Fish ponds make a delightful addition to any backyard garden. A natural lake or pond has dirt, silt, and rocks on its bottom. A pond liner helps prevent the pond water from penetratiung the soil, making the water silty.
A decorative back yard pond, whether it is used for animals, plants, or both, can be lined with either a hard or a flexible liner. Rigid pond liners are pre-formed and best suited for small ponds. A liner created especially for backyard ponds is desirable. You may also use a flexible liner if you want to create a pond of your own design. Plastic liners, such as those made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), may be harmful to the fish or other animals in your pond, and may break down over time.
Flexible liners also come in varying thicknesses, with the thickest ones being more resistant to punctures from roots. A third option, which is more expensive, is a concrete liner.
When creating a backyard pond with a flexible pond liner, calculate the width, depth, and length of your pond, and multiply the maximum depth by three. Add the latter figure to the width and length. You will then be able to cover your entire pond base, and have enough left over to create an overlap around the perimeter, which can be covered with decorative rocks to hold down the pond liner.
Installing a rigid pond liner just requires creating a hole that suits the shape of the pond, and allowing for requisite pump and electrical lines. Installing a flexible pond liner requires the additional step of ensuring that no sharp objects, such as roots or rocks, will penetrate the liner. Although liners are very durable and resistant to puncture, it does happen. Many people install pre-liners to provide an insulating layer between the soil and the pond liner itself, by putting in a small layer of styrofoam, sand, or even crumpled newspapers. When it's time to lay the pond liner into the hole, try to get an even overlap all the way around, and smooth out any wrinkles. Hold the pond liner in place with some bricks, and start filling it with water. Once it's completely filled, you can trim off any excess overlap, and start creating your backyard garden to enhance your pond!