Winter Pond Cleaning

It’s time to clean the leaves out of your pond. Heavy winds and rain have washed organic material into your pond. That organic material needs to be dealt with to ensure the health of your pond environment. Leaves and Pine needles in small amount don’t harm your pond but in large quantities it can deter clarity, change PH, and overwhelm the natural balance of your pond. If you have no fish or aquatic plants then you can drain your pond clean out the leaves and cover your pond for the winter. If you have plants and fish in your pond this usually is not an option. I like to use a rake to clean leaves and needles out of my ponds. This will get the majority of your organic material out, but you really need to get down on you knees to get the last of the material out. In large ponds you may need to get into the pond to do a proper cleaning. After you have your pond clean, try covering your pond with bird netting, this will reduce the amount of future leaves and needles that end up in your pond. Every once in a while pull the leaf-laden netting off your pond and dump the leaves into a compost bin or trash. Remember to replace the netting on your pond to keep those leaves out.