Pond Care in Spring: How to Prepare Your Pond for the Season
When the temperatures start rising in spring, the garden pond and its inhabitants come to life again. The pond fish are becoming increasingly active and the pond plants are beginning to grow. At the same time, however, the growth of algae in the garden pond also begins in spring, which is partly due to the pond sludge that has accumulated at the bottom.
In order to prevent problems regarding the water quality, it is important that you pay the necessary attention to pond care in spring. In the following, we will explain how to do this correctly.
Pond care in spring – the main points at a glance
- When tending the pond in spring, please check whether the PH value and the carbonate hardness of the water are correct.
- The garden pond must be cleaned of dirt and excess pond sludge in spring.
- The pond filter must be checked for functionality and put back into operation.
- Pond owners should pay attention to the care of the aquatic plants as well as the shore in spring.
- With Aquaris pond care products, you are opting for chemical-free solutions to get your pond back in shape in spring.
When in spring should pond care begin?
You can start preparing your pond for spring as early as March. However, you should wait with the finishing touches until May to finally get your garden pond ready for the season. It is only from this point in time that you can be sure that there will be no more severe night frosts, so that even aquatic plants and pond inhabitants that are sensitive to the cold can be put back into the tank.
Checking carbonate hardness and PH-value
Before you start cleaning your garden pond, you should check the carbonate hardness and the pH value. This can be done easily with the appropriate equipment such as corresponding test strips.
The carbonate hardness should ideally be between degrees 5 and 8dKH, while the PH value should be 7 to 8.5. If necessary, use Aquaris POND Stable pH/KH to stabilise the water parameters in your garden pond.
Manual pond cleaning
After you've taken care of the water parameters, it's time to rid the pond of pollutants. It is advisable to remove objects such as leaves or the remains of dead plants from the water surface with a net.
Apart from that you should also remove the pond sludge that has accumulated at the bottom of the pool. The more pond sludge there is in the garden pond, the more nutrients there are in the water, which leads to increased growth of algae when temperatures rise in spring.
With Aquaris POND Mud EX, you can reliably remove excess pond sludge without using chemicals.
Maintenance of technical pond equipment
In addition to cleaning the pond water, the maintenance of the pond filter and the pump is an essential part of pond care in spring. Check whether the equipment still works properly. Replace the filter sponges from the previous year and carry out repairs if necessary. If you have fitted your pond with lighting, now is the time to check that too and make sure it's still in working order.
Use Aquaris' POND Bakto filter starter in spring before switching on your pond filter to support the natural cleaning of the water and to ensure optimal filter performance.
Maintain and prune aquatic plants
If you are already undertaking pond sludge removal, you should also tend to the aquatic plants in your pond. Remove dead plant components and prune plants to encourage growth.
If necessary, you can divide plants that are too large. However, make sure that the planting in your pond is well balanced so that all aquatic plants can develop optimally. For this purpose it may make sense not to put all the divided plants back into the tank.
Aquatic plants that are sensitive to the cold that you have stored away over the winter can now also be put back in your garden pond. Like the other aquatic plants, you should cut them back, too, if necessary and remove dead plant parts.
If too many aquatic plants died during the cold months, you can add new plants to your pond. As with the existing plants, you must ensure that the planting is balanced.
Maintaining the shore
In addition to the pond itself, you should also pay a little attention to the shore as part of pond care in spring. Take care of the plants on land. Inspect the shore reinforcement for possible damage and repair it if necessary.
Maybe you've been wanting some changes for a while. In this case, now is just the right time to redesign your garden pond and its immediate surroundings.
Don't forget the fish in the pond
As you may know, the fish in your garden pond are cold-blooded animals. Accordingly, the water dwellers become increasingly active with rising temperatures. Provide your pond fish with high-quality fish food so that the animals can regain their strength after the winter.
Also make sure that the fish stock is still appropriate for the size of your pond. If there are more fish in the garden pond than the sensitive ecosystem can handle, you should give a few specimens away. You can either give them to friends who also have a pond or offer them on second hand websites.
Pond maintenance in spring – our conclusion
As you can see, a lot of work awaits you when it comes to pond care in the spring. But the effort involved is definitely worth it. After all, with the right care measures taken in spring you can make your garden pond fit for the season and thus ensure that you can enjoy it throughout the warm months of the year.