How To Use A Pond Liner

Building a backyard pond is pretty simple, especially if you use a pond liner.  After you decide to construct a patio pond you need to select the pond liner.  There are a multitude of materials that you can use for your backyard pond, and they are all effective.  What type of pond liner you use depends in large part on the size of your pond. 

If your pond is large, you could line it with cement mortar, like a swimming pool, but most people will use either a preformed plastic liner or will construct the pond with a plastic sheet material. 

If you select a small pond you can use a preformed liner.  If you want to build a bigger pond, you can link several of the smaller preformed liners together to form pools that drain into each other.  If you want a waterfall splashing down, you would construct a taller version, if your elevation changes only slightly between the pond liners, you will develop a small flowing stream. 

To use the preformed pond liners you need to dig a hole that is roughly the same shape as the liner itself.  Line the hole with sand to prevent rocks from poking a hole through the liner.  Once the liners are in place, you can place aquatic plants in the pool or use rocks and other plants to decorate your pond. 

If you decide to construct your patio pond using a plastic sheet, you will have a lot more design flexibility for your water garden.  You can dig a hole to form the main pond, and include several different levels in your pond.  The dirt you excavate from your pond can be mounded up to form a water fall area.  Line the pond and water fall area with your plastic pond liner, and use rocks along the edges of the plastic liner to hold it in place.  You can then use rocks and plants to landscape your patio pond and make it uniquely yours.