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#1
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Digging pond - can I use spoil for banking?
Hi All
I'm currently digging a large wildlife pond (approx 30 feet by 20), using an excavator. I've started by scraping a lot of the soil from the middle to the sides, with the intention of getting rid of the soil either elsewhere in the garden or into the skip. But it's occurred to me that the growing mound around the pond is rather attractive, and if used as part of the actual sides of the pond, would mean I wouldn't have to dig so deep. In other words, if I dig out a foot of soil and bank it up by a foot, then in effect I have a 2 foot pond, with the level of the water above ground level. This would be very convenient as I wouldn't have to get rid of so much soil. Is there a problem with this idea? For instance, would the pressure of the water push out the sides? Would the banking compact down in time, leading to an overflow? Is it a bit odd to have the water level somewhere round your knees? What could I do with the banking - grass-seed it? Turf it? Would it make it hard to hide the liner? As you can see, there are quite a few unknowns here. Has anyone done this sort of thing? Thank you very much in advance, Will |
#2
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Do you have a natural water course through the pond?
If so, the levels of this will control your destiny. My daughter and son in law have a stream through their land and have made a pond as you say, complete with an Island and a boat :-)) However if yours is 'made up land', you need to bear in mind the surrounding land or 'leakage' will take place, unless you are sealing it with a secure liner AND substantial banking to support the water. Mike wrote in message oups.com... Hi All I'm currently digging a large wildlife pond (approx 30 feet by 20), using an excavator. I've started by scraping a lot of the soil from the middle to the sides, with the intention of getting rid of the soil either elsewhere in the garden or into the skip. But it's occurred to me that the growing mound around the pond is rather attractive, and if used as part of the actual sides of the pond, would mean I wouldn't have to dig so deep. In other words, if I dig out a foot of soil and bank it up by a foot, then in effect I have a 2 foot pond, with the level of the water above ground level. This would be very convenient as I wouldn't have to get rid of so much soil. Is there a problem with this idea? For instance, would the pressure of the water push out the sides? Would the banking compact down in time, leading to an overflow? Is it a bit odd to have the water level somewhere round your knees? What could I do with the banking - grass-seed it? Turf it? Would it make it hard to hide the liner? As you can see, there are quite a few unknowns here. Has anyone done this sort of thing? Thank you very much in advance, Will |
#3
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Hi Mike
There is no water course - it's a self-contained pond. I am using a butyl-like liner so I would hope there would be no leakage. Will |
#4
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wrote in message ps.com... Hi Mike There is no water course - it's a self-contained pond. I am using a butyl-like liner so I would hope there would be no leakage. Will Build your banks at least 1 metre deep, ie 'back' from the water and no probs :-)) Mike |
#5
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wrote in message ps.com... Hi Mike There is no water course - it's a self-contained pond. I am using a butyl-like liner so I would hope there would be no leakage. Will Banking will be fine if broad enough. For edging it is important to get it right and you need to mark out the level very carefully, I have found a long length of clear plastic tube containing water with a few spots of food dye very useful for larger more natural style ponds, using pegs. To hide the edge of a lined pond successfully the liner must go under then up the back of what ever edging you choose (not just under as that will leave liner showing whenever the level falls a couple of inches) you want the water level to be about half way up the edging, also bear in mind that some sort of beach or sloping exit may be advantageous. -- Charlie, gardening in Cornwall. http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs) |
#6
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#8
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Interesting comments - thank you. I'm still trying to resolve pptential
difficulties. One problem is that the existing bank isn't well compacted. I've just dragged the soil outwards so far. I think I may have to remodel the bank, trying to compact it as I go, otherwise it will be difficult to tend to the plants around the edges. One other problem that I'm struggling with a bit is the planned shore section. A wildlife pond has to have a gentle incline, and I'm not sure how easy this will be to achieve with banked sides. And the edging? As has been mentioned, grass will be difficult to mow, but I'm struggling to imagine how I could use my original preferred edging - some sort of paving or gravel - with a banked pond. I suppose with a wildlife pond it would be more than acceptable to allow the grass to grow long immediately round the edge. Hmm. The convenience of not having to shift the soil or dig too far down are still making the idea appealing, but I need to resolve some of these things. Looks like the pond project might stretch forward for quite a while yet.... |
#9
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The message .com
from contains these words: /snip/ Hmm. The convenience of not having to shift the soil or dig too far down are still making the idea appealing, but I need to resolve some of these things. Looks like the pond project might stretch forward for quite a while yet.... Especially if you use a butyl rubber liner on uncompacted soil... -- Rusty Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/ |
#10
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It's compacted underneath where the lining will be of course, but at
the moment, not around the sides, no. Will |
#11
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Hmm. It took 15 hours for that message to appear!
Anyway, I'm beginning to have reservations about this idea. I'm concerned about compacting the soil, and tending to the marginal plants if I have a bank. Has anyone actually done this (used banking to raise the level), and managed to incorporate a successful 'shore' to make a wildlife pond? Cheers Will |
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