Bentonite for Pond Sealing

Discover how bentonite clay works in this demonstration of a pond bottom sealing application.

[@B30pt87]

That was the best sales pitch for using Bentonite I can imagine. I'm definitely buying some for my pond now.

[@xetrius3671]

As long as the pond remains filled up I can see this working. But how does it work when the pond would dry up and refill? Would the bentonite crack under the contraction during drying, leaving you with un unsealed pond once more?

[@NaturalWaterscapes]

Great questions! Bentonite can crack, however it can take a very long time with no moisture to crack. Bentonite traps in the moisture for a very long time. Once it does dry, it will crack, but once it is wet it re-swells and seals again.

[@xetrius3671]

@@NaturalWaterscapes Without the water I think that the aprox 1000 watt per m2 of direct sunlight gets that job done pretty fast. You could sandwich a water storage layer between two bentonite layers that way the surface might dry and crack, turn white and reflect a lot of the energy while the storage keeps the layer sealed from underneath.

[@78tag]

I'll be damned, I found something almost as interesting as watching grass grow!

[@gusulises1758]

I guess Im pretty off topic but do anyone know of a good site to watch newly released tv shows online ?

[@rayanheath8946]

@Gus Ulises Flixportal :)

[@gusulises1758]

@Rayan Heath thank you, signed up and it seems like a nice service :D Appreciate it !

[@rayanheath8946]

@Gus Ulises You are welcome xD

[@YourDadVR]

Please someone help me. I used 18 tons of bentonite lining my pond. I filled up my pond & it’s leaking. Can someone help me. I’ve tried some of those polymers that claim to seal a ponds, & it didn’t work. What else can I do?

[@danieladkins9227]

Call Midwest lake in Kansas City they will fix it even if they have to pour you a huge concrete pool

[@xetrius3671]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qn3Ee5Stl7KlipI

[@kirubhakar1389]

IT SEEMS TO BE FINE - BUT HAVING LITTLE DOUBTS., 1. WHAT IF THE WATER HAD DRIED DURING SUMMER AND CLAY CREAKS DUE TO EXPOSURE TO SUN WHICH LEADS TO BENTONITE LOSES ITS WATER CONTENT DUE TO EVAPORATION WHICH IN NEXT SEASON AFTER WATER GOT FILLED UP WEATHER THE BENTONITE STILL HOLD THE WATER LEAKAGE? 2. BENTONITE IS SAFE FOR POND ECOSYSTEM?

[@26longlongtime]

2 years late lol but I use bentonite in my pond. The stuff I use is a very fine powder though, more like baking soda. When it dries out, it wants to go back to being a powder so it doesn't crack and create voids like normal clay. To your second question, It's salty but doesn't seem to be hurting my fish and other wildlife/plants. People around here use pure salt to seal ponds, that doesn't hurt wildlife much either by the time the pond gets established

[@Mr.Jeremy.Williams]

4 years late, but... 1. Even if the Bentonite loses its water content, when it interacts with water again, it will just undergo the same reaction. The water will soak it and it will expand again. 2. Yes, it is safe. Bentonite is simply a natural clay (also known as Montmorillonite clay) and has been used by humans for centuries for nearly every reason you could imagine. It's been used to clean/protect sin, heal skin infections and acne, treat stomach gas, you can eat it (powder form) to ease diarrhea, and these days you'll find it in all kinds of medicine, makeup, shampoo, lotion, face masks, tootpaste, etc.... You'll most commonly find it in cat litter, as it is what causes cat litter to clump.

[@AngeloDiLeonforte]

It could work for a leaking pond liner?

[@linwoodholloway7227]

My whole yard is Red clay as soon as you dig up the grass....(I live in East Tennessee)... I really want to make a small pond with just the red clay and river rocks? Is it plausible? I don't want to use any kind of liner if possible

[@annestrom5206]

I am in the same situation. I want to create a small pond but don't want a plastic liner.

[@Niphiz]

Same here,though i dont have red clay but grey clay... You need to pack it down properly in order for it to work,I made a small experimental one,without packing the soil,you will get leakage,its very important to pack down the banks as best you can,in small ponds most leaking happens in the banks,I started with just packing the bottom of the pond (with my feet of course) but I had quite a a lot of leaking,I then packed the banks (slightly sloped around 30-40 degrees) with me feet,not much difference,when I used a shovel as a press platform (i stepped on the shovel on the bank) it sealed very well,no I have minimal leaking! Try it out yourself on a small scale and find out what works for you!

[@linwoodholloway7227]

Thanks! You saved me from putting myself thru unnecessary trouble!

[@matthewfinger2381]

Yes I have red clay too and built a small pond. I didn't even pack it down and it still holds water. It's about 3.5 feet deep and the first time it filled up it took two days until it was empty. Now it takes a month straight of no rain for it to dry up all the way. The trick is to have a lot of vegetation so during the winter when it dies off it decomposes and fills in the gaps.

[@cutweldngrind]

Thanks for answering all my questions over the phone, unfortunately my project will exceed my budget. My sandy loam material does not help me at all.

[@MrCountrycuz]

can this clay be used as an additive for sandy soil that does not retail water?

[@mcRydes]

yes, mix in a few inches with the surface soil on the dry pond bottom before filling

[@mixz9929]

What ever happened to good ol natural glay

[@michaelhoffman4327]

Not too bright are you? The bucket has "clay" on the label.

[@rowanshole]

@@michaelhoffman4327 He made a spelling error, probably because he's never seen it wtitten The word he was looking for is "gley". It's a good question! gley /ɡleɪ/ noun SOIL SCIENCE a sticky waterlogged soil lacking in oxygen, typically grey to blue in colour.

[@rowanshole]

@@michaelhoffman4327 KZbin doesn't have much on it given gleying (also 'gleing') is an ancient, low energy technique, but this might interest you kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH_ZYpV8et98r7M

[@randomgrinn]

So the layer needs to be an inch and a half thick and you need to hire giant construction equipment. That's pretty depressing.

[@billyjesus5442]

can i drink this bentonite clay?

[@chrishayes4023]

I appreciate them not explaining anything

[@jungsomewhat]

Yep let's add more chemicals to out environment..

[@brandonbrown1984]

Yeah….except it’s all natural…environmentally friendly. Non toxic.