Author Topic: Tutorial on building an above ground display pond...  (Read 3528 times)

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Offline Sean

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Tutorial on building an above ground display pond...
« on: August 17, 2006, 09:50:51 AM »
Tutorial on building an above ground display pond...

You can construct a display pond for your patio in just a short period of time with the help of a couple friends and a case of beer for motivation...

All you need to construct an above ground display pond for waterlilies is gather a few basic materials. For my purposes I used 2"x12"x12' pressure treated lumber for the frame and 6 mil greenhouse poly for the liner. You will also require a staple gun and twelve 6" nails or screws. I will mention that the poly I used is not UV resistant so I can only expect to get a few years out of it before I replace the liner but the poly was free so I couldn't go wrong. For your own purposes I would suggest at least 20 mil poly or 20 mil EPDM liner. For the purposes of a display pond you don't really need to go with a thicker liner since all surfaces that your liner is framed by will be solid and smooth which eliminates the need for flexibility required by a pond that is dug in soil.
Once you have all your materials gathered lay out your lumber and start assembling. For my purposes I used three 6" nails per corner. If you are a little squeamish about the nails not holding feel free to use screws. I felt that screws were not necessary since all the weight from the water once the pond is filled exerts it's force downward and not outward. Nails are more than sufficient for this purpose.


 
Once you have your frame built you will notice an uncanny desire to stand within the box and admire the box you have built.


 
Before you start to lay out the liner make sure to sweep away any debris that would otherwise poke a hole in the liner. You can also use Duct Tape to cover over knot holes or other imperfections that could poke a hole in your liner.


 
Don't forget to remind your pets that this is not their new home. Scotch really wanted to claim the new pond frame as her own space.


 
Once you have the inner frame cleaned out it's time to line the box with a pre liner just in case of puncture holes in the final liner. Take your time to work out the wrinkles and tack the plastic to the sides of the frame.


 
Now it's time to lay out your final liner. If you do any trimming at this time leave yourself a lot of excess slack for positioning as you fill the pond.


 
Begin to fill the pond. As the water level raises you can get in and work out the wrinkles. Remember, this is the time to get it right, the first time...

 
Continue to work out the wrinkles and get your folds right as the pond fills. It really helps to have a friend to help out with the corners.

 
Four hands are better than two when you are doing the corners. Remember to always staple to the outside of the frame so you do not puncture your new liner.


 
Once the pond is completely filled you can do your final tacking and stapling of the liner to the outer top edge of the frame.


 
The final step is to trim away the excess liner from the top outer edge.



After a good season of growth, your display pond fills in and can look like this...



Cheers,
Sean
Vancouver BC Zone 8B
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