How to Make a Self-Sufficient Pond

A self-sufficient pond attracts all kinds of wildlife.

Create your own small ecosystem in a self-sufficient pond that attracts and sustains diverse forms of life. The initial effort and preparation will pay dividends for decades as you transform an area of your property into a natural haven for wildlife. It's best to begin your pond-building effort in the spring, when you'll have less competition from encroaching grasses and fewer biting bugs with which to contend. An early-season start on your self-sufficient pond project also boosts the chances that your wild place will attract new life, such as dragonflies, frogs, insects and water birds, before cold weather arrives.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Garden hose
• Shovel
• Builder's sand
• Flexible rubber pond liner
• Construction shears
• 5-gallon bucket
• Natural pond water
• Garden boulders
• Pond fish
• Snails
• Bog and pond plants
• Black plastic planters
• Pea gravel

Instructions

Building the Pond

1. Select a flat area on which to install your pond. Determine how large and deep your pond will be. Plan for a pond at least 30 inches deep to support year-round fish life. Allow a 12-inch wet border to support bog plants.

2. Measure and mark off rough boundaries with a flexible garden hose. Dig your pond to the desired width and depth. Excavate the back end of the pond to a slightly lower depth than the front end. This will provide a natural resting place for decomposing underwater materials.

3. Clear all rocks, roots and other unwanted materials out of the excavated area and the border. Spread a 2-inch layer of builder's sand across the bottom of the area to soften the surface for the pond liner.

4. Measure and cut a flexible rubber pond liner to fit your pond. Cut the liner large enough to accommodate both the pond bottom and the sides. Leave a few inches of excess liner all around so you can secure the liner to the upper earthen borders.

5. Spread the liner out flat in the sun, with the black side up, for an hour or two. This allows the rubber liner to absorb heat, which makes it more flexible and easier to handle during installation.

6. Lay the pond liner gently across the top of the excavated area. Do not force the liner all the way into the hole.

7. Lay a garden hose at the edge of the liner and turn on the water. Allow the growing water pressure to gradually push the pond liner slowly into the hole.

8. Secure the top edges with a layer of builder's sand, topped with some of the excavated soil. Place large garden boulders around the edges to help keep the liner in place.

9. Fill a bucket with water taken from a natural pond. Pour the pond water into your pond. This will add the natural bacteria and small creatures needed to maintain a self-sufficient ecosystem in your pond.

Creating Self-Sufficiency

1. Wait at least two days to install plants in your pond if your water source contains chlorine. Allow the water to release the chemicals to the air before planting.

2. Choose a good mix of bog and pond plants that provide shade, fish shelter, nutrients and beauty. Add water lilies first to lend shade that keeps algae growth to a minimum.

3. Plant your pond and bog plants in 10-inch black plastic planters. Puncture the pot side with a knife in several places. Fill the planter halfway with soil and add the plant to the pot. Add about 3 more inches of soil, topped with 2 inches of pea gravel.

4. Set your plants so they will provide maximum ecosystem diversity. Keep water lilies wherever the sun shines the longest on your pond. Place some submersible plants, such as water milfoil, underwater in the pond center. Plant floaters, such as cress and fairy moss, at the edges. Plant bog plants, such as marsh marigold and Siberian iris, along the borders and at the pond edges.

5. Add pond fish, such as koi, when plants are thriving and the first cycle of algae has bloomed and diminished. Toss in a bag full of snails to prove additional nutrients.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose an oval or kidney-shaped pond design for a more natural, eye-pleasing look.

• Avoid a pond site that's near trees that lose their leaves. Removing leaves from a pond is a time-consuming and messy chore.

• If you add fish to your pond before your plants and insect populations are mature, you may have to feed your fish with commercial fish food for a few weeks after stocking them.

References

• Cornell University Deptartment of Horticulture: Water Gardening
• Practical Water Garden Solutions: How to Create a Wildlife Pond in Your Garden
• Pond Solutions: The Balancing Act of Using Aquatic Pond Plants of Different Sorts