As I promised in my first article about ponds, this one is about the size, shape and where to site your pond for the best results.
Size of Your Pond:Miniponds for example half-barrels, deep sinks and small rigid liners can be used to house aquatic plants and some Glodfish, but for a proper pond that may be expected to stay clear you need to aim for the water surface of at least 40 sq. ft. The minimum depth of water is required to be 18 inches at some point. If the surface area is 50 sq. ft or more and if you propose to own various types of fish, then a depth of 24 inches is better. For those larger ponds of several hundred sq. ft a depth of 30 inches is required.
Do not forget a shelf is necessary for housing the Marginal plants which need their crowns to become covered with the water - this shelf can run around a part or the whole of the pond. It should be no less than 10 inches wide and it must be 9 inches below the water surface.
Shape of The Pond:Square and rectagle shapes may be made with cocrete or building blocks, and are available as rigid liners. A large variety of other shapes can be purchased as rigid liners like circles, ovals, oblongs as well as triangles and irregular forms.Using a Flexible liner it is best to stick with a shape with gentle curves. At all costs avoid fussy shapes and sharp corners as they are not easy to produce with polythene, PVC or butyl sheeting. Both vertical and mild sloping sides could perhaps pose problems so the best suggestion is aim for a 20 degree slope.
The most effective position for the pond:Where you decide to create your pond is incredibly key. To get a worthwhile display form your Water Lillies and other aquatic plants the site needs to be shade free for at the very least 5 - 6 hours during the day. Having said that, the location of the pond should must be protected from the prevailing wind avoiding scorching of young foliage as well as the toppling of tall marginal plants. Hanging trees are also a significant problem. They cast shade obviously, however the hidden danger is that thier leaves fall into the pond and decompose which in turn produces salts and gases which are damaging towards the fish in addition to encouraging that unpleasant green algae to flourish.
Trees that are the most most hazardous to pond owners include Willow, Horse Chestnut, Poplar, Laburnum, Holly, Laurel and Rhododendron. Along with these there exists the Cherry and Plum trees, these two trees are hosts to the Water Lily Aphid not to mention that the tree roots which themselves can damage some pond linings.Now, besides avoiding danger spots there's also a necessity for convenience and eye-appeal. Ideally the pond sould be as close as posssible to a supply of electricity and water and perhaps close enough to your house for that fountain or waterfall being seen and heard. The refletion in the water should be attractive to the eye and where possible an informal pond should be sited in the lowest part of the garden.