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Easy Garden Pond Maintenance
Garden Pond maintenance is something that every pond owner has to put up with over a period of time. This may include cleaning pond filters, replacing old valves, pond winterizing, weed control, algae control, checking for chemicals and toxins, maintaining pH levels, monitoring fish health and so on.
Tips for Building an Easy to Maintain Pond
The time involved in garden pond maintenance work and the amount of money required, can be increased or decreased based on the type of pond, pond design and pond aquatic life. If you feel you won't be able to dedicate enough time for pond maintenance either because your job is strenuous or requires much traveling, then you can plan on building a pond that takes lesser maintenance effort. Discussed below are a few points that you can consider while planning your low maintenance garden pond.
Build your Pond away from Trees and Plants that shed lots of Debris
If your pond is located near trees and plants that tend to shed lots of debris then your maintenance work can be really daunting. This is because debris collected in pond water over a period of time can increase its PH level causing damage to the fish. In addition this can increase the nutrients present in the water giving rise to algae and a host of other related problems. This is why it is best to locate your pond as far away from trees and plants as possible to make it easy to maintain.
Don't locate your Pond in Low Lying Areas
You must plan on locating your pond in an area of your lawn that is not lying
low. This is to avoid run-off water from entering the pond area which
can lead to pollution. During rains water accumulated on your yard
tends to flow towards low lying areas carrying with it dry leaves,
fertilizers and other toxins. A pond located on a higher area can
avoid collecting this debris which can cause harm to pond life.
Consider Keeping a Pond Wall
Keeping a pond wall can seem like an unnecessary task in the beginning but can prove extremely useful especially if your area experiences rough climatic conditions. A pond wall designed in the right manner can add to the beauty of your pond at the same time protecting it from your garden debris and predators like cats.
Keep Fishes that require less care
If you are planning to build a low maintenance pond then keeping fish that require a huge deal of maintenance would be a bad idea. Try and select fishes that require the least care and have the best survival tendencies. Fishes like Koi are best avoided in a low maintenance pond.
Don't Overstock your Pond with Fish
Overstocking is directly equal to over or large pond maintenance. Lots of fishes stocked in a small pond can lead to a fight for survival kind of a situation as the fishes will have to deal with less oxygen and disproportionate PH levels. So try to stock your pond in a manner that all fishes have enough room to move around. A sparsely stocked pond with well planted aquatic plants will help your fish survive even without extra food.
Go for Native Aquatic Plants
Making use of native aquatic plants in your water garden is a great way to reduce the overall garden pond maintenance activities. Native plants will easily adapt to the environmental factors and hence will require less maintenance. In any case make sure you do not go for invasive or vigorously spreading plants like pampas grass or water hyacinths that can cause havoc to your pond if not maintained in a proper manner.
Make use of Biological and UV Filters along with Mechanical ones
Proper filtration is essential for any backyard pond having aquatic plants and animals. In addition to keeping the water clean, pond filters also aerate the water keeping the oxygen level of the water high at all times. Having only mechanical filters can help you keep the pond clean of debris but will not aid in cleansing the water of extra nutrients and harmful bacteria. This can lead to problems of algae and can also affect the health of the pond fishes. In order to avert this situation, plan on having adequate biological and UV filters in your pond along with mechanical ones. Filter maintenance will not be such a major issue and can be done once a month.
Build a Pond with proper depths
If your area experiences harsh winter then plan on building your back yard pond with adequate depth. Fish and some aquatic plants can freeze to death if the water is shallow. In-case of the pond being deep, fishes can survive with ease as the water down below will not freeze. This will lead to reduced winter pond maintenance.
Create a Balanced Ecosystem
A large garden pond having a balanced ecosystem will require by far the least maintenance. So make sure that your pond is complete with a variety of pond plants, rocks, stones and fishes. Well balanced ponds can at times survive easily without extensive management.
So if you are planning to build yourself a easy to maintain pond that beautifies your garden, and at the same time requires the least bit of maintenance; make sure to follow these pointers.
Related Reads
Tips to Maintain a Healthy Backyard Pond
Tips for Fish Pond Management
Preparing your Fish Pond For Winter
Effective tips to control Algae in Garden Ponds
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