Managing Your Water Garden
When pondering what pond supplies to buy for a water garden, pond maintenance is also an important consideration. In fact, pond maintenance should be the number one priority when pondering what pond supplies to buy because poor pond maintenance can lead to water quality problems and an overall messy appearance. So, how do you maintain a pond? Pond maintenance involves several tasks such as cleaning out your pond and keeping it clean year-round.
Spring
Maintenance
In spring, there are several things that need attention when cleaning your pond. The first priority should always go towards keeping the pond safe for fish since they’re cold-blooded and cannot adjust their body temperatures easily. Because of this, it’s important not to add too much bleach or other cleaning chemicals while refilling a pond with water from a garden hose because doing so can cause rapid temperature fluctuations within a short period of time.
Instead, pond owners should always use pond water from a pond pump when refilling the pond in order to give it ample time to mix with pond water naturally. In fact, one of the best ways you can maintain a healthy pond is by having a natural pond ecosystem instead of using chemicals.
Monthly Upkeep
Cleaning
In addition to your monthly or quarterly cleaning, maintaining a clean pond on a monthly basis will help keep it looking great and prevent problems from developing throughout the year. One way you can do this is by scooping out leaves and other debris that land in the water week, or month, depending on what time of the year it is. You can even invest in some pond netting to go around your pond so you won’t have to deal with leaves at all!
Another sneaky pond practice that’s tough to avoid is pond water evaporation. Evaporation can lead to dirty pond water because it will cause pond debris, dirt, and algae to gather on pond rocks, plants, or elsewhere. Because of this, you’ll want to replace the pond water every week or two in order to keep pond plants healthy and happy.
Monthly Upkeep
Aeration
Some pond owners choose not to aerate their ponds, but if you decide not to use an aerator during warmer months, simply make sure you clean out your pond weekly by removing algae buildup from rocks and other areas where it may accumulate. Aerators are usually used to pump oxygen into the pond which helps prevent pond fish from suffocating due to a lack of oxygen. However, pond aerators can lead to pond water evaporation and algae buildup on pond rocks and plants as well.
Another option for pond owners who don’t want to use pond pumps is to install a fountain or waterfall. Pond fountains are relatively inexpensive pond supplies that will pump water into the air instead of just spraying it over the top of your pond.
Fall
Cleaning
To clean your pond, start with a plan! A thorough pond-cleaning schedule will include everything from removing debris from the bottom of the pond, pumping out dirty water, refilling, aerating plants, repairing damage caused by wildlife, and more. The best time to get started with pond maintenance is usually in the fall since that’s when most pond owners will be thinking about taking care of ponds anyway.
Another great reason to clean your pond in the fall is because you’ll have a much better idea of what pond supplies you need (or don’t) for your pond and vegetation after the water has been removed. For example, overgrown pond plants like lilies and lotus may need to be divided if they’ve outgrown their allotted space. Plus, any pond equipment that needs fixing can easily be seen once the pond water has been drained.
If you want to keep fishing and swimming before and after you clean your pond, it may also help to drain only half of the water while leaving half of it behind. You can also keep pond water in a pond-less waterfall so the plants and animals won’t dry out. If your pond is big enough to have a permanent pond liner, you may want to drain the pond completely so it will be easier for you to clean.
Winter
Cold Prep
The best time to take care of your pond during winter is by keeping its surrounding lawn watered throughout the year so ice won’t build up around it when temperatures drop. Furthermore, you’ll want to keep an outdoor pond pump plugged in so the water doesn’t freeze solid. This way, pond owners can still have access to pond water when cleaning their pond during the winter months.
If you’re pond freezes over, it’s important to break up ice and open pond water inlets so oxygen can circulate throughout your pond. This will help prevent pond fish from suffocating due to a lack of oxygen. Pond owners should also keep an eye out for any ice dams that may form around their pond so they won’t have to worry about having pond water spill out into unexpected areas when spring rolls around.
Another great thing about using a pond pump or fountain is that pond owners don’t have to add de-icer chemicals all year round , which can be harmful if consumed by animals and plant life within your pond. These chemical de-icers can easily melt through ice and pond water, but pond owners can use pond water from a pond pump instead to open pond water inlets and break up ice.
In addition to this, you’ll want to keep your pond covered throughout the winter months so animals won’t get into it. In fact, if you leave your pond uncovered, you may end up with raccoons or other wildlife in it for between six and eight weeks. By covering your pond when it’s not in use, you will easily avoid this hassle because there is no food source in the surrounding area for these critters to seek out
Winter
Upkeep
Just because fall comes around doesn’t mean that pond care automatically stops. Instead of worrying about whether pond water levels are too high or pond plants need to be taken care of, pond owners can simply add pond cover over their pond in the fall and keep it well maintained during the winter months. This means that when spring arrives, cleaning pond water will no longer be a nuisance because pond owners aren’t worrying about keeping the pond well aerated and avoiding large chunks of ice from forming around pond water inlets.
No matter what time of year it is, pond management is a cinch for those who use various ways to help maintain their ponds hassle-free. By using nets to catch leaves before they make it into your pond, changing out dirty pond water weekly and managing your pond throughout winter months, you’ll have a beautiful pond every season!
This is not an exhaustive guide, but using these tips will help you get started with keeping your pond clean, year around.
Thanks for reading at Meyer Aquascapes! We hope you’ve enjoyed our post on garden pond design. Please leave a comment below if you liked it or have any questions. We’d love to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by!
