New ideas for your water paradise can best be implemented if you renew the entire garden pond. Renovating from scratch is also a rejuvenation treatment for the pond plants, which have sometimes been rooted in the mud for a long time and their healthy growth is slowed down.
Spring or autumn is a good time to renew the garden pond
If care has been neglected for a long time or if a garden pond that has meanwhile become too small is to be enlarged, a complete renovation is necessary, which is then usually associated with changes in the size and shape of the entire system. The redesign begins with your garden paradise being drained using a waste water pump after the fish stock and the plants, if they are to be used later, have been evacuated.
Freedom of construction for the new system
Now the plant remains, the accumulated sludge and the old pond liner are removed. It is best to separate the plastic webs into several handy parts with a stable cutter, which can then be removed more easily. Now the contours for the new pond can be defined and marked with a rope. Then the earthwork begins with the modeling of the various pond and bank zones. Take a look at our tips for creating a pond.
Lining with pond liner
After the edge of the pond has been secured, for example with concrete blocks laid in a bed of mortar, and secured against slipping, spread a layer of sand approx. 5 to 10 cm thick over the entire bottom of the pond, on which strips of protective fleece are first laid overlapping. The pond liner is spread out over this and pulled evenly over the edges of the bank. Here is a small overview of the recommended minimum thickness:
| depth of the garden pond | Polyethylene film (PE) thickness |
|---|---|
| 80 cm | 0.8mm |
| 0.8 to 1.5 meters | 1 mm |
| > than 1.5 meters | 1.5mm |
| depth of the garden pond | Thickness of the PVC film |
|---|---|
| > than 1.5 meters | 1 mm |
| > 1.5 meters | 1.5mm |
| depth of the garden pond | Strength pond fleece |
|---|---|
| > than 2 meters | 300 g/m2 |
| 2 to 3 meters | 500 g/m2 |
| > 3 meters | 1000gsm |
Zoning and border planting
After the garden pond has now been completely renovated, the planting takes place, during which you can give free rein to your creative ideas for the pond zones of different heights. Water-purifying plants in baskets filled with gravel, which can be secured in place to prevent them from slipping, have proven their worth. Finally, laminate the pond liner, which is still visible at the edges, with natural stones or pebbles of various thicknesses.
tips
If possible, use part of the old water for the initial filling of the new pond. Only fresh water from the tap can shock fish and is unhealthy for the quite sensitive animals.