I have never been one to wish for rain, but after the Homestead Husband laid down the duck pond liner last night, I have been doing my rain dance everywhere I go!
We opted to use a pond liner, for fear that the water would leach out through the sandy bottom and into the rest of the yard. If that happened, it would never stay full. There are other sealant options for dirt-bottomed ponds, but many seemed to be geared more toward clay-type soil... ours is not that rich. Now that we have invested in the liner, the water will stay in the pond, and there should not be any drainage concerns.
Using the liner also means fewer concerns over weeds and growth from the pond bottom. However, there are other concerns when building a man-made pond, including standing or stagnant water and mosquitos. You may also want to check with your insurance company before digging a pond at home, as it does have the potential to raise your rates.
Mitigation options do exist for the potential issues with man-made ponds. If your pond does not have a naturally occuring spring, or is not naturally fed, then you will have to be responsible for filling it (bring on the rain) as well as keeping the water moving. Still water invites the opportunity for stagnation and the growth of weeds and mosquito larva. In order to prevent this, we will be using solar powered pond pumps & fountains. Since we don't have electricity to the pond in order to plug in a pump, solar-powered will have to do the trick. Given the lack of electricity however, it may require more than one solar-powered pump, as they are generally smaller. The nice thing about solar power though, is that it has a one time cost vs. adding to our already high electric bill. Again, using the natural resources available to you! Solar power technology is very effective, and we use it for many landscape lights in our yard already.
Living in Maine, mosquitos are inevitable to begin with. They are basically the state bird. Adding a pond will likely not help to decrease the number of them in your backyard, however, ducks love them as snacks, so having some for your pond will be beneficial. Nevermind all of the fresh duck eggs, meat, and the adorable nature of them.
Next steps will be to fill the pond, and thankfully Mother Nature is cooperating for the time being, and to landscape the edges to make the liner disappear. We will use the hose to add to the pond a little each day, but this cannot be the sole water source, or we won't have any left for showering - and trust me, no one wants that.
P.S. you get a sneak peak of the Berry Patch branch arbor in the background...
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