Ways to turn your swimming pool into backyard pond
Are you sick and tired of constantly taking care of the swimming pool in your backyard? Something that you thought was a great idea a few years ago turned out to be a massive waste of time nowadays. Kids are not using it, and you don’t have time to swim there either. On top of that, it’s necessary to take care of the pool. Cleaning consumes a lot of time that you could spend way better and maintenance is one more expense you’d love to avoid. If you can relate to these problems, there is good news for you. Changing the pool into a backyard pond is a perfect solution for you.
Although it might seem like an unreasonable extravagance, this modification makes a lot of sense. Building a pond is a cost of $1200 to $5000, on average it’ll cost you $3000 which is surprisingly low for such an original decoration. It’s expensive to remove swimming pool, so adapting it lets you save some money. Besides having a lake in the backyard adds splendor to your garden. It’s not only cutting off costs of basin maintenance but is also a beautiful addition to the landscape. Make your pond attractive by installing a rushing waterfall. Fill it with fish or aquatic plants to make it more alive. There’s a lot that you can do to embellish the pond. If you need ideas, check out thematic web pages, for example, Living Water Aeration and learn how you can make your lake more attractive.
Pool adapting
Before you start, you have to make a decision. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are two options. First of them is a pond for fish. If you were thinking of having it, you’re lucky because it’s not necessary to change much. The first thing that you have to know is chemicals leftovers that are still in the pool would harm the fish. Cease adding chlorine is the first thing you need to do. The next step is to drain the water. When the pool is empty clean it with vinegar or hydrochloric acid. When you do that wear rubber gloves. Rinse empty pool with water. It is enough to get rid of the chlorine. When it comes to adaptation preparations, it’s all. Before you introduce fish to the pond, you have to add a pond filtration system. It’s necessary to do that because the swimming pool filtration system isn’t enough to clean fish by-products. One last thing you have to implement is the UV-light filter. It’ll control the algae population. Landscape the edging as you see it fit. Once you’re ready to add fish, check water pH using checking kit. The water should have a pH value of 7 to 8. You can enjoy your newly-made pond now.
Natural look
Now let’s talk about your second option, which is a natural-looking pond. Unfortunately, this is way harder to build. Tear out the current pool and sell its parts. You’ll enjoy its appearance way more than a renovated pool. Once you tore out the swimming pool components, you can deepen the hole or leave it as it is. It’s best if you buy a flexible pond liner. It prevents your pond from seeping into the ground. Use the liner made from EPDM material. It is safe for fish and plants because it’s made from synthetic rubber. It’s resistance to UV radiation and temperatures is excellent because these factors often cause the plastic to break. Before you buy it, make measurements of the size of your pond. Measure the volume of the water your pond can hold because you’ll have to purchase an appropriate pump and filter system to keep the water clean. Afterwards, apply 1,5-3cm of sand and rake it all over your lake. Later on, cover every surface of the hole with underlayment. It has to extend over the edges, so it stays in place when you install a liner. Speaking of the liner, this is the time to put it in the hole. Ideally, it should extend over the edge by 0,5 meter. If you bought too much, cut the excess after putting the edging material. At this point, you can start adding flowers all around the pond. To diversify you can throw in potted plants on the plant ledge. Some flowers that require soil have to be potted in a container with gravel. It’ll prevent soil floating. When it comes to flower selection, it’s entirely up to you. You can choose from water lilies, arrowheads, water hyacinths, curly pondweeds and many more. Your creativity is the only thing that limits you.
Having a backyard pond is an original and interesting way of diversifying your garden. Although it seems like a luxury for rich people only, it’s inexpensive. If you want your garden to have a breathtaking look, you should consider having it.
