There are seasonal jobs, which should be done to keep your garden pond and pond liner in a well maintained, healthy condition.
Garden pond task
Prune back aquatic plants and get rid of dead growth. If you don’t require plants to seed, then get rid of any seed heads. Pruning back aquatic plant growth will improve the water quality by reducing the chance of vegetation left to decay in your pond.
Fish are still active during Autumn, particularly on warmer days. If you have fish in your pond, continue feeding them enough food for them to consume in approximately five minutes.
There is the possibility of your pond freezing over during Autumn. If your pond freezes, toxic gasses may not escape from the pond. This is generally not a risk to pond life if it happens infrequently and the pond de-ices as soon as day-time temperatures warm-up. If however, autumn is particularly cold then connect a pond heater to your pond to stop it from freezing over for long periods. If your pond does freezes over, do resist the temptation of smashing a whole in the ice as this will stun and possibly kill your fish. The safest way is to boil some water and pour it into a metallic can and leave it on the pond surface to unfreeze it slowly and safely.
Remove any fallen leaves from the pond surface before it sinks to the bottom of the pond.
Check that your pond liner is still in good, water tight condition. If any repair work needs to be done, do it before the cold weather sets-in and inhabiting creatures including fish want to either be left to hibernate in peace or be less mobile.
Pond care during winter
Once the autumn pond maintenance tasks have been accomplished, there is generally nothing more to do for your garden pond until Spring. If its viable remove the pond pump, filter, lighting and any other equipment to give it a clean and overhaul. The biggest concern for any pond enthusiast, is the lengthy spells of cold temperatures resulting in ponds icing over. Follow the technique previously mentioned to prevent ice covering the complete surface of your pond.
Enjoy Autumn and the orange hues it brings to our gardens!
