As winter starts to fade and spring starts to come into view, those who maintain ponds are eager to bring those ponds back to life. However, before this can occur, there are some things you need to take care of first.
One thing that you need to do is to carefully inspect your pond. There could be winter damage to any of the components that keep the pond in good working order or even damage to the pond itself. You should note these occurrences of damage and repair them before bringing your pond back to life.
You also need to clean your pond. No matter how meticulous you are in keeping your pond clean during the spring, summer, and fall, chances are that the winter season has caused your pond to be in less than pristine condition. Even with leaf netting, chances are high that at least a few leaves have gotten into your pond and settled at the bottom of it. You need to scoop these leaves out manually or with a pond vacuum.
Spring is certainly the time to start your pump back up after it’s been off during the winter season. When the water temperature has reached 50 degrees, it’s advisable for you to restart your pump. Most people will just turn on their pumps and then leave them unattended, such as leaving their homes to run errands, etc. This is not wise, as you want to make sure that the pump is functioning as it was when you turned it off the previous fall. You should spend some time at your house after you turn it on and ensure that the pump is functioning as it should.
You should give your filter system a complete cleaning before starting it again. You should also increase the number of bacteria in your pond to increase the speed of the clean-up process and to maintain the health of your pond over the course of the upcoming pond season. A good way to increase the number of bacteria in your pond is by using EcoBio-Block® nsM or EcoBio-Block Wave.
You should test the condition of the pond water, specifically the nitrite and ammonia levels. If either of these readings is higher than zero, perform partial water changes to get both readings down to zero.
You should check on the condition of the fish in your pond. Spring is the time of year when fish are most susceptible to health problems and diseases; gram-negative bacteria are one of the greatest problems, as they can cause severe infections in your fish. There are products on the market to help minimize their risk to these infections, and it’s important that you try to keep them from becoming infected, as it’s very difficult to eliminate the infections once they have them.
Another major problem faced by fish in the spring are internal worms. There are types of medicated fish food to help protect from these worms. Pond salt can also help ward off diseases and pathogens. Safe, natural treatment products can also help to ensure the strong health of your fish as spring begins.
Wait until the water temperature is consistently above 50 degrees before you begin feeding your fish again. You should feed them a type of food that is formulated for the spring and fall seasons and continue to give them this food until the water temperature is consistently in the 60s.
You should not forget about the plants that you brought into your house from the pond at the end of last season. As the water temperature reaches the 50s, you should begin fertilizing them. If they are getting too crowded in the pots they were placed in, you should divide them to ensure that they reach their maximum growth and flowering potential.
Spring is the time of year when many things come back to life, including your pond. By using the information above, you can ensure that your pond returns to its active form quickly and without any major problems so that your fish and plants can once again populate your pond without incident.