Pond Liners | Setting The Foundation For A Garden Pond

Today, we are seeing more and more fish ponds in home gardens and it only makes sense. Water in the garden brings about the feeling of refreshing coolness, especially on hot summer days. If you choose to install a waterfall, the soothing sounds of the flowing water can help relax you even on the most stressful of days. Garden ponds are a haven for you and nature as fish, water lilies, and other creatures can make your pond their home. But, with all this beauty comes responsibility of maintaining a clean and healthy pond. One way to do this is with pond liners.

A pond liner is a necessary accessory for any garden pond. Natural bodies of water have dirt, rocks, and silt at the bottom. It is the job of a pond liner, by creating a barrier between the pond and the soil, to prevent the water from becoming too silty. There are two types of pond liners - flexible and rigid. The hard pond liners are ideal for small ponds as they are pre-formed and easy to install. Flexible pond liners are the perfect way to create your own pond shape.

There are plenty of benefits to having a pond liner. Obviously, pond liners help retain water in your pond, which is the main point! If you have a pond without a liner, you do run the risk of water seeping out which means that you constantly must refill it - especially if you have fish! Additionally, pond liners are puncture-resistant which means that a lined pond will not be infiltrated by cattails, grasses, or roots. Flexible pond liners will not crack, whereas concrete ones will over time. In fact, a good EPDM pond liner can last up to 30 years.

Though there are two main types of pond liners (flexible and rigid), and there is a variety of materials that they are made from. Pond liners may be made from sheets of polyethylene, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), and other types of plastics as well as concrete. Depending on where you live and what intentions you have for your pond will influence the type of liner you ultimately choose. Some pond liners are made from dangerous plastics such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) that can be harmful to fish, plants, and other aquatic animals. Furthermore, PVC pond liners may break down over time. So, if you wish to have wildlife within your pond, avoid such pond liners.

If you have an existing pond in your garden or are planning on building one, it is a good idea to invest in pond liners.  A good pond liner, whether it is rigid or flexible, plastic or concrete, will help with maintaining a beautiful, healthy, and clean pond for years to come.  Pond liners are not expensive to begin with, but if you invest a little more money on the best now, it will save you loads of cash in the years to come.