The Fall Pond
The recent cooler temperatures are telling me that Fall is definitely here. I love this time of year and definitely love my pond in the Fall. Watching the beautifully colored leaves fall slowly down around my pond is an awesome sight, but it also reminds me that I now have to start preparing my pond for the winter. Just as I need to prepare my other outdoor landscaping for winter, my pond needs some TLC maintenance as well.
Leaves can be a big problem for pond owners in the Fall. Doing your best to keep leaves out of the pond in the Fall will make for a cleaner and more clear pond next Spring. And cleaning out piles of wet, decaying leaves is not something I want to be doing when Spring arrives. Leaves will sink to the bottom where they decay and upset the balance of the pond’s ecosystem. They also release gasses that can be trapped in the water by surface ice and result in fish kill. Decaying leaves on the pond’s floor can release tannis into the water turning it a tea color as well. So my main goal in the Fall is to keep the leaves from getting into the pond in the first place.
Now, it’s almost an impossible task to keep all the leaves out of a pond, but there are some things that can be done to help minimize the amount of leaves that do collect in your pond. First I empty my skimmer basket often - at least once a day. And one helpful hint to remember: DON’T EMPTY YOUR SKIMMER BASKET/NET NEAR YOUR POND OR YOU’LL BE REMOVING THE SAME LEAVES OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!
Secondly, I use a long handled net on a regular basis to remove any leaves or debris floating in the pond or that have sunk to the bottom. Since I don’t have a lot of trees around my pond, this usually does the trick for me.
However, many people have lots of trees around their pond and that translates into lots of leaves at this time of the year. So here’s a suggestion if you fall into this category: Install protective netting over your pond. Stretch the netting across the surface of the pond and fasten the edges to the ground with long ground staples. BE CAREFUL THOUGH NOT TO PUNCTURE THE LINER!!!!! This protective layer of netting will keep the majority of leaves out of the pond and make it easier to gather up and dispose of the leaves. Keep the netting in place until the bulk of the leaves have fallen, but be sure to remove the netting before the pond freezes over for the winter. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REGULARLY CLEAN THE LEAVES FROM THE NETTING AND DISPOSE OF THEM. THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY USING A LEAF BLOWER OR PULLING THE NETTING AWAY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE POND AND REMOVING THE LEAVES. RE-ATTACH THE NET BACK OVER THE POND WHEN LEAVES HAVE BEEN REMOVED. After the netting has been removed before winter, use the long handled net to scoop out any additional leaves/debris that may get into the pond.
Don’t worry about leaving a few leaves behind…they will give frogs and insects a place to hibernate over the winter.
If anyone has been successful at keeping leaves and debris out of a pond using a different method that might be beneficial for others to know, please share it with us.
Aqua Par Lifestyles
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Thanks for an explanation. I did not know it.