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Seasonal Pond
Maintenance Services |
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Spring Cleanout |
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Nearly every pond
benefits from a spring cleanout. This eliminates any
mucky leaves and sludge from the previous season, which
helps control algae and keep the water clear and the
fish healthy. If you
find the job too difficult or too mucky to do yourself,
we can do it for you! Give us a call at 715-723-8220, and we'll put you
on the schedule.
If you have a very large pond (10,000 gallons for
instance) it may not require a cleanout every year. Very
large ponds tend to remain more balanced and may not
accumulate significant sludge. |
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A basic spring
cleanout is performed as follows: |
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Drain the pond, catch any fish, then hose it down and
continue pumping the water out until clean. Rinse out
the gravel filter if you have one. Make sure any pond
lights are working. Rocks are not generally removed from
the pond, although some rebuilding may be done if rocks
have been dislodged during the winter or during the
cleanout operation. After the pond is clean and any
needed repairs have been done, you can fill the pond
with water. Add bacteria* and start up the system
(waterfalls, etc) again. Fish that have wintered in the
pond can go back in -- just be sure to dechlorinate your
water first if necessary. New fish or fish that have
wintered indoors should wait until the water is
consistently 55-60 degrees (May) to prevent cold shock
and sickness. Your pond water should be
60°F before adding new
greenhouse-grown hardy water lilies, and 70°F before
introducing new tropicals. |
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Why do we add
bacteria in the spring? |
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To keep a pond naturally balanced, we dose it
with beneficial bacteria as part of the spring cleanout.
These bacteria colonize on the rocks and gravel and
especially in the filter, where they work to break down
sludge and keep your water clear. A brief algae bloom is
normal in early spring while the system is
reestablishing itself. If your algae problem persists,
stop by the nursery and ask us about it.
For more information on how bacteria help keep
your pond clean, see: |
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How Biological Filters Work |
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Fall Pond Closeup |
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In our northern climate, we
recommend closing down your water feature for
winter. If you would like us to close up your
pond for you, give us a call at
715-723-8220, and we will put you on the schedule. Typically
we close up ponds late in October, but it does depend on
the weather! |
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A basic pond closeup
is performed as follows: |
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Remove any pumps or fountains and store them out of the
frost in a plastic bag or in water to keep the rubber
seals moist. (If the seals dry out, the pump will not
work.) If you have an automatic fill device with a
float, remove this and store it out of the frost as
well. Disconnect the automatic fill line and blow it out
with an air compressor. Cut off and remove excessive
vegetation. If you are wintering fish in your pond, also
remove excess fallen leaves.
If you have fish, you may either winter them in the pond
or take them inside. To catch the fish, you will need to
partially drain the pond, but the pond should then be
refilled to protect the hardy plants.
For more information on caring for your fish during the
winter, see: |
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Caring for Pond Fish |
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If you have questions or
would like to hire us to perform these tasks,
give us a call at 715-723-8220. We're here to
help! |
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Visit our Pond Shoppe for expert advice and a
full range of quality pond care products! |
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