The right gestures to maintain a garden pond as autumn approaches

Autumn is the season when the beautiful sunny days slowly give way to the cold. As a result, it is necessary to adopt the right gestures to maintain a garden pond as autumn approaches. Here are some tips for spending the fall in peace and enjoying a pool at its best.

These will make it possible to properly prepare the pool, and preserve aquatic plants and aquatic animals during the winter season. Discover our selection of products for fall here (here).

What happens in autumn in a garden pond?

When fall arrives, the trees take on their beautiful colors of red and orange tones. It's pretty, but a lot of leaves can fall into your pond. The temperature begins to drop, marked in particular by the morning mist and the coolness of the late afternoon. In addition, the fauna and flora of the basin are slowing down and gradually coming to rest.

How to maintain your garden pond as autumn approaches? During this period, the trees, shrubs and other plants surrounding your pond begin to lose their leaves and flowers. Once in the pond water, this plant waste can be harmful. We advise you to use a pond skimmer or a specific landing net to prevent this debris from falling to the bottom of the pond and turning into organic waste.

In addition to causing algae blooms, they also release poisonous gas upon decomposition, causing the oxygen in the water to decrease.

⭐ It may interest you: we have concocted an article to help you get rid of algae in your pool

Clear the pool of plant waste

To better preserve your pond during the fall season, it is important to rid it of dead leaf debris and surface matter that may fall to the bottom. Cleaning up dead leaves floating on the surface of the water can easily be done using a dip net . If your pond is adorned with water lilies, also consider removing flowers and faded leaves.

After cleaning the water surface, you also have to think about other things for your pond. A landing net with a telescopic handle or one fitted with a sufficiently long handle thus makes it possible to pick up the fallen waste and remove the green algae lying dormant at the bottom of the water. For optimal cleaning, it is advisable to resort to the use of a pond and pond vacuum cleaner.

⭐ You may be interested: our complete file on Pondovac vacuum cleaners from Oase

For vacuum cleaners, rest assured for your fish. They are generally the opposite of aspiration. In the whole range of PONDOVACS , you also receive a suction net + a specific accessory so as not to suck up excessively large debris.

Caring for garden pond fish in autumn

As mentioned earlier, the fish in your pond go dormant in late fall. There are no specific rules for when the fish stop eating. In fact, it's when the temperature drops below 8°C that your fish hardly eat (or on the bottom).

When the temperature drops to around 12-13°C, fish metabolism slows down considerably and their needs change. For this, it is necessary to adapt the diet of your fish. We recommend that you feed wheat germ food.

If they do not need to be fed as frequently as in other times, the fish do however need a certain energy supply to face the winter. Thus, it is recommended to opt for a complete food rich in vitamins, with a reduced protein dosage and adapted to a temperature of less than 15°C.

⭐ It may interest you: we help you choose the food for your Koi carp !

Garden pond: equipment maintenance in autumn

Like the garden pond, the equipment that ensures its operation also fears the constraints of the cold season and must be preserved until the next seasons. As the temperature falls below 10°, the filtration system can be put to rest to protect it from winter frost .

Attention, in certain installations (type for example SHARK BEAD), contact your installer to avoid "breaking" in the event of shutdown of the system. Some installations cannot be shut down and must be idle during the winter.

If you take the pump out of your pond (AQUAMAX or MPF type), we recommend that you clean it and use an anti-limescale cleaning solution. You can use aPUMPCLEAN-type product to soak it in a basin or bucket of water. If you store it outside the pool, leave it in a bucket of water to avoid wear on parts and especially the pump seals (drying).

Before storing your equipment, you must first drain and bleed the water circuit. Pumps and filters must be stored in a place protected from frost (pump in water to prevent seals from drying out and wearing out too quickly).

You can also leave it in a deep area of ​​the pond where it won't freeze. The most effective way is to keep them, ideally clean, in a container of water. This method makes it possible to avoid the drying out of joints and other elements.

Should I cut my UV?

When the water temperature consistently drops below 10°C, you may start thinking about turning off your ultraviolet clarifier. Indeed, the water temperature is now too cold for unicellular algae to survive.

Also consider dismantling your UV lamp and storing it away from frost for the winter unless your system does not shut down in winter. A UV loses on average 50% of its power per year. We generally count 3W/M³ on a pond with moderate sun exposure.

Protecting the garden pond during the fall

Regular cleaning of the pool in the fall is essential, however, it will be more effective to put in place protections upstream. To this end, you can opt for a protective net to prevent plant and other waste from collecting at the bottom of the water.

⭐ You may also be interested: our advice to avoid mud in your pond

You can also use products specially formulated for the seasonal maintenance of your pond. These act to accelerate the decomposition of leaves and other organic waste.

On very cold days, the use of accessories such as an antifreeze hood coupled with your air diffuser can effectively protect your pool (see diagram for placing the diffuser below).

Indeed, the gel that forms on the surface of the water traps the gases resulting from the decomposition of plant waste at the bottom of the water , which can thus cause unsanitary water. It is therefore recommended to place the diffusion pipe in the center with its diffuser to be able to create this gas exchange.

Pond water analysis

Also consider doing a water test. It is recommended to regularly monitor your water quality at this time of year with a water testing kit, as the GH, KH & pH value of your pond water can vary.

In short, we summarize below

It is important that the surface of your pond does not freeze completely, as this will prevent oxygen from entering the pond by diffusion and will also prevent toxic gases from escaping.

To support you even better, we are finishing this little file with our collection of products for the fall (click here to see everything) :