Garden & Water Features

11 Tips Before Building a Backyard Water Garden or Backyard Pond

11 Tips before building a backyard water garden or backyard pond

From The Pond Warehouse who has over 13 years of experience in ponds and water gardens, building and owning a pond, water garden or pond-less waterfall can be an awesome and rewarding experience to enjoy. The Pond Warehouse strongly suggest you think through this list of 11 Tips before beginning your backyard water garden or back yard pond project.

1. Pick an area in your yard that you can make a pond or water feature look natural, preferably not a low area in the yard.  Low spots gather rain runoff which can be full of nutrients. Nutrients cause algae blooms and can turn a pond green fast.

2. Do not build your pond too close to a tree.  This can damage a trees roots and possibly kill the tree.  That is something you do not want to deal with at a later date.

3. Do not build a pond in direct sunlight.  This will cause pond algae problems.  We recommend no more than 4 hours of direct sunlight.  Plants will grow perfectly fine in shaded pond. In shaded areas of your pond, simply use slow release aquatic fertilizer tablets a couple times a year. You can find good Aquatic Plant Fertilizer at The Pond Warehouse. Also, consider using pond plant baskets containers, such as a Round Aquatic Plant Basket. Planting in containers makes it easier to move, divide, trim and maintain unwanted spreading of plants!

4. Make sure there is plenty of room for landscaping around your backyard pond.  This will add beauty and help the pond look natural even in the flattest of yards. 

5. To layout the shape of your pond, we recommend using a cord, rope or garden hose. You can continue to change the outline in your yard and play with it until you get the pond shape you are happy with.

6. Keep pictures and make notes of the things you like and incorporate them into your water garden pond.  Take into consideration water flow.  Do you want a gentle waterfall or more a gushing look?

7. You should decide what you plan to do with your backyard pond or backyard water feature? Do you want fish and plants in it or not. A pond with fish and plants requires different design considerations and treatment than a pond without fish and plants.

8. Make sure you check with you local county or township codes regarding any restrictions regarding building your pond, such as pond depth.

9. Placement of the pond waterfall is important. It is best to place the pond waterfall at the back of the pond.  This way you can see it and hear it from your view point. There are many items that go into building a pond waterfall, so to make things less complicated The Pond Warehouse has different pond waterfall kits based on stream length and width. We even provide a suggestions on how to build a waterfall for those that want a beautiful waterfall but no pond so make sure you check out The Pond Warehouse.

10. Proper filtration is a must.  We recommend putting all the water in the pond through a filter every hour.  This means if you have a 2000 gallon pond then you need a pump that will move 2000 GPH (33 GPM) such as the EasyPro 2200 GPH Mag Drive Pump.  You also need a filter that can handle 2000 GPH, such as the EasyPro 2500 Gallon Pressurized Filter with UV or EasyPro AquaFalls biological filter.

11. Once you are ready to build your own dream water garden we strongly recommend you speak with an expert as pond design is critical so that everything works properly. If you do not know an expert in your area please feel free to contact The Pond Warehouse at 877-268-6186 for pond assistance. Also we can share with you exactly what to do in treating your pond with bacteria and water treatment so that you have a healthy, trouble free, beautiful pond that you can enjoy.

The Pond Warehouse has over 13 years of experience in ponds and water gardens. We can help you with all of your pond supply needs. We pride ourselves on delighting you – our customer by providing the pond expertise, highest quality pond products and top notch customer service all at the best value.

Thanks, The Pond Warehouse 1-877-268-6186

About the Author

The Pond Warehouse is a family owned and operated company that offers our customers the best selection, service and products in the industry for the best price.

We have over 13 years in the pond, pond supplies, water gardening and fisheries business. Our co-owner general manager has a degree in fisheries conservation and biology which is a huge asset to us and our customers.

Aside from selling you products we can also answer any of your questions regarding ponds, pond kits, installations, pumps, weeds, water treatmemts and fish.

We are here to help and serve you.

what all do i need to complete goldfish pond?

my pond is 800 to 1000 gallon. i have the waterfall set by using a pondmaster 2000 gph mag drive waterfall pump, may be for a skimmer also but i am not sure. i am new and know nothing about this but dove in anyway. right now i have a lot of sun hitting it. a little dirt has settled in the bottom. i added a couple iris and water lilies today. the more i read the more confused i get. Will i need a filter or not??? I want clean water but what do i do next to get that?? I have read to let plants do it naturally and I have read that will not be enough. what if algae becomes a problem , help

Plants will be enough to keep your pond crystal clear. You need one bunch of submerged vegetation like anacharis (elodea) per square foot of pond surface and enough floating vegetation like water lilies or water clover to cover 60% of the water surface. You don’t need a skimmer. You can have a filter if you wish to keep garbage from getting in the the pump. I would make one out of a nursery pot and lava rock.
For more info, check my website at http://www.pondlady.com