What you need to know about spring pond care
Spring is a critical time for pond owners to start taking care of their ecosystem pond. The winter season can leave debris, decaying matter, and excess nutrients in the pond, which can lead to a variety of problems like algae blooms, poor water quality, and unhealthy fish.
Taking good spring pond care will prevent issues.
Spring is a great time to
- Get the pond cleaned! Yes, I said, “get the pond cleaned.” Many people can do it themselves and that is great! I find that pond professionals are much faster, do a better job and have the best equipment to do it. Read more about that HERE.
- Divide and fertilize plants. Some plants should be divided and fertilized so that they can be their best selves for the season. This is especially true for water lilies and iris.
- Remove the matted roots of cattails that have taken over too much of the pond.
- Count the fish. Really, it is so hard to get a good count when they are in the pond. They are usually moved to a portable pond while the cleaning is done and can be counted easily there. If not, count them as they are netted and put back into the pond.
- Do a partial water change. This will happen when it’s being cleaned. But if you don’t clean it, at least do a 20% water change. Use Dechlorinator and beneficial bacteria when you are done.
Make sure you know the difference between cattails and water lilies if you have them growing in the bottom of the pond (as opposed to in pots). During the cleanout you need to know if you are removing cattails, when you want to keep the waterlilies. Sometimes they do need to be thinned out!
Address pond problems
- Inspect equipment. The pressure filter system, aerators, and pumps need to be working correctly.
- If you have been having leaking, broken lights or weird pump noises, now is the time to take care of these issues!
- Begin adding beneficial bacteria weekly.
- Start thinking about adding aquatic plants. You can either get them at a local nursery that carries them or order them on line. On line plant providers usually, mail them out as soon as the risk of frost in your area has passed. These can be added when the risk of frost has passed. In Zone 5, that’s roughly May 15.
By following a regular spring pond care routine, you can help maintain a healthy and thriving ecosystem pond all season long.
Looking for other pond information? We have lots of it! Just search at the top of the page or browse through our articles in Kristi’s Pond Blog.
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