A pond is alive, just like all other plants and trees in the garden. And so a pond also needs maintenance. A well-designed pond with pond substrate, pond bacteria and - most importantly - plenty and variety of pond plants, requires very little maintenance. In every season there is a job to be done without having to use chemicals or equipment to measure the water parameters. Pond specialist Simon tells you per season what you can do for pond maintenance for a clean and healthy pond.

To enjoy your pond all year round, it is necessary to maintain it. A good start is half the battle, because if the construction is done thoughtfully and expertly, your pond will require minimal maintenance. At Van der Velde aquatic plants we are committed to ponds that keep themselves in balance, making expensive and environmentally damaging pumping systems and pond filters unnecessary, in fact a balanced pond largely maintains itself. Pond plants are able to prevent algae growth and keep the water natural and healthy.

pond fish conduct

You can start feeding the fish in the pond again when the water temperature reaches about eight degrees. This is usually in the second half of March. The metabolism of the fish runs concurrently with the water temperature. So the fresher the water in the pond is, the less you need to feed the fish. So build up feeding the fish again slowly. Also, check that all the fish are still healthy by seeing if they are showing "normal behavior" and not lying quietly in a corner of the pond.

Thread algae prevention and control

Thread algae start their growth earlier than oxygen plants in March. In the fall, these algae grow just a little longer. This can lead to a pond suffering from filamentous algae in March. When maintaining the pond in March, try to remove string algae as much as possible. If necessary, you can combat string algae by giving the pond a special spring treatment.

Keeping heron out of the pond

A heron builds a nest early in spring. As a result, the energy requirements of these birds in early spring are already quite high. In the wild, herons find very little food in March. A pond is therefore especially attractive to them during this period. The best way to keep a heron out of your pond is to stretch a net over it. This will prevent the heron from entering the pond. Stretching wires about 2 meters above the pond also helps, to keep the heron away from the pond. When approaching and landing, the heron will hit these wires and get spooked.
Keeping the heron out of the pond is a part of pond maintenance that should not be overlooked. Visits by a heron to the pond can lead to a lot of damage. Think dead and injured fish, overturned plant baskets or even a leak in the pond liner.

To keep your pond maintenance to a minimum, we recommend not skimping on pond plants. This is because these plants help you keep the water clear, reducing the chance of algae growth. During the warmer months of the year, the water heats up mostly at the surface, an ideal situation for algae. Unless you have a nice mix of pond plants in place, which certainly water lilies can help you with. The beautiful bloomers grow on the surface of the water, keeping out the heat as well as the chance of algae.

Do you have an aquatic plant that should show a beautiful flower but doesn't? Annoying, but there is something you can do about it. It has to do with the plant's nutrition. Right now, your pond plant can't get enough nutrition from the current soil. To remedy this, Simon recommends repotting the plant in fresh pond soil to which you add special pond plant food. If you then also re-pot the plant in a slightly shallower spot, your pond plant will have enough energy and sunlight to do bloom.

We cannot say it often enough; pond bacteria are indispensable for any pond. The small organisms know how to convert pollutants such as nitrite or nitrate into CO2. The CO2 that they excrete into the pond water provides nutrition for the (plentiful) oxygen plants. Thus they help each other and together - especially if you also have a low pond substrate - they ensure that algae have virtually no chance to grow in the pond.

Outside influences such as precipitation or leaf fall also have their effect on your pond. A heavy rainfall adds water to your pond, and many pond stores then advise getting started with water measurements and remedies. Not necessary, according to Simon, provided your pond meets some important conditions: pond substrate, sufficient and varied pond plants and the addition of pond bacteria. The latter you add to your existing pond twice a year, helping your pond maintain its biological balance despite the weather.

You give the plants in your garden a pruning every now and then. This is also what you do best with your aquatic plants . In a healthy pond, they grow nicely, but you want to prevent the whole pond from growing full or from growing so large that they pollute your pond. That's why you trim them once a year in the fall. This applies to oxygen plants that grow underwater, but equally to marsh plants and other species that grow above the water's surface. For example, parts of the water lily die off at the end of the season. To prevent them from sinking to the bottom and rotting, remove the dead leaves and flowers from the pond as soon as possible.

This is the time to restart your pond, so to speak. You can take these four steps to maintain your pond.

• In early spring, take a close look at your plantings before they start growing vigorously. Remove the old, brown leaves from your aquatic plants to get them ready for spring again.
• This is also the time to clean the bottom of the pond. Organic waste from plants may have accumulated on the pond substrate and if you have pond fish , their droppings and excess food may have accumulated. For this reason, clean the pond every season.
• Are you done cleaning? Then we recommend adding a dose of fresh pond bacteria and nutrient tablets to the pond. This is because many bacteria did not survive the winter. The new bacteria will ensure that your pond can start up healthy and help keep the water clear for the rest of the year. We recommend Bacta Clear, this is suitable for any pond.
• After these jobs, take a good look at your pond and decide if there are still enough pond plants in it. If not, place new specimens, including marsh and aquatic plants. If it is up to Simon, always add new plants in the spring, especially oxygen plants. hornwort is a good choice then. The plants are vigorous in this season and will immediately do their part to restore the balance to its optimum. Plus, you'll enjoy even more flowering plants in your pond.

As fall sets in, it's time to get your pond ready for winter.

• One task at this time is to prune pond plants that have grown too large or long. Do not remove the entire plant from the water, but only the excess parts. You can also prune water lilies ; this can be done now or in early spring. The latter is a good idea if you have fish in the pond, because fish will still find shelter under and among the leaves of the lilies all winter.
• Sumpfpflanzen grow above the surface of the water and here and there the leaves will turn yellow. Time to intervene, the leaves are dying and you can cut them off in the fall. Cut it to about 20 inches above the water level.
• Is your pond close to a tree? Then there is a good chance that leaves will collect in the pond in autumn. remove these leaves from the water as much as possible. Tip: After this, stretch a net over your pond so that no more leaves will fall into the water in the coming weeks.

In winter, your pond generally requires little maintenance. This is because nature is in a dormant period and the pond can largely maintain itself. If your pond has green water after winter, you may have floating algae. You can deal with these in the spring. It is advisable to keep a regular eye during the winter months to ensure that your pond remains in good condition and can address any problems in a timely manner.