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Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 10, 2008 18:45:16 GMT
My neighbour is about to extend some natural pond on his farm to make a small-scale commercial carp fishery, and will probably remove quantities of clay in the process.
Now, I've a hankering for a largish, deepish pond and would like (I think) to have a 'puddled clay' liner. No doubt I'll have a chance to see what happens over the fence, but has anyone had any experience of clay, and any tips?
OM.
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Post by beanie on Mar 11, 2008 12:38:23 GMT
i found this site on the net, sound like bloomin hard work, I'll stick with my liners. good luck
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Post by beanie on Mar 11, 2008 13:01:58 GMT
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Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 11, 2008 13:32:12 GMT
Ooooo, see what you mean, and I thought the biggest problem would be shaking it out of the JCB bucket.... maybe I should dig a trial pit and see if it fills with water. OM. |
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Post by dirtyboots on Mar 11, 2008 15:19:09 GMT
Hi OM, exciting stuff this pond lark ! When we made our pond we pondered(sorry) long and hard about the lining. In the end we went for a Firestone liner. One of the ways to test the clay is to form a ball and put it in water for 24hours. If it keeps it's shape it is good, if not don't waste your time and effort  We were offered as much free clay as we wanted from a kind friend but after doing the test we said "no thanks" Maybe your land is good enough for a natural pond, fingers crossed eh ! Hope you find this useful |
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Post by Plocket on Mar 11, 2008 17:16:54 GMT
I don't know whether this is any help or not OM but my parents had a pond dug in their clay soil last year. Basically a farmer turned up with a tractor and did the hard work for them. They filled the pond from the tap and it took a while for the clay to settle and become water-tight, but it looks pretty good now, if shallower than they wanted because of a constant leak which they can't find!
As suggested you need to test the clay and it's going to be a long job if you've got to dig and line the hole yourself. Fun though, and the end results should be wonderful.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 11, 2008 18:26:09 GMT
Good point, Plocket - dig it and see - and the fact is there's likely to be clay down there... my 'problem' is I fancy a large (like large) irregularly shaped thing to keep carp in and maybe attract ducks. So, a liner is going to be expensive and the odd shape and depths a trial too. Hence the clay idea.
There is a potential problem in that part of the site had a building on it, and the natural clay strata may have been 'punctured'.
Dunno, I think I'll watch progress next door, reserve some clay in case I want it - it might be useful to 'waterproof' the ring of topsoil and so get the level up to nearer merging with the ground... then have a little dig...
OM.
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Post by Plocket on Mar 11, 2008 18:45:45 GMT
Mum and dad's pond is big - I'd guess it's about 15m x 10m. Are there any farmers nearby who would assist with a tractor? And more to the point could they get to where you want the pond? If you have the hole dug and it's not clay then you've got a big job lining it but a tractor could still do that. And if you have got even some clay then it's less of a job. Think carefully about it because you don't want to end up with a huge waterless pit in your garden!
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Post by Amo on Mar 16, 2008 9:28:33 GMT
I swear I've seem something on TV with this. Is it Heligan that has one? Or perhaps it was Dan Pearson. Sorry Moley, I've been racking my brains but I have seen it being done with diggers and clay on a huge scale. Perhaps you could ask at RHS who's got one and you could go look.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2008 22:03:31 GMT
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 21, 2008 0:35:32 GMT
Just seen a prog on BBC1 Johnny Kingdom, he was building a pond and it looked like a clay one, only saw it out of one eye coz I had visitors. Guess you could watch it on BBC iplayer, not really sure how good it was but it might be worth a look  |
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Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 21, 2008 8:45:48 GMT
Cheers, Chuckles and all with helpful stuff - it seems that the prospect of a large hole only half-filled with water is worryingly real, so I think I'll conduct my research 'over the fence' and see just what happens on the farm when they get going on the fishing ponds (permission received now, work to start 'shortly').
Plus I've been directed to a barn development only a few miles away where they created a pond bigger than I have in mind on high ground in what will probably be very sandy stuff - at least for the top two feet - and, by all accounts, used clay.
Should get some useful hands-on from those sources too. Just hope the digger stays here long enough, and its reclaim by the rightful owner doesn't come sooner...
OM.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jun 14, 2008 11:50:53 GMT
well, this is what 'happened' next door:  I think you can see the original ground level about 18" above the water (where the natural clay stops) and then the clay/topsoil that was removed heaped on top of that. So... natural water retention, then, and If I resisted the temptation to 'lose' the spoil by spreading it around the perimeter, I'd have just an 18" bank. Tempting... OM. |
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