If you truly want to install no liners at all, you’ll need to pick a spot on your property that features natural clay soil deposits. You’ll need to dig into the ground until you create a bowl of solid clay and carefully avoid piercing it and digging into softer and looser soil. Clay is a thick soil that should easily form a ball that stays intact when you toss it up and down in your palm. If you can roll the soil into a snake of at least a few inches long before it breaks apart in your hands, you’ve got a good spot with high clay content.
After digging out the pond, you’ll need to trample the clay surface as much as possible in a process known as gleying. This presses any loose particles together to seal them tightly so water can only seep slowly between the gaps. All natural ponds with no liner lose water at a slow rate, but a good soil can hold a surprising amount of water. If this sounds like a lot of work for a pond that might not hold water, try a flexible liner instead. It’s likely much more affordable than you think, especially once you factor in the value of your labor in digging and sculpting a pond.
