Garden Pond Winter Care & Maintenance

Garden ponds and water features are a beautiful addition to any garden. With minimal care and maintenance they provide a rich natural habitat for a range of wildlife and aquatic plants. For the small to medium size garden pond there are lots of choice today; a preformed one piece structure, or a flexible pond liner, where shape and contour is largely in the hands and creative imagination of the gardener. Both are relatively easy to install, and both don’t actually require a great deal in the way of tools or do-it-yourself skills

Whichever pond you choose, without a little care and attention they can quickly become overgrown and neglected. Weeds take over; the water turns green and unclean, and an unhealthy environment for fish and other aquatic life is created.

Pond maintenance – a seasonal thing

Different seasons bring different environmental conditions, which will affect a garden pond – this mini eco-system – in different ways.

From a gardening point of view – if bad weather is on its way – it’s perhaps better we get it over and done with. Balmy, spring like conditions as many are experiencing can confuse plants and cause all sorts of problems.

A pond stocked with fish is one such area that can be affected by freezing temperatures. In all but the most severe of cases, a frozen garden pond can be quite easily defrosted by placing a kitchen pan of warm water on the surface, moving it around from time to time. Or for larger ponds a pond heater will be quicker and easier.

If a severe frost is forecast try floating a football on the pond surface to delay ice formation. The shock waves caused by simply smashing the ice are harmful to fish and is therefore not advised.

Now is the time to get the pruning shears out and cut back overhanging branches and vegetation – allow extra light in, to help submerged plants and algae to photosynthesize and in doing so increase oxygen levels in the water.

Prune out all dead leaves and debris from aquatic plants to avoid a build up of decomposing vegetation in the pond. For your convenience, local pond vacuum hire is available for autumn and spring maintenance for your aquatic pond.

Tip – Silt collected from the base of a pond during cleaning is a great fertilizer for your border plants.

Winter is a good time to have a look around your pond, to check its general condition and to identify any little repair jobs that may be needed. Have you notice dropping water levels for example?

If a pond is found to be leaking, it will need draining and visually inspected to identify the source of the leak. The electric pump used to circulate and filter the pond water is the tool to do this.

Remember to safely re-house all fish and plants before draining. Where leaks are found most ponds today can be easily and quickly repaired, but do check with the manufacturers or suppliers recommendations.

Garden pond care and maintenance will depend in part on the size of the pond, its location and environment, its plant life, and the wildlife inhabitants. Today there are many accessories and aids to help maintain an attractive and healthy pond – please take a look through our range of aquatics and water garden products and should you require any assistance or advice on any aspect of caring or installing a garden pond, then please call us, we’d be happy to help.

Published January 13th, 2015 by Jordan. Article ref 3485

Tags: pond

« What Vegetables Can I Plant In January? | 7 Flowers To Encourage Birds Into Your Garden »