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Part 4: Liner Issues

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• Once you have the hole the way you think you want it, it's time to start thinking about the liner. Here is where you can save a lot of money. The official way is to spend a fortune on PVC liner. The experts warn you, do not use plastic. Well, if this is your first pond, do you really want to invest that type of money on a hobby you may not like? And, if you plan expansion in the future, do you want to have to buy a new liner or try making watertight seams? This seems to be silly because there is no reason plastic cannot work if you take a few precautions. There is also a rubber liner available that is available at many garden pond supply shops that is less expensive than PVC. I have not tried it, but I have heard it works well, too. Both PVC and plastic liners will get leaks under certain circumstances. I am a big fan of plastic liners especially for beginners. Once you become a committed, expert ponder, maybe then you will want to make a big investment. But, in the beginning try plastic. You will need the thickest black plastic you can find at the home building supply store.
• But, how much liner do you need? Remember, you have to allow for the depth of your pond as well as length and width. While you can get plastic in almost any length, width options are limited. A pond that is about eight feet wide is about the maximum for using plastic liners.
• If you decide to use plastic liner, there is one thing that is necessary (and recommended for PVC liners, too). You need to figure out a way to keep animals out of the pond. Until I had a pond, I never realized what deadly weapons dog claws were. A pond is very tempting to the pups. Depending on where you live, ponds also may attract anything from raccoons to cows. If you live in a rural area as I do, you have to think about stray dogs even if your dogs are perfectly trained. In addition, you have to think about other domestic and wild animals. Even cats can be a problem. They like to walk around the edges and may fall into the pond. Cat claws are death to pond liners.
• There are several ways to protect your pond from unwanted animal visits. Basically, you have to figure out a suitable barrier. (I've tried commercial repellents and folk remedies like moth balls and have no success. A thirsty animal will overlook most any odor to get a drink.
• One easy thing to do is to have an alternative water source for wildlife. That's a good thing for the animals and the pond. Still, you will have to provide other discouragement. Plants can be used as barriers, especially thick decorative grasses. But, these take time to grow, and you won't want the entire pond surrounded by vegetation because of your view. A fence of some sort, of course, is the most effective barrier method. I use chicken wire that is about three feet high. This sounds tacky, but it isn't. First of all, it is almost invisible. It does not block the view of your pond. Second, it is very inexpensive. You will have to make fence posts to hold it up, but you don't need anything heavy duty. The posts can be hidden easily with plants. This is simply how I solved the problem, and the point of these instructions is to encourage individual creativity in problem-solving. Think about your particular situation and experiment.
• It is also important to think about small children who might wander by your pond. You need to take the same precautions as you would a swimming pool.
• One mistake some pond builders make is thinking that if one layer of liner is good, two layers will be great. But, alas, it doesn't work. If you get a hole in the top layer, water will seep between the two layers creating bubbles in the liner.
• The biggest disadvantage I've discovered with plastic liner is that if you do get a leak, it's difficult to patch. I have not found an effective method of doing this. You want to be very careful with glue which may get into the water and kill your fish. The best appoach is preventative measures, and be prepared to have to reline the pond once and awhile. However, if you keep animals out of the pond, few other things will cause damage.

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