Spring Cleaning Tips for your Decorative Pond or Water Garden

Spring is the perfect time of the year to have a close look at your ponds and think about how to make them look their best for the coming year. Is there anything that you struggled with last year that we could help with? 

Early spring is the perfect time to give your pond a larger clean to remove any sludge build-ups. This will help set it up for the coming warmer season. Pockets of sludge that are left in the pond feed algae growths and can create other health issues for the fish if they are left for too long. 

Prevention is far better than a cure. 

To know what to look for, first check to see if there is a layer of muck at the bottom of the pond. This will include leaves and algae. If your water is discoloured and has an odour it’s well worth doing a full cleanout.

Here are a few tips for your Spring Pond Clean:

● Remove all larger debris from your pond using a net.

● If you have fish in your pond, make sure to get a holding tank ready for them. Fill the tank with the existing pond water.

● Once you have safely transported the fish to the holding tank, completely drain the pond. 

● Use a high pressure water cleaner to hose the rocks and remove any algae, muck and other build up of debris.

● Repot your water lilies to encourage growth and flowers.  Adding slow-release fertiliser will also help with their growth. If you have noticed their leaves getting smaller, that is a sign they are root bound and need to be repotted. We have a large selection of Water Lilies and other water plants available for purchase and get regular deliveries from the water plant wholesalers – if there is something you are after please get in touch 

● With the pond drained, now is also the perfect time to change your UV globes. These to need to be changed every year in order for them to work properly. We keep most globes in stock and have your equipment details on our database. We can send you the right globe if you want to DIY or we can do this for you with a pond service.

● Reconnect any filters and pumps once your pond is clean.

● Refill your pond and be sure to add in some pond detoxifier to remove chlorine and other toxins. Transport your fish to a fish bag or small container. Re-acclimate them by floating them in the newly filled pond for roughly 15-20 minutes, this will get them used to the changed temperature in the pond.

You’re done! Sit back and enjoy your sparkling oasis.