8 Spring Maintenance Tips for Your Pond

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get a little maintenance done on your pond to get it ready for full enjoyment. Our quick list of spring tasks can help prevent future problems from arising throughout the pond season.

Some pond enthusiasts enjoy performing their own maintenance, but you can always hire a professional to take care of it for you. Certified Aquascape Contractors are trained to properly care for ponds and water features. You can find a CAC in your area by clicking here.

1. Clean out your pond

Whether that means a full cleanout or just skimming debris off the surface and rinsing your filters. Make an easy task of a full cleanout with our handy spring cleanout instructions.

2. Check your pond pump to make sure that it’s clean and functioning correctly.

Your pump is the heart of your water feature and needs to be in tip-top shape at all times. You’ll need to hook it up and place it back in the skimmer or bottom of the pond if you shut down your pond for the winter. Learn more about water feature pond pump maintenance.

3. Fix any leaks in your water feature.

Constantly adding tap water to make up for a loss of pond water means the constant addition of nutrients which will eventually promote algae growth. The best time to fix a leak is when you clean your pond in the spring. That way you can rest easy the rest of pond season.

4. Remove algae and other debris left over from the season before.

This is crucial because an excess of decaying debris will add to the nutrient levels in the pond, giving algae a smorgasbord of food for months to come. Aquascape offers several solutions for removing algae.

5. Start adding beneficial bacteria treatments

Add Beneficial Bacteria regularly throughout the season. It competes with the algae for available nutrients, starving the algae of its food source.  Choose Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria for early spring and then switch to regular Beneficial Bacteria during summer after the pond water temperature stays at 50 degrees or warmer. To make things really easy, choose an Automatic Dosing System to do the work for you!

6. Add plants to control algae.

Since plants directly compete with algae for nutrients, they are a critical addition to the pond. The sooner you can get them planted, the better (providing the threat of frost is gone). Using a wide variety of plants will not only add to the natural look of the pond, but will reduce algae growth as well. Add waterlilies, marginal plants, and floaters such as water lettuce or water hyacinth.

7. DO NOT overfeed your fish.

Fish food that is not eaten will add more nutrients to the pond, helping feed the algae. Not to mention, the more your fish eat, the more they poop – and that adds nutrients to the pond, as well. See our 5 Tips for Feeding Fish article for more information.

8. Last but not least, have fun with your water feature!

Spruce it up with new landscaping, add a fountain within your feature, add lighting, or change up some of the rock work! Get creative because after all, your water feature is your masterpiece to enjoy and show off to others.

Need more information on getting your water feature ready for the season? Check out this short video below:

Control Pond Waste and Debris