Fall is a time when many pond owners may find debris and leaves in their pond. This may clog up the pump and cause build-up. With the constant falling leaves in fall and the dropping temperatures, cleaning your pond is extremely important. It is crucial to maintain your pond such that it is in the pink of health even when winter arrives.
Getting Rid of Debris and Leaves
Falling leaves is not a problem every pond owner has to face. However, for those who reside in colder regions or own a pond that is located near or under multiple trees, it is important to get rid of the falling leaves in the pond. You may think that all you need to handle the cleaning is a skimmer filter. However, your skimmer filter may not be able to catch all the debris and leaves. In this case, some of the debris and leaves may reach the bottom of the pond and decompose there. The best way to prevent such debris and leaves from reaching the bottom of your pond is to use a pond net. Keeping debris and leaves out of your pond can help to keep it healthy even during winter. When leaves and debris hit the bottom of your pond and begin to decompose, they will release gases that could potentially harm your plants and fish within the pond.
Caring For the Fish in Your Pond
When the temperatures start to fall and the weather becomes colder, pond fish such as koi will start to hibernate. As such, it is important for pond owners to be mindful when feeding the pond fish. When temperatures of the environment have reached 50-60 degrees, owners should reduce frequency of feeding to once daily or even once every two days. Once the temperature falls to below 50 degrees, it may be a wise decision to stop feeding completely. During hibernation, the digestive systems of pond fish slow down significantly, and continuously feeding them can result in health problems and may even lead to death.
You can choose to measure the temperature of your pond with a thermometer. If you are unsure about how much food to feed your fishes, it would be best to approach a professional to ask.
Caring For the Plants in Your Pond
Fall is the best time to tend to the plants in your pond, especially with winter coming right up after. Frost from the cold weather can end up harming and killing your plants, which may lead to them decaying in your pond and subsequently feeding algae. Pond owners can consider dividing and re-potting plants that can be saved. Tropical plants like water lilies can be brought indoors while other plants that are more hardy in nature can be trimmed and cut once they start turning brown in color.
If you are still unsure about how to care for your pond or if you simply have no time to do the maintenance work for your pond, your best option would be to engage professionals to do it for you. Fitz’s Fish Ponds has a team of professionals that can help you with your pond cleaning work to keep your pond healthy. Contact us to find out more about our pond cleaning services today!