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Spring Clean Up           Plants that help

Spring clean up should be done when you see new growth on the plants in your pond.  This is also a good time to repot all the plants that have wintered over in the pond.

Only in extreme cases do you need to completely drain the pond to clean it.  
If this is necessary, you should remove potted plants, plant stands, filters, and fish.  You will need to prepare a container with a small pump or bubble pump to put your fish in. It's a good idea to bag your pump in a net bag with holes smaller than the intake.  This will prevent debris from clogging it as you pump the pond dry. Water aeration is important to keep the fish healthy and happy to enjoy their fresh clean pond. As the water level goes down you can easily catch the fish.

Remove all the trash and muck by whatever means at your disposal.  It is sufficient to hose down the rocks and liner with a spray nozzle, leaving the layer of algae that does not wash off.  This algae is healthy for the pond and the fish.

  If there is an excess of string algae or filament moss, it can be controlled with rock salt.  The plants and rocks can be sterilized with either a solution of 2 lbs salt to 5 gal of water or 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.  Even plants from a Watergarden supply can have algae and parasites that you don't want in your pond.

Now, refill the pond and replace the potted plants.  Run the pump for several hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate before putting your fish back in the pond.

Normal Spring Clean Up

For a normal clean up you only need to remove the plants if you can't work around them or they need repotting.  Using a dip net with about 1/4 holes dip out leaves and debris until the water gets too cloudy to see what you are doing.  Now, take a break until the pond clears up ( like the next day ),  and do it again.  It usually takes 3 - 4 days to clean out all of the large stuff.  The natural bacteria and enzymes in your pond and filter will eat the rest over time.  This method is not only less stressful for your fish,  but for the pond owner also.

Plants that help clean the water

Plant  growing in water form a fine network of roots that are very good at trapping debris for food acting as the best kind of filter media. Plants also absorb dissolved nutrients and fertilizer from the water, which can make your pond too clean to support normal algae growth.

To be a water cleansing plant it must feed from the water either thru root or through submerged leaves. The plants should be floated, anchored in pots of gravel or planted in a gravel bog (with clean bare roots) where water can pass through.

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