No. Except for the maintenance and the end-of-life costs.
What do you plan to put in the pond? I tried to top up my Golden Orfe losses this May, but found that there were no ± 2 inch fish, only 6 inch fish at £6 each. I think that small fish, like small plants, settle in better.
I have some goldfish that bred themselves, but I like the Orfe for their friendlness, liveliness and shoaling habit. They have trained the goldfish to shoal and queue for food.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Ok, pond filled and now I have a couple more questions.
Firstly, do I need to get in and straighten out all the creases? I really didn’t think about that!
Second, I think I’m going to need more stones to fill around the edges to cover the liner. I have access to slate pebbles which I could use, how do you think it would look and would I be forever picking out pebbles from the pond?
You will never get out all the folds and creases. They won't show once it's planted up. Some pebbles do seem to find their way in to ponds so avoid sharp edges. Otherwise, just choose what you like. The bigger, heavier material is more likely to stay where you put it and tiny gaps soon fill with plants and wildlife.
I think it is too late to reorganize your liner. It needs to be done when the pond is empty. The weight of the water makes it near impossible to move the liner. You could take out most of the water now but the air temperature is dropping steadily so it would make the job very hard work. The best time to fit a liner is on a hot sunny day when it is pliable. Spread the liner out flat over the hole and leave for several hours until it is warm and soft. Then slowly begin running the water in, adjusting and smoothing the liner as the liner stretches and sinks. Preferably having more than one person to help. I think you may just have to live with it now.
It depends on how much it will bug you to leave it as it is.
Ideally, the edge of the liner needs to be covered to avoid perishing from the effect of the weather. I would not use stones any smaller than you have already used. Larger ones perhaps, or a combination of slabs and stones. Anything smaller is going to roll into the pond accidentally. Using lumpy or uneven stones might be a trip hazard. I think I would group your existing stones with large slabs overhanging the edge slightly in between the piles of stones. More slabs than stones to give walking access, perhaps 3 piles of stones with slabs between?
At least the creases in your liner will provide lots of hidey holes for little critters.
A few weeks ago I finally got into my pond to remove 5 quite large lumps of stone that had at various times rolled into mine accidentally. I was more concerned about the amount of water space they were taking up than the fact they were in the pond because I wanted to re-introduce fish. My stones are about the size of the first of your stones on the right of your picture.
I suspect we are all impatient at times to complete a project when we are excited about what we have planned. I remember my father saying to me, "Be patient. Prepare, prepare, prepare". How very true.
1. A pond liner has only limited flexibility. Creases are inevitable. Try with a large bowl (mixing, or washing up bowl), try to fit a sheet of plastic, or even a newsapaper, without creases.
Relax. if you had prepared to the fullest exxtent, you might have been able to reduce creases but not to zero. After all, your pond is a natural shape.
2. If it's not already too late think "syphoniing". The outer edge of the liner should always be arranged to be higher than the water level. In times of high rainfall, the pond will overflow. That overflow will find some way to wick and continue. It happened (happens) to my pond. Some books on pond design mention this, many do not.
A row of your existing paving should be deep enough.
3. Pebbles. It might be an idea, to dig out a gentle slope where you currently have an excess of liner (nearest to camera). You could then create a pebble or slate sloping "beach". Two birds with one stone. Well, perhaps a few more than one.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Check around your garden to see how the ground slopes from where your pond is. Are your neighbour's gardens lower than your etc Do you have any idea where your water table is?
Cautionary tale. Not far away from me, someone has ducks so their kind partner dug a spacious pond for the birds. Inclement weather followed and the pond naturally overflowed. They were presented with a bill for £3,000 to revise the pond because the surplus water was flooding a nearby claypit railway line!
Not far away from me, someone has ducks so their kind partner dug a spacious pond for the birds. Inclement weather followed and the pond naturally overflowed. They were presented with a bill for £3,000 to revise the pond because the surplus water was flooding a nearby claypit railway line!
If the pond had not been there, the rainwater would have gone the same way, perhaps wiithout any delay. My understanding is that it is ones neighbours' responsibility to deal with any run-off water. But I'm not a lawyer.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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I'll try and get it filled asap, once I've flipped the liner to the matt side
What do you plan to put in the pond? I tried to top up my Golden Orfe losses this May, but found that there were no ± 2 inch fish, only 6 inch fish at £6 each. I think that small fish, like small plants, settle in better.
I have some goldfish that bred themselves, but I like the Orfe for their friendlness, liveliness and shoaling habit. They have trained the goldfish to shoal and queue for food.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Second, I think I’m going to need more stones to fill around the edges to cover the liner. I have access to slate pebbles which I could use, how do you think it would look and would I be forever picking out pebbles from the pond?
It depends on how much it will bug you to leave it as it is.
Ideally, the edge of the liner needs to be covered to avoid perishing from the effect of the weather. I would not use stones any smaller than you have already used. Larger ones perhaps, or a combination of slabs and stones. Anything smaller is going to roll into the pond accidentally. Using lumpy or uneven stones might be a trip hazard.
I think I would group your existing stones with large slabs overhanging the edge slightly in between the piles of stones. More slabs than stones to give walking access, perhaps 3 piles of stones with slabs between?
At least the creases in your liner will provide lots of hidey holes for little critters.
A few weeks ago I finally got into my pond to remove 5 quite large lumps of stone that had at various times rolled into mine accidentally. I was more concerned about the amount of water space they were taking up than the fact they were in the pond because I wanted to re-introduce fish. My stones are about the size of the first of your stones on the right of your picture.
I suspect we are all impatient at times to complete a project when we are excited about what we have planned. I remember my father saying to me, "Be patient. Prepare, prepare, prepare". How very true.
Amen
Relax. if you had prepared to the fullest exxtent, you might have been able to reduce creases but not to zero. After all, your pond is a natural shape.
2. If it's not already too late think "syphoniing". The outer edge of the liner should always be arranged to be higher than the water level. In times of high rainfall, the pond will overflow. That overflow will find some way to wick and continue. It happened (happens) to my pond. Some books on pond design mention this, many do not.
A row of your existing paving should be deep enough.
3. Pebbles. It might be an idea, to dig out a gentle slope where you currently have an excess of liner (nearest to camera). You could then create a pebble or slate sloping "beach". Two birds with one stone. Well, perhaps a few more than one.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Cautionary tale.
Not far away from me, someone has ducks so their kind partner dug a spacious pond for the birds. Inclement weather followed and the pond naturally overflowed. They were presented with a bill for £3,000 to revise the pond because the surplus water was flooding a nearby claypit railway line!
I did big stones all around and then put pebbles in between to cover the gaps.
Pebbles will find places to settle.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."