
Proper Pond Maintenance: 5 Pond Management Resolutions for 2023
5 Pond Management Resolutions to take better care of your Pond in 2023 and ensure proper pond maintenance.
Proper Pond Maintenance is vital for a vibrant and healthy pond which will look good, and support a healthy infrastructure of fish, waterfowl and other pond inhabitants. With attention to these 5 items and a small financial investment you can keep your pond healthy and avoid major problems (and expensive) clean up projects later.
Debris Removal
Keep the banks of your pond free from trash, landscaping debris, and other items that will harm your pond’s water and inhabitants. Landscape debris such as grass clippings, leaves, dead foliage, and tree branches will decay and add to the harmful “muck’ at the bottom of your pond. This muck buildup limits the oxygen intake and adds phosphorus and other harmful chemicals to your pond, making your pond’s environment unlivable for fish and waterfowl.
Trash such as plastic grocery bags can be deadly to waterfowl, fish, and turtles which can get entangled in these items, suffocate or starve and die. Trash also accumulates and clogs drain pipes and water intakes, leading to expensive cleanup efforts. Proper pond maintenance goes a long way to make your pond clean and healthy.
Avoid Fertilizing close to your Pond
Fertilizers and Pond waters aren’t friends! Runoff from fertilizers drains into your pond where it breaks down and becomes food for harmful bacteria and algae. Algae blooms are bad news for a pond, they thrive in fertilizer-engorged waters, soaking up the oxygen, blocking sunlight and slowly forcing out good foliage and pond life.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALGAE AND OTHER AQUATIC PLANT LIFE
We suggest keeping fertilizers at least 15-20 feet away from the pond’s edge and if possible do not fertilize at all near your pond. Never dump grass clippings or dead landscaping foliage in your pond, this is the same as pouring fertilizer in your pond.
Add Aeration or Fountains to your pond
Proper oxygen levels in a pond or lake are required for a healthy pond that can support a thriving aquatic community.
NOT SURE WHAT TYPE OF AERATION UNIT OR FOUNTAIN TO USE IN YOUR POND – LEARN MORE
Aerators help raise the oxygen levels “bottom-up”;
they infuse oxygen at the bottom of your pond with the bubbles rising to the surface. Aerators help limit muck build-up and are the preferred solution for deep water ponds with muck build-up concerns. Fountains are a good resource for shallow ponds, they oxygenate the water “top-down” with the streams of water forcing oxygen into the pond as it lands on the surface.
Fountains are also the right choice for a pond owner looking for an aesthetically pleasing addition to their fish ponds. They are a wide assortment of Fountain Spray patterns and Lighting options.