Few garden owners are likely to have a natural stream running across their property. Fortunately, you can build such a watercourse yourself with comparatively little effort. It is practical to create a matching pond right away - this then serves as a water catchment basin, in the depths of which the water pump is installed to protect it from frost and keeps the water continuously circulating.
How can I design a stream for my pond?
A stream for a garden pond can be created using plastic shells, concrete or pond liner and connected in a watertight manner. A gradient of at least 2-5% allows water to flow and barrages control the flow speed. Riparian plants, oxygen enrichment and turbulence ensure high water quality.
Garden design with water
Water has an incredibly calming effect on the human mind, which is why the planned stream is ideally planned near a place to sit. This is a wonderful place to rest after work while listening to the rippling water and perhaps spotting dancing dragonflies. In addition, bodies of water can fulfill very specific tasks in terms of garden design, for example by creating or dividing different garden spaces or even connecting them to one another.
Benefits of a stream for a fish pond
Especially if fish are to be kept in the planned garden pond, a stream is an advantage to ensure high water quality. Many aquatic or bank plants clean the water flowing through it by filtering out excess nutrients. In addition, the water is enriched with oxygen as it passes through, especially if you install turbulences and/or barrages or even a waterfall. The stream thus acts as a natural water filter, which, however, makes the artificial filter and water pump anything but superfluous. However, you should get by with significantly less chemical use, which in turn benefits the goldfish.
Creating a pond and stream – tips and advice
Creating a pond and a stream together in one go has undeniable advantages. This means you can seamlessly use the excavated earth from the pond for the stream gradient, and you can also achieve a better connection between the two bodies of water than by installing it later. You can make it particularly easy for yourself if you buy matching finished parts and connect them together.
Create slope
In order for the water to flow through the stream bed, a gradient of at least two percent, or better yet between three and five percent, is necessary. If you do not want to create the stream on an existing slope, you can create such an incline by excavating earth from the pond. If the hill is quite steep, you should plan for some dams. With these you can control the flow speed of the water and they also create an interesting look. The pond, in its function as a water collecting basin, should always be located at the lowest point of the planned ensemble.
Connecting the pond and stream bed
Both bodies of water must be connected seamlessly and watertight so that water losses are kept as low as possible. You can achieve this by using
- Plastic bowls
- Concrete
- and pond liner.
You will also need the same materials to waterproof both the pond and the stream bed. By the way, concrete alone is not waterproof and must therefore be treated accordingly. This can be achieved with liquid pond liner (€99.00 at Amazon) (sprayed or spread) or with so-called sealing powder. Mix it with water to create a spreadable mass that can be applied like paint.
Tip
When it comes to planting, less is often more. Also make sure that a capillary barrier is installed at the edges of the pond and stream. This prevents the bank vegetation from literally draining the waters.