the reservoir you can install a pedestal on which some figurine, an amphora, or an island with plants will rise. The bottom can be covered with pebbles, pebbles, sand.

A popular option is to place a recreation area near a pond. Various types of gazebos, sunbeds, garden tables with chairs, rocking chairs. It is worth setting up an entertainment area for children: slides, trampoline, inflatable toys for swimming. You can combine several arrangement options at once.

Despite possible additional troubles, a small lake on a summer cottage will help to diversify it well, give it more moisture and charm. Such a pond can be used as a good element landscape design or used for practical purposes, for example, for breeding fish or ducks. If the water in the lake is mostly stagnant, then swimming in it is undesirable. You can plant appropriate plants along the edges and contemplate the created idyll from the porch of the house while swatting mosquitoes on your body.

In order to solve the problem of how to make an artificial lake, you need a territory and a source of water. It should be clarified that the lake is not a swimming pool. The first has its own biocenosis; microorganisms, algae and other living creatures must live. When the area of ​​the dacha plot allows you to place a lake on it, and a suitable place has been determined, you should think about water. It’s good when a stream flows next to the site, there is a well or a well. Pond water should only be used as a last resort because it contains chlorine. If there is a well or well, water will have to be pumped into the lake. It is also possible to provide for rainwater drainage from roofs and terraces.

The second main question of how to make a lake is digging a hole and preparing the bottom. When creating a hole, fertile soil will be released, which can be distributed over the remaining area of ​​the site or sold as fertilizer. The banks of the reservoir should not be steep, but have a slope of 40 - 30 ̊, that is, shaped like a basin pressed into the ground. The bottom is strengthened with clay, onto which sand is sprinkled and placed polyethylene film, which is also covered with sand. Sand is necessary to prevent film breakout. Crushed stone or flat stone can be placed on top of such a covering. After the hole is dug and the bottom is prepared, you can start running water. The bottom of a reservoir is considered to be the entire area that will be under water.

The water in the lake should not be stagnant; if a stream flows into one part of the lake and flows out of another part, the problem with water circulation has been solved, otherwise you will have to artificially change the water: with a pump from a well or a well. In this case, a place should be provided where water from the lake will drain. Over time, such a pond will become overgrown with silt, so cleaning will be necessary to prevent it from becoming swampy. Before cleaning the lake, it is better to drain it. The silt that accumulates at the bottom of a reservoir is good fertilizer, especially if such a lake will be used by ducks or other living creatures.

Since after the creation of a reservoir on the site, the latter already changes its original parameters, questions may arise as to how to design the lake. If the pond is located entirely within the site, it does not need to be registered. If it borders on the plots of other owners or is even partially located on their land, the legal registration of such water body ownership is problematic, since the pond cannot be divided, but must be assigned to one person. The right of ownership to a lake (pond) is registered simultaneously with the right of ownership to land plot, on which the water body is located.

Do not place the decorative lake in close proximity to trees, otherwise leaves will clog the water, and large roots may disrupt the waterproofing. Once you have found a place, decide what shape and depth your pond will be. If this is just an element of landscape design, then a depth of one meter is enough, and if you want to have fish, then at least two.

Container or film?

To create an artificial reservoir with your own hands, you can use both special containers and film. A pallet for an artificial lake in the garden can be purchased for 700-3000 UAH, and 8x10 m film - from 2000 UAH. The disadvantage of the first option is that the pallets are small in volume and can crack in winter, but the advantage is that they are easy to install. After all, you just need to dig a pit, compact the walls and bottom and install the container.

Our advice:

It is not necessary to remove the soil remaining after digging a hole for a lake in the garden; it can be used to arrange a flower bed.

A little about the shape of the reservoir

Pond containers are made of plastic or rubber. When purchasing such a product, it is important to ensure that it is made from quality material. Cheap plastic will quickly crack when exposed to sunlight and temperature changes.

Cellophane bottom

To make a lake at your dacha with your own hands using a special film, dig a hole, compact the bottom and walls. For a home lake in an irregularly shaped yard, lay a rope on the ground in the desired configuration; for a square or rectangular one, drive in pegs at the desired distance. Then dig a hole and fill it with drainage (sand or crushed stone). Line the walls with felt - it will protect the film from various damages. Spread it so that it protrudes beyond the edges of the pond by half a meter, press it down with stones. Smooth and level the coating and secure its edges tightly. To do this, dig a groove 15-20 cm deep around the perimeter of the pond, roll the edge of the film into it and cover it with earth and stones.

Filling and cleaning the lake

Fill the pond with ordinary water, and to speed up its colonization with beneficial microorganisms, add one hundred liters of water from a natural lake to the filled pond. In any case, over time your pond will begin to bloom and turn green. It needs to be cleaned when it gets dirty. To do this, use nets that are harmless to people and the inhabitants of the home lake in the garden. chemicals, special filters and ultraviolet lamps.

Our advice:

You can also fight water blooms with peat: just place a small bag filled with it in the pond. And change the water once a year - but no more than 15% of the total volume.

Choosing flowers and herbs

You can plant water lilies, duckweed, lotus, reeds, and cattails in the pond. To do this, use special mesh containers with soil. Air passes through them unhindered, minerals are not washed out, and the roots grow well. Place containers with plants on the bottom or on the steps of a pond among stones.

As for living creatures, the best choice would be crucian carp or perch, since they are not demanding in care and will find food for themselves.

And on the other side...

You can set up a small beach near the decorative lake. Cover it with flat stones, small pebbles or fill it with river sand. Plant any shrubs and plants on the shore: sedge, grass and meadow flowers. A pond in the garden can be decorated with a decorative bridge, and sculptures can be installed around the pond, which are sold in special departments of hardware stores.

Streams flow

An excellent solution would be to create an artificial stream, fountain or even a small waterfall in a pond. To do this, just connect the hose, install a stylized tap and pump. For the waterfall you can buy ready-made form or lay it out of cobblestones yourself. Pump design It’s better to hide it under stones so that the hoses don’t get damaged appearance decorative lake.

Ivanna KUROVETS
Photo: pinterest.com. clearwaterlandscapes.com