- 1). Select a site for your pond. This should be an area which gets plenty of sun and is not situated underneath a tree. The sunlight will help aquatic plants to grow and use up nutrients in the pond. Ponds sited beneath trees often become so clogged with leaves in fall that pond life can be killed. The more plants the pond is able to sustain, the more animal life it can support and therefore the more balanced it will be.
- 2). Use a spade to dig the pond to the required size depending on your location. The shape of the pond is not important, but the depth is. Use a tape measure to make sure the pond is at least 30 inches deep to provide an area for hibernating frogs and newts. Create shelves at the edges of the pond at around 10 inches deep to provide a place to put shallow water emergent plants.
- 3). Place a layer of sand all around the bottom and edges of the pond. This is to prevent any sharp stones from piercing the liner. Use an EDPM-based liner which is at least 45 mil to line the pond, as it is stronger than PVC and should last longer. Fill the pond with rain water if at all possible, as this is the cleanest source. Avoid tap water to either fill the pond or as a top up; it is full of nutrients that can cause a rapid growth of algae which will suffocate your pond.
- 4). Choose plants that will keep the pond balanced. This needs to be a mixture of submerged oxygenating plants such as elodea, emergent plants like yellow flag iris and floating-leaved plants such as water lilies. Submergent plants are the most important for pond balance as they keep the water clear, low in nutrients and oxygenated. If you are going to add fish, only get a couple at a time and watch the water for a couple of weeks; if it starts to go green add another plant or two and do not add any more fish.
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