How to Construct a Concrete Pond
Estmating the materils
Excavating
To drain or not to drain
Placing the forms
Working with Concrete
Pouring the Floor
>Setting
Fountains and Spouts
Let the concrete set 48 hours before taking off the forms. Use a brick to rub smooth any scars from the forms or any other irregularities in the concrete. Concrete does not harden by drying, but by setting. Protect it from the drying action of sun and wind by keeping all exposed surfaces covered with wet burlap sacks or straw, and keep them wet with occasional sprinklings for ten days.
There is one all-purpose finish for the rim. You can smooth-finish it with a wooden float when the concrete has begun to set, or smooth it with a brick after the wooden forms have been taken off. The plain concrete rim thus achieved looks well on either a formal or an informal pond.
Decorative tiles or similar ceramic materials chosen as capping for the rim of the pond will require special cements, which the tile dealer will be able to supply.
For securing bricks, cast concrete coping, or stone to the pond rim, use a mixture of three parts of sand and one part Portland cement, adding water to the dry mixture until a workable mortar is obtained.
If the rim is to be of flagstone, make a series of trial arrangements before you cement the stones in place. Natural-looking stone arrangements are tricky to achieve, and few people hit upon one they really like the first time. When you cement the stones in place, keep the mortar well hidden, for the sight of it will destroy the natural illusion you want to create. If you do slip, cover any exposed mortar with a handful of earth.
Special Effects
Although only flat, stratified rock, such as flagstone, can be used attractively to cap the pond rim, there are many artistic possibilities for rock work in the area surrounding the pond. Well weathered field stones in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colorings can be piled here and there along the border for interesting effect. The rocks are not only attractive in themselves, but provide a natural setting for border plants.
Here is a simple trick a friend of mine recommends when you want a mossy edging for your pond. Gather a quantity of moss in the woods. Shred enough to fill half a quart jar; fill the rest of the jar with buttermilk. Give it a thorough stirring, and then with a paint brush apply the mixture heavily to the rock or concrete surfaces. Adjust your garden
hose to the finest spray it will throw, and keep the moss damp with frequent sprayings for a few days until it takes root.