Here’s how to fill in a large pond:
- Drain the water using a bucket or pump
- Take away the rubber tarp that likely stores the water
- Fill the hole with bottom 6-6” with whatever cheap fill you can get your hands on locally & then 4-6” of good topsoil
- Seed with grass and water.
- Then add rocks at the top for design/aesthetic effects.
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How to Fill in a Small or Large Pond with Dirt
For a small pond, use a bucket to empty most of it. For a larger pond, you can use a pump to get rid of the water then pull up the liner and allow the rest drain into the soil.
I do not advise using rocks to fill it because it becomes impossible to dig anywhere. So, once you are done taking out the liner, fill the bottom 6-8” with soil and then 4-6” with a good topsoil.
You will need a bit less than a full-size pickup load od fill, maybe around $15-20 at your local gravel pit if you load it yourself.
You could rake 1″ of compost over the top to help the lawn seed get established.
Cheapest Way to Fill in A Pond
The cheapest way to fill in a pond is to look around (eBay, local paper) and reach out to people looking to dispose off soil/sand. You do them a big favor by getting it off their hands.
If you have some free soil lying around, you could use that too. Personally, I wouldn’t pay for it unless you can’t find anything, probably want to buy some good quality top soil off the final 6-12 inches.
You can drain before filling using a hose. Turf is cheap btw though don’t get it from a big DIY chain as it’s dearer there, look around a local landscaping supplier you can pick it up for under £2 a square metre.
ALSO SEE: Can You Put Peanut Shells in Compost?
What to do with Unwanted Pond
Here’s 4 cool things to do with an unwanted pond:
- Renovate the pond & charge a small fee when people want to take a picture
- Get rid of it.
- Place a barrier around the pond
- Give it away or sell it
How to Fill in a Natural Pond
You can fill in a natural pond by:
- Adding water
- Or draining your pond and adding material to fill it in.
I wouldn’t recommend filling a natural pond though as there could be environmental laws consequence once messed with.
Can I fill in a Pond on My Property?
You can fill your pond with top soil after drainage if it’s man-made. However, we do not recommend filling natural ponds on properties as it could negatively affect the environment.
Instead, contact your local country extension service before messing with it.
