How to Maintain a Garden Pond

Garden ponds are miniature ecosystems that require regular maintenance to ensure the health of the flora and fauna residing there. Especially in the summer when plants are actively growing, garden pond maintenance should be part of the routine yard work schedule. Follow these simple steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water hose
• Net scoop
• Long stick
• Underwater UV clarifier (optional)

1. Scoop out decaying leaves and other plant material that may pollute the water. A lightweight net scoop will do the job of pulling out floating as well as sunken pollutants. Remember to trim the border plants of dead or decaying leaves that could end up in the water.

2. Check for algae. The intensity of the summer sun promotes algal growth in a garden pond. Floating lilies help minimize algae, as well as algae-eating fish or even snails, but if it becomes a real problem, consider using an underwater ultraviolet clarifier (available at garden stores) to help clear the water.

3. Control water snails. A few are good for controlling algae and blanket weed; the Ramshorn snail can even be good for consuming decaying matter from the pond's substrate. But too many can become a problem for the aquatic plants. When there are just too many snails in the pond, eliminate most of them by dropping a lettuce leaf on the water at night. In the morning, take the lettuce leaf away, along with the snails feeding on it.

4. Control pondweeds. The most notorious and invasive pondweed is the duckweed or Lemna, which is a tiny two-leaved floating aquatic plant. It propagates very quickly and can cover an entire pond in a few weeks. Scoop them out immediately with a net. Another pondweed is Spirogyra or blanket weed, which are green hairlike strands that grow underwater. They can easily be pulled out with a long stick.

5. Keep the water at its ideal level. Use a water hose to fill the pond and maintain the right water depth, especially in the summer. Letting the water level drop too much risks exposing the pond liner to the heat of the sun, which will make it brittle and easily torn.

6. Perform pond overhauls only when necessary. Draining and refilling a pond will depend on the condition of the water and its residents. If a pond becomes terribly polluted, draining, cleaning and starting over would be a good idea. Otherwise, especially if there are fishes in the pond, diligent routine maintenance should be sufficient.

Tips & Warnings

• If the water drops faster than it would through normal evaporation, chances are there is a leak in the pond liner. Check for leaks by tapping on the liner in search of soft spots underneath where the ground would be moist or eroded. Drain the pond just enough to expose the leak and patch it up with a repair kit (sold at hardware stores).
• Overfeeding fish causes algal growth.
• If you are using a biological filter in your garden pond, be sure to clean or replace the filtration materials regularly.

Resources

• Washington State University: Maintaining Your Garden Pond
• WaterGarden.com: How to Keep Water Quality High in Garden Ponds and Water Gardens

[jull14]

on 6/28/2009 Wonderful article and the steps are very easy to follow. I really enjoy your article, thanks for writing so interesting and helpful for many of us.