Pond Problems

[Mikew]

I have inherited a pond with the 6 year old property that I have just purchased. It seems to be little more than a large hole, up to 2 metres deep in places, possibly excavated to provide for the banking around the house. There does not seem to be much plant life in it except for several of the basic yellow lilies. Problem is that it is scummy and looks cloudy. There is a large shoal of voracious gold and other similar pond fish, so it cannot be too unhealthy. I presume it should have some oxygenators, so that is my next step, but is there anything else I should be doing?

 

Mike

[Liz]

You don't say if it has a liner or concrete lining. If it has neither of these then it will tend to be permanently muddy because the fish will be stirring up the earth. Even if you have a liner and the lilies have been planted in earth on the bottom of the pond the fish will stir that up as well. You're right about oxygenators, they tend to sell a lot of Parrots Feather here for this purpose and I saw the Gardeners World people pulling out loads of it last Friday becasue it is too rampant, so beware. They were replanting with something which I think is called Canadian Pond Weed, like pipe cleaners, which I always found pretty rampant too. Whatever you choose plant it in baskets to try and get some control over it.

It is getting rather late in the year for planting ponds anyway and I would content myself with taking off the dead lily leaves and cutting them back, perhaps pulling them out if there are too many. Remove any other debris and any rampant green algae if you have any. Feed the fish until the weather gets cold and they stop showing interest. Then, in Spring take another look and get in some plants when the weather starts to warm up.

Liz (29)

[Mikew]

Thanks for reply. the pond is basically a hole in the ground, the level varying with the groundwater (fairly high here, and we have a small stream at the bottom of the garden also). I have to top the pond up frequently during hot weather, there is a 'forage' some 12 Metres deep in the garden piped up for this, and an hours running usually is ok. I'll do nothing, then, except some cleaning, we've got a lot of overhanging willows, and a lot of their root growth is coming thro' the bank, so i'll clear that away and get out some branch debris that has accumulated.

 

Mike 

[Patf]

If you have overhanging willows you are going to have a lot of dead leaves falling into the pond soon. It helps to cover the surface with some kind of netting until the leaves stop falling. Then the water won't get all clogged up with them. Pat.