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Pond maintenance Pond maintenance, what to do Pond maintenance should not be forgotten, we recently had a question asking about this, in respect that a new pond owner is now looking after a very old pond and that the pump filter keeps getting blocked, and will a foul water pump help? As we knew the pond to be old and the pump keeps getting blocked, this implies that the pond is full of old decaying matter and a foul water pump will soon get blocked as it is only designed to pump foul water, not sludge. This brings us to our point, in autumn, if at all possible a pond should be covered with a net, this will stop falling leaves from getting into the pond, and therefore decaying and turning into sludge. A pond should be emptied / cleaned out at least once a year. it is debatable as to when it should be done either in September or April (end or beginning of season) Never do it in any other month, but with the weather the way it is changing it is up to you when you clean it, but do not do it in the summer. When you decide to clean your pond have a couple of buckets ready, catch as much of the wildlife / fish as you can and put them in the buckets you have previously filled with pond water. If you can save as much of the existing pond water that you can. Now your pond is empty of water, here is the (usually) smelly part, you have to get out the sludge from the bottom, we have found the best way is to use a plastic dustpan, as this collects a lot and has no sharp edges, put the sludge to one side of your pond, and leave it there for a few days in case their is any small wild life trapped in it. Next you should "scrub" the pond with a brush (the one you had for your dustpan is usually ok) it is also a good idea to have a slow running hose to wash away any material as you scrub. CLEANING PRODUCTS can be used as a last resort, but if you do rinse your pond, let it dry then rinse again a pressure washer can be used, but do not hold the lance too close as it may rip your liner. Now the pond is clean and you emptied out the washing water, you can now refill your pond, pour back all the pond water you saved and if you can top up with rain water, if not a hose will do, but you should point the hose upwards (a bit like a fountain) to help dissipate the chlorine in tap water, also a dechlorinator will help. Let the water settle for at least 24 hours and then re introduce your fish, wildlife and plants. Now would also be a good time to replace your u.v clarifier lamp and clean its quartz tube, but follow the manufacturers instructions, if you are not sure which lamp you require, do not guess, take the old one with you, (a new quartz tube would be a good idea too as they break easily Also if your pond filter has sponges these should be changed roughly every other year, you can clean them but you need to thoroughly clean them.
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