Ponds and water gardens can make any backyard, golf course, or commercial space into a relaxing oasis. Summer is usually an optimal time to enjoy ponds and water gardens. Even on the hottest of days, it can be incredibly relaxing just to sit by the pond for a short time and enjoy the sights and sounds of the water. Ponds do, however, require regular and routine maintenance. Keeping up with routine summer pond maintenance can halt the spread of algae, and keep the water clean among many other things. Valley Green has many products for you to help with routine summer pond maintenance.
Here are some tips on routine summer pond maintenance.
The easiest thing you can do to keep your pond or water garden looking good is to keep the water level up. When the water level gets lower, it is more prone to becoming stagnant. If you have a larger pond on a golf course, you can’t really top that off with water. You’ll have to hope that it rains enough to keep your pond full. Keeping a smaller pond full can easily be done with a garden hose. If you have fish or ornamental plants in the pond, you’ll want to condition the water first to make sure it is chemical-free.
You’ll also want to clear out dead and decaying vegetation. It can make the pond smelly and lead to increased nitrogen levels which can turn your water green. Dead vegetation can also lead to a layer of sediment building up at the bottom which can also make your water unhealthy and stagnant. You’ll also want to keep up with clearing out algae. Algae grows very fast and can choke out a pond. You can purchase an algae control product, or manually remove the algae with a net.
Water gardens can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, especially if there are stagnant parts. Keep the population down by putting in a filter and pump to keep the water moving. You should check the filer weekly and make sure it is free of debris. You can also purchase a product to keep mosquitoes at bay in your pond or purchase a few bat houses to control them naturally.
As the weather starts to get hotter, your water temperature will start to rise. Warmer water contains less oxygen so you’ll need to make sure you have an aeration system. This can be with a pump or waterfall. Warmer water can become unhealthy if it is not properly maintained. To keep your fish ok, you should test the nitrates and ammonia level daily.