[edlomatt]

hey there.

wehave recently got an allotment and 4 of us including me are working on it together as something to do. we have took on a very large plot of around 1000 metres squared. we are having a pond in 1 part about 15 foot diameter and around 4 foot deep. the soil is quite clayey when you get a little deeper now what i wanted to ask and may sound stupid here is would it need a liner? or will it hold its own water in there?

if it needs a liner any 1 reccomend a cheap place to purchase them? the pond will  have different levels etc and have some nice fish in there.

thanks guys.

p.s sorry if doesnt make sence i got in at 3AM and have been to the allotment from 7.30 am and just got home a hour ago.

[WG.]

Hi & welcome to the forum.

Soil would need to be very clayey if it were to save you the cost of a liner.  Search for butyl liners on Google.

BTW, pedantic R'Us ... "1000 metres squared" is a square kilometre (247 acres), I think you mean 1000 square metres.  

[muntjac]

you could do a clay pan pond but id suggest you go to a diy store and buy off the roll butyl liner  .design the pond on paper with whatever depth you intend curves etc .and then if the pond is 4ft wide . 2 ft deep you need 10 ft approx of liner one way . 4 across the bottom 2 ft for both upsides and 2 for over lap so a 10 x 10 piece should do it .....line it with cardboard and sand to stop sharp stones etc coming through old carpet is just as good . fill slowly so the material is drawn into the hole ,fit the overlap to go envelope style over the corners etc ( you may cut some excess off if neded ) then use the edgeing material  slabs grass turves etc . allow for animals falling in , specially hedgehogs. hope this helps ,others may help with other ideas etc   it can help if you allow the pond to settle over winter  before doing any planting etc

[WG.]

If you go the clay pan route, borrow some geese or ducks to do the panning for you.  

[edlomatt]

thanks for that guys really helpfull!, we have 6 ducks all 8 weeks old, i thnik iread theyneed to be around 22 weeks before i let em playin a deep pond. but this 1 is mainly for fish so they will have there own inside the duck run

[WG.]

Yeah the ducks were only to do the panning.  Keep them out of it when it is completed.

[edlomatt]

silly question, whats panning? lol

[richyrich7]

Compacting of clay to forum a barrier to the water, you do it by getting wet clay and smearing it up the sides to a thickness of about 6" and "polishing" it a bit like a plaster does if my memory serves me correct

[edlomatt]

ahh wow brilliant, tho im going to get a price on a liner as it seems a quicker and more viable option. ill speak with my cusin about it later and ask him hees the fisherman after all, dunno why youd wanna fish yourown fish tho i think that sucks but each to there own.

[shaun]

Compacting of clay to forum a barrier to the water, you do it by getting wet clay and smearing it up the sides to a thickness of about 6" and "polishing" it a bit like a plaster does if my memory serves me correct

I have a video of something just like that richy  

theres clay and theres clay the blue clay(we call it puddle clay) is better

[richyrich7]

Yeah blue is better, don't you find it deeper than the yellow stuff ?, you do in my garden 6" down to the yellow then a foot further to the blue stuff  :roll:

[shaun]

depends where live realy but yes its the deepest ,I thinks its turning into rock cus its has hard as a goats toe

[muntjac]

you find clays in valleys etc

[richyrich7]

 cuts like hard cheese round here, but then I'm next to water so thats probably why