Water in the garden in the form of a pond and/or a gently babbling brook creates a very special atmosphere of well-being, in which one likes to stay outside and watch the water flow. However, so that the precious water does not seep into the ground unused, you should seal the subsoil of the artificially created stream watertight.
A stream can be sealed with concrete
Why sealing the stream makes sense
Why is that, some might think, after all, the water in a natural stream doesn't just disappear like that. That may be correct, but such a body of water is fed again and again by its source - if this dries up, the stream also dries up and its bed dries up. The water in an artificial stream, on the other hand, is in a continuous cycle in which it is transported by the pump from the source to the reservoir and back to the source. If water is lost in this cycle because the creek bed is leaking somewhere, the little creek will carry less and less water over time. If you don't want to constantly feed in fresh water (which can be quite expensive depending on the size of the stream), the subsoil should be waterproof from the start.
sealing options
There are many ways to seal the creek bed. We present the two most practical variants.
pond liner
What keeps the garden pond nice and tight can also be used for the stream. Pond liner is flexible and allows numerous individual design options, but it also has a disadvantage: the soft plastic can tear quickly or become porous over the years due to the influence of UV light and thus leak. Another advantage, however, is that the material can be removed quickly and without much effort.
Concrete layer plus waterproof waterproofing
Many garden owners play it safe and design the creek bed with concrete. However, this material is not waterproof, but rather draws water - which not only lowers the water level, but also attacks the concrete itself. For this reason, a stream bed modeled from concrete must be provided with a waterproof seal. Pond liner is suitable for this, which is also available in a spreadable, liquid form especially for this purpose, or a special sealing powder, which is mixed with water and applied to the dry concrete like paint.
tips
Also consider the influence of solar radiation, because a lot of water is also lost through evaporation. For this reason, watercourses should not be created in the blazing sun if possible, but in semi-shade or light shade.