Garden Ponds - The Essentials

You have completed the designing and planning stage of the pond building process, you are now ready to purchase the basics that you will need for your first garden pond project. The easiest way to go about doing this is to purchase a kit, these come in a large variety, you will need to make sure the kit will have all you need.  Following, is a list of the basic items you will need to start your first pond DIY project.

A quality liner or shell - Without some type of liner, the water will slowly seep into the ground.  Liners are referred to as: water containment products because that is their purpose, to contain the water in your pond. Your first pond DIY project will see you needing to decide between a preformed pond shell, and a liner pond, which will provide you more creative control. The reason these liner ponds allow for creativity, is because the liner has no fixed shape it will adhere to any size hole you provide for it.  These both come in a variety of materials.  Deciding how much money you are willing to invest, and the size and shape requirements for the pond, will help the entire garden ponds experience run smoothly. This will help you determine the type of liner you need.

An efficient water pump - Their are two main classifications for pond pumps: external and submersible. An external pump will be less-expensive and typically last longer, than a submersible. Where as, a submersible pump will be located beneath the water which will hardly ever be noticed, and have sufficiently less noise production.  Whichever pump you choose, make sure its GPH (gallons per hour) is at least half the total amount of water (gallons) in your pond. It should be strong enough to completely circulate the water once every 2 hours. For example, say you chose a pond which holds 1000 gallons, you will need a pump that has a rating of at least 500 GPH.
 
A worthy filter - This is yet another essential, found in most garden ponds. Pond filters will help keep your pond free of impurities that will cloud the water and promote algae growth.  Choosing an appropriately sized filter will make it possible to keep your pond clean, while keeping you from having to clean the filter itself too often. This is one area of your first pond DIY project you should definitely pay close attention too.

Plumbing pipes and hoses - Pipes and hoses are a vital part of the system, and are sometimes looked at as the veins of the pond. These supply lines distribute water to and from the different components found in the pond. This also brings us to the final essential component, which is power supply.  It will be necessary to have power available to the pump and filter.  You may opt to use your household power, but this could entail a large amounts of power cords running across your yard, causing it to be both unsightly and most of all dangerous! Installing a GFI (ground fault circuit interrupt) plug near your pond will make it safer and more secure. Safety is the most important factor for this stage of the process, so be aware and take caution.

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