Tag Archives: debris

Water Outflow Matters to Keep a Pond Clean

Ponds can look like a mucky mess if you do not maintain the pond’ outflow pipes. If your pond has dark water and smells then the issue might be your water outflow.

 

Whether it’s a spillway, a sluice gate, or a pipe, your pond’s outlet must be durable enough to funnel pond overflow year-round as well as withstand damage done by winter frost and ice.

 

Pipes sticking out of pond beds can look ugly so many homeowners create a spill way through landscaping. Natural spillways eliminate pipe costs and risks of leakage.

 

The simplest pond outlet is a natural earth spillway. It may be prone to erosion, but usually this is overcome with stone, ledge, or other reinforcing material. If your pond is flooding, consider using a large rock or ledge made of rock or wood to prevent the erosion process.  You can also build one of concrete but often concrete will crack in the winter or develop leaks. Upkeep is very necessary for a landscaped pond opt always look good so if this is not something you can figure out yourself you might be dealing with a lot of pond maintenance all the time.

 

As with your inflow pipes make sure that leaves and other debris don’t clog the outflow channel. Sometimes a spillway will draw floating leaves and debris to the outlet, where it must be skimmed or regularly of raked out.  Even the wind can blow leaves into the outlet and suddenly you have a flooded back yard.

 

Ponds are usually piped through either a horizontal or slightly tilted overflow, or through what’s called a trickle tube (also known as a drop inlet). A horizontal pipe is relatively simple to install just a foot or so below shore level, with a slight downward tilt. Pipes are often used in embankment ponds because they offer no-erosion overflow as well as the option of attaching a drain for repairs and clean-outs.

 

During spring, the ground beneath the pipe can erode and can drain the pond, damaging the embankments in the process. One remedy for this is to attach what is called an anti-seep collar to your outflow pipes. The collars may be plastic, steel, or concrete.  Usually tar is used to seal the seam.

 

A small leak or modest amount of erosion round a horizontal pipe should not be difficult to fix by yourself.  Sometimes laying a stone or a log over the leak and tamping down the earth around it solves the problem.

Readying Your Pond to Look Great in the Spring

Water gardening is not a low maintenance hobby. It requires diligence, vigilance and constant care or it can really become quite messy looking.  How it will look and small all summer has a lot to do with how well you start caring for it in the Spring.

 

Make sure you have a pond thermometer ready in the pond.  Winter is officially over when the pond water reaches fifty degress. This also means that it is now time to “wake up” any wintering fish in the pond by feeding them.

 

As soon as strong sunlight starts hitting the pond it is then time to feed with friendly bacteria called Anacharis.  This organic material eats up any algae growth.  The rule is to use one bunch of anarchis for each square foot of pond surface area in the pond.

 

It is also the time to increase the water circulation by turning on the filters and pumps.  You may want to start slow so that you do not distress your fish. If it is just an ornamental pond then turn up the pump full blast. If you have an ultraviolet sterilizer, turn it on once you are sure your mechanical and biological filters are working properly.

 

If there is any debris on the surface of the pond clean this using a pond skimmer or a rake.  A Mini Vac can also be used to remove debris and sludge from the top of the pond

 

If the danger of frost has passed, Spring is the time to plant new water lilies, Repot and divide any clumps of bulbs if necessary.  Raise any submerged pots to the pond surface. Add new floating plants such as water lettuce or water hyacinth in the Spring as well.

 

If the pond seems really dirty you might find it necessary to replace the water in the pond and refill it with fresh water. Replace as little of the water as you can, as changing as little as ten percent of it can upset the balance of life in your pond. You can easily remove this water with a Shop Vac. This step is only recommended if you have a real problem on your hands because this kind of readjustment almost invariably causes one element or another to die off in your pond. You should also add a dechlorinator to the new water to get rid of chlorine and seed it with new bacteria once you have refilled the pond again.