Seasonal Pond Care

< back to gardening tips

Winter

Keep a hole in the ice so that gas exchange can occur. That is the process that allows oxygen to come into the water and carbon dioxide to leave the water. A floating pond heater with a protective guard will allow you to keep a hole in the ice to achieve gas exchange.

Do not break in the ice, for that can be fatal to fish.

Spring

• Remove dead foliage from the pond.
• If you need to change the water in your pond, do so at a rate of 1/4 of the total volume of water in the pond at a time. This can be done every other day until all the water has been replaced. Add chlorine remover and heavy metal remover at this time.
• Watch for increasing ammonia levels as water temperature rises in the pond. If ammonia increases, add an ammonia removing product to the pond.
• Add Pond Zyme to remove pond sludge, such as dead leaves and fish waste.
• Apply Stress Coat to restore the slime layer, which is a natural protective coating that fish have to protect themselves.
• Start feeding fish when water temperature is 50 degrees or above.
• Fertilize all water plants in the spring, using either a liquid or a pellet form of fertilizer.
• Use Accu Clear if algae bloom occurs.

Summer

• Feed fish in the pond.
• Fertilize water plants once a month.
• Check the pH and the ammonia levels twice a month.

Fall

• Reduce feeding of fish.
• Stop feeding fish when water temperature drops below 50 degrees.
• Remove dying foliage. Cut the foliage back to pot level.
• Cover the pond with pond net to prevent leaves from falling into the pond.