Autumn is coming: clean and protect your garden pond

Summer is coming to an end and the garden will gradually prepare for fall and winter. If a garden pond does not seem subject to the major transformations experienced by the vegetation at this time of year, it is nevertheless appropriate that we are interested in it. Because even if it is more discreet, life is also present in water and deserves the greatest care.

Remove fallen leaves from trees

Far from constituting a protection against possible external aggressions, the leaves which pile up on the surface of a basin or a pond can on the contrary become a threat. Leaves are indeed organisms that decompose when dead, a process that can affect the “composition” of pond water. It is therefore necessary at all costs to prevent this from happening, especially if the body of water is home to fish. We advise you to place a net for your pond at the fall of the first dead leaves. You can order a net on our online store by clicking here .

Another danger posed by dead leaves when they accumulate on and in a pond: they can clog the filters and other devices installed, to the point of rendering them completely inoperative.

However, if pumps, filters and other water jets are installed, it is because they have a real utility, in terms of filtration, cleanliness, oxygenation and composition of the water. It is therefore necessary to intervene.

How ? Simply by removing the leaves from the surface of the water using a pond net , or by directly placing a pond net . To do this, you can then proceed with a rake and/or a landing net. It's effective and you end up having the last word. But what a waste of time and energy...

The other solution is to stretch a net above the pond. He is the one who will do the work of collecting the leaves for you, and most likely much better than you. Then just get rid of it, less often and more easily.

Clean the pool

Whatever we do, plants always end up, over the months, colonizing basins and other ponds. The consequence of this colonization is that they modify the water balance, in particular by decomposing and transforming into mud which accumulates at the bottom of the water. Therefore, this mud influences the composition of the water and can harm the animal and plant life of the body of water. 

Since great evils require great remedies, the temptation can be great to completely empty the pool, clean it, then fill it again. Radical indeed, this solution is however to be avoided. Indeed, plants and fish — when there are any — create over the weeks an environment conducive to their life and development.

It is therefore advisable to preserve this ecosystem as well as possible, not to break it in any case, under penalty of harming the very existence of plants and animals. So how do you get rid of the silt without emptying the pool? Simply by sucking it up and addingbacteria that will improve the digestion of the organic matter at the bottom.

Pond vacuum cleaners are in fact marketed, which make it possible to clean the bottom of a body of water while preserving the balance that living organisms have created over time.

Regularly check the water quality

Good water quality is essential to a healthy pond. Three elements must be checked to make an accurate assessment. The first is the pH, which ideally should be between 5 and 8. If it is too acidic (below 7), there is too much organic matter in the water. If it is too basic (above 7), the water is not sufficiently aerated, it lacks oxygen and therefore stagnates.

The second element to check is the hardness of the water. Without going into tedious explanations, let's just remember that this hardness - expressed in TH, for hydrotimetric title - must be between 10 and 15 to be suitable for animal and plant life. The rate of oxygenation of the water is also a determining factor that life develops in a garden pond. Fish that rise to the surface to seek air are a sure sign that the water in which they live lacks oxygen.

Fortunately, certain plants such as the submerged hornwort, common pesse, elodea or water violet help to produce oxygen. Similarly, the installation of a pump coupled to a water jet also makes it possible to properly aerate a body of water. Finally, the clearer the water, the more sunlight it penetrates and the better off aquatic plants and animals are. It is therefore necessary to regularly clean the filters of the pond so that they fulfill their function perfectly.

Preparing plants and fish for next winter

Once all the “environmental” measures have been taken, it is time to prepare the aquatic plants for the onset of cold weather. First thing to do: protect them from possible frosts. Indeed, aquatic plants like the others are very sensitive to the cold and it is preferable to "transfer" to the bottom of the basin those which are possibly cultivated near the surface, in pots or baskets. Trimming them before their "transfer" can also be useful to help them get through the winter well. Once the fine weather returns, it will then suffice to wind them up so that they can once again enjoy the light and the heat of the sun. 

You can also give the fish a little boost so that they can survive the winter well. As long as they eat, for example, we can give them vitamins. It strengthens them and helps them to stock up. When the water gets cold and they stop feeding, then it's time to stop the filtration and, if necessary, clean it again. Also be sure to turn off anything that can help cool the water further, especially waterfalls. 

Everything is now ready for the cold days to go by without worry. It's time to let the garden's aquatic flora and fauna doze off, then wait patiently for the return of spring. And, with it, the awakening of nature.