One of the industries growing, thanks to the popularity of the Internet, is pond maintenance, which has become so mainstream that all the aquatic dye products and services provided can be overwhelming. So how do pond owners know which tips to follow and which to ignore in order to keep their pond healthy and thriving? The type of pond generally determines pond maintenance, but this article will take a look at which seasonal pond maintenance tips are popular and accurate for fall, winter, spring, and summer.
Fall
As with most situations, preparing ponds for the fall season is more about preparing it for the winter season to come. This is where the real cleaning begins. The first thing most people think of when they think of fall is the leaves. It is important to install some sort of leaf netting before the leaves begin to fall because it is much harder to get them out of the pond without a net. It is also important to either remove or heavily trim all plant life because organic life in the ponds will create toxic gases. A water change and bacterial additives are also good things to consider during the fall season.
Winter
Winter is usually the toughest time for water garden owners because it is difficult to keep the water garden life (fish and plants) surviving through a cold season. Two of the most popular tips are to stop feeding pond life (both fish and plants) when the temperature drops to 50 degrees and to purchase a floating pond de-icer. Fish do not need to be fed as much during the winter season because their metabolism slows down. Once the temperature hits 60 degrees, the fish take a few days to digest the food and once the water hits 50 degrees, the fish do not need food at all. Ponds do require a floating pond de-icer so that toxic gases produced from organic decomposition have a chance to escape. The de-icer is important because breaking the ice has the potential to kill the fish.
Spring
Preparing the water garden for spring is simply "un-winterizing" it. Basically the reverse of what was done to prepare it for winter should be done for spring. Fish can be fed once the water temperature hits 50 degrees. The filtration system should be fixed and restarted and additional bacterial additives should be added in case any were lost during the winter season. This is the time to repot any plants that were lost so they can flourish during the summer season.
Summer
There is not much preparation that needs to be done for the summer seasons because this is when pond gardens thrive. When the water hits 70 degrees or higher, enough food should be given so the fish can consume it and grow. They don't need to be fed quite as much if there is enough algae control or aquatic life. Waterfalls or fountains can be added during this season to keep the pond oxygenated and cool.
A simple Internet search will provide a pond owner with hundreds of pond maintenance tips and aquatic dye products to choose from, this article narrows down the popular tips for each season - fall, winter, spring, and summer.
A simple Internet search will provide a pond owner with hundreds of pond maintenance tips and aquatic dye products to choose from, this article narrows down the popular tips for each season.
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