Seasonal Maintenance Tips for Backyard Ponds
Do care needs in my pondscape change that much?
Yes! As the seasons change, so do the care needs of your backyard pond. While ecosystem ponds don’t have extensive care needs, the little tweaks that are required as the year progresses are vital to keeping the living system healthy and happy. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for each Minnesota season.
Spring
Clean the Pond: After our very long and full winter, your pond can need a bit of help getting back to peak condition again. Remove any debris that has accumulated in and around the pond such as fallen leaves and branches.
Restart the Pump and Filter: If you turned your pump and filters off during winter, spring is the time to clean and restart them so you can get back to enjoying your water feature again.
Check Water Levels and Quality: Top off the pond with water to the correct level if needed. If you’re a newer pond owner you might also want to test the water for pH balance and make any needed adjustments.
Introduce or Return Pond Life: If you removed fish or plants over winter, now is the time to gradually reintroduce them back to your pond.
Monitor Algae Growth: While you usually don’t have to worry about pond growth too much over winter, Spring is when algae can start to proliferate. Start keeping an eye out and manage as needed.
Major Pond Cleaning: Spring is the best time to get your water feature all cleaned up and ready for a full Minnesota summer of fun!
Summer
Maintain Water Levels: Evaporation from the summer heat lowers water levels throughout the summer, so add more water as needed. It may help having a consistent top off schedule that coincides with some of your normal pond-side visits.
Control Algae: Warm temperatures can lead to sudden algae blooms. There’s a variety of methods and inhibitors to reduce the algae you’re dealing with in your water feature. While there are plenty of unnatural chemical methods, choose from one of the natural methods for the best functioning ecosystem pond. You can even get automatic algae treatment systems that take care of the algae for you.
Monitor Your Fish Health: The summer is when your fish are most active. Keep an eye on them as you normally would, but keep an eye out for them and signs of disease or stress. You know your fish best and will be able to tell changes in their look and behavior and know that something is up with their health.
Regularly Clean Filters: With more life running through your pond system, your filters will need more frequent cleanings from the increased activity. This can easily and quickly be done while you’re topping off the water in your pondscape.
Provide Shade: To prevent overheating of the water and any fish you have swimming around, ensure there's adequate shade, either from plants or artificial structures. You don’t want your fish or pond water to overheat!
Autumn
Remove Falling Leaves: Use a net to keep leaves out of the pond, as they can decompose and negatively affect water quality. While it may not seem like a big deal, too many leaves in your pond settling and decomposing can introduce more changes in your water than your fish can survive.
Cut Back Plants: Trim any dead foliage from aquatic plants to prevent decay in the pond. This is to keep the plants themselves healthy over winter as well as your fish.
Prepare Your Fish for Winter: Reduce feeding your fish as temperatures drop and the metabolism of your fish slows down. As temperature drop below 60 degrees, you’ll want to switch to a cold weather feed formula to start preparing your fish for winter. Once temperatures drop below 50 degrees, you’ll need to stop feeding altogether. Your fish will go into a state of partial hibernation over winter and excess food sitting in their guts will start to rot. You’re not hurting them by not feeding them, you’re caring for them naturally.
Install Pond Netting: After you’ve performed the steps above to prepare your pond for winter, set up netting over your pond. This helps to keep out additional debris and leaves that will be falling over the next month or two. Not only will this protect your fish, but it will also save you effort from having to clean leaves out of your filter as much and skimming the top of your pond for rogue leaves.
Winter
Use a Pond Heater or De-icer and Aerator: This will keep a portion of your pond's surface from freezing over, ensuring necessary gas exchange for your fish. Ice cubes are cute in your glass, no in your pond!
Remove the Pump (if applicable): If you don’t have fish relying on the system, you can remove your pump system and store it for winter. If you don’t have fish, there are no problems with your pond freezing over for the winter.
Check the Ice: Regularly check that the ice isn’t completely sealing off the pond if you have fish. As mentioned above, your fish need a proper gas exchange which can’t happen if your water feature is frozen over. Let the gas escape!
Stop Feeding: Most fish require less food as their metabolism slows, and no food during the winter during freezing temps. Below 50 degrees your fish don’t need any food to interfere with their winter hibernation.
(Check out our winter care list!)
While all of these are some of the major tips to keep in mind, it’s not a comprehensive list. The specific needs of your pond system might vary based on its size, depth, the local climate (there are surprisingly big climate changes from Mankato to Minnetonka!), and the types of plants and fish you have. Regular monitoring and adjustments to your ecosystem throughout the year are key to maintaining a healthy and beautiful pond!
