Much has been said about the structure of reservoirs-ponds and lakes. I want to tell you about a very interesting and effective technique that can make your pond even more interesting and give you the opportunity to plant even more different plants.
We suggest that the owners of reservoirs of quite large sizes think about the device in the middle of the mirror surface of the water of a small island. It can be wet or dry, it all depends on the way it is designed.
How to make a wet island?
There are such options. You can still leave a small mound in the right place at the stage of digging the pit. The upper surface of the hill should be about a third below the general water level.
Next, you need to cover the bottom of the tank with geotextile, and then with a film. The protruding part of the island is built on the hill. Do this with the turf turned down by the grass. It will cover the edge of the island, creating a side for filling the soil, on which plants are then planted.
The growing root system will eventually fix the surface of the island and prevent water from eroding it.
There’s another way. The island is built right on the bottom of the pond, right on the cellophane. In order for the island to be stable and not collapse, it is built on the principle of separate walls of dry masonry, that is, the width of its base is twice the height.
On the bottom along the perimeter of the island, large stones are placed or, if there are no such stones, then plastic sandbags are also suitable. The height of such a wall should be below the level of the water mirror by about 20 cm (7.9 inches), and the walls themselves are shifted to the center, creating gentle slopes outside under the water.
Part of the height of the island is covered with rocks between the bags. From above, the stone is covered with fertile soil, and along the perimeter(along the walls of the hill), grass turf is laid upside down. It should protrude about 10 cm (3.9 inches) above the water.
Then fill the soil and form the desired surface of the island. It should be above the water no higher than a couple of palms.
How do I choose how to create an island?
The main part of the island directly on the bottom is made up of small islands in small ponds. But the device with a slide is better suited for large bodies of water. Because on such an island you can plant large plants.
However, most large plants do not like waterlogging of the root system. Their roots grow deeper and wider, mostly to the water level. Therefore, it is better to build a dry island for planting such plants.
How to create a dry island . To 2/3 of the water level, fill an earthen hill with fertile soil. Then the hill is covered with geotextile to hold the earth and cellophane.
At the top of the hill, which should rise above the water, the cellophane is removed, making a hole so that the cellophane is still above the water and goes to the ground for 20 centimeters (7.9 inches). An inverted turf is draped around the perimeter of the pit. Inside the wall of turf mound fertile soil and planted plants. A very high island is not worth doing. It must protrude above the water no more than a third of its total height, otherwise it may be destroyed.
By making an island in a pond, you can settle there, for example, turtles. They’ll love it there.
Leave a Reply