Having a pond in your yard can be a great way to enhance your landscape while also providing you with an enjoyable hobby. Cultivating a thriving pond environment can be a challenge at times, however, and it is not the right hobby for everyone. Not only do you need to install the proper equipment to keep your pond running properly, but you also need to engage in some basic cleaning and seasonal preparation tasks. In addition to preparing your pond for the winter season, you will also need to do some work in the spring to clean out your pond and to prepare it for the upcoming spring and summer. Read more to learn the basics about spring cleaning for your pond.
Planting Your Pond
Spring is the time to make your pond beautiful!
An important part of rejuvenating your pond in the spring is planting and rearranging the waterscape. If you are a creative person, you probably get a great deal of joy from arranging and decorating your pond. Do not be afraid to get creative with large stones and various types of plants – your pond is your canvas and you should feel free to decorate it as you see fit. Aquatic planters are a great way to add some vegetation to your waterscape without a great deal of hassle. These planters allow you to cultivate your favorite plants without subjecting them to nibbling by your pond fish. You can use an aquatic planter to cultivate almost any kind of plant, both aquatic and terrestrial, in order to provide your fish with shade and to enhance the appearance of your pond.
Substrate and Fertilizers
If you want to incorporate plants directly into your pond you will need to learn the basics about planting media and fertilizers. Check your local home and garden supply store for specially formulated aquatic planting media – these substrates are designed to provide aquatic plants with the nutrients they need to thrive. Aquatic planting media is lightweight and looser than traditional potting soil to allow for proper drainage and root development – many formulas also contain a variety of minerals including potassium, calcium and magnesium to support healthy plant growth. In addition to providing your plants with a high-quality planting medium, you may also want to consider fertilizer. Certain fertilizers that are formulated for water gardening will not only improve the health of your plants, but will also help to maintain high water quality in your pond. You may also want to look into plant tabs which can be dropped right into the pond to provide plants with added nutrients to support lush foliage.
Additional Tips and Tools
After a long winter, you will need to do some basic cleaning in your pond. Invest in a set of quality tools including pruning equipment, rubber gloves and whatever other equipment you need to clean out all the leaves and other debris that accumulated over the winter. Many pond owners choose to turn off their pond filter over the winter – if you are among this group, you will need to restart your filter in the spring and begin cultivating a new colony of beneficial bacteria to replace those that died over the winter. Beneficial bacteria play an incredibly important role in maintaining high water quality in the pond. As organic debris such as decaying plant matter, fish feces and uneaten fish food accumulate in the pond, ammonia and nitrite levels will rise and the water quality will decline.
In addition to starting up your pond filter, you may also want to consider adding EcoBio-Block nsM to your pond to help clear the water. These blocks are made from natural volcanic rock, infused with live beneficial bacteria that will help to reestablish the nitrogen cycle in your pond. One set of four EcoBio-Blocks nsM is sufficient for 100 to 400 gallons of water and once they are in place in your pond, you do not have to replace them for three years or more. Before you know it, the nitrogen cycle will be fully established in your pond and your fish will benefit from clean, clear water as well as a healthy aquatic environment.