Late Summer Water Feature Care
How to Keep Your Water Feature Looking Great!
The last few weeks of summer are upon us and it's time to start getting your water feature ready for fall, or at least planning for it. Here are a few tips to make that late summer/early fall care a little easier.
To keep water quality healthy, hand remove dead, dying and unwanted vegetation from your water feature. This includes string algae, dying lily pads, and yellowing water hyacinths among others. Decaying organic materials become nutrients in the water that feed more string algae or green water and/or contribute to the "muck" layer that might be at the bottom of your water feature which is unhealthy.
Also, thin back aquatic plants as they become crowded or overgrown. Watch out for water hyacinth. They can crowd waterfalls and streams causing an overflow and water loss. They're beautiful when crowded because that's when they bloom, but be cautious.
For ponds, keep adding beneficial bacteria weekly. Which beneficial bacteria you use depends on the water temperature. If you haven't used our bacteria, please stop in and get some. Not only does it combat green water, but it also contains bacteria strains that defend against the "muck" layer or sludge. Which is awesome!
Keep your water feature at the appropriate level. Topping your water feature off weekly is extremely important. Don't allow it to drop to a very low level and then fill it. Adding a lot of water at once can change the pH of your water and change the water temperature -- both are unhealthy for fish. Remember to judge your water level by the overflow at the back of your skimmer. Never judge by a rock.
Start planning for fall maintenance. We recommend everyone net their pond in the fall. Of course it detracts from the beauty of your water feature, but in the long run it's really good for your water feature and it's only temporary! Once the leaves are down around Thanksgiving, we take down our nets. We have a method of netting our features that's easy and low maintenance. We'll install our nets here at Cool Ponds during our netting demo coming up soon. Check out our class listing for more info. You will save yourself so many headaches by installing a net!
This is a great time to enjoy our water features. Cooler temps and shorter days beg for an evening sitting and listening to the flow of the water and watching the fish dance in underwater lights. A little pre-planning can allow more relaxing and less work later on. Enjoy!
Written by Staci Wicker
Cool Ponds Co-owner
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| As summer winds down, so do hardy water lilies. Keep dead vegetation removed from your water feature. |
The last few weeks of summer are upon us and it's time to start getting your water feature ready for fall, or at least planning for it. Here are a few tips to make that late summer/early fall care a little easier.
To keep water quality healthy, hand remove dead, dying and unwanted vegetation from your water feature. This includes string algae, dying lily pads, and yellowing water hyacinths among others. Decaying organic materials become nutrients in the water that feed more string algae or green water and/or contribute to the "muck" layer that might be at the bottom of your water feature which is unhealthy.
Also, thin back aquatic plants as they become crowded or overgrown. Watch out for water hyacinth. They can crowd waterfalls and streams causing an overflow and water loss. They're beautiful when crowded because that's when they bloom, but be cautious.
For ponds, keep adding beneficial bacteria weekly. Which beneficial bacteria you use depends on the water temperature. If you haven't used our bacteria, please stop in and get some. Not only does it combat green water, but it also contains bacteria strains that defend against the "muck" layer or sludge. Which is awesome!
Keep your water feature at the appropriate level. Topping your water feature off weekly is extremely important. Don't allow it to drop to a very low level and then fill it. Adding a lot of water at once can change the pH of your water and change the water temperature -- both are unhealthy for fish. Remember to judge your water level by the overflow at the back of your skimmer. Never judge by a rock.
Start planning for fall maintenance. We recommend everyone net their pond in the fall. Of course it detracts from the beauty of your water feature, but in the long run it's really good for your water feature and it's only temporary! Once the leaves are down around Thanksgiving, we take down our nets. We have a method of netting our features that's easy and low maintenance. We'll install our nets here at Cool Ponds during our netting demo coming up soon. Check out our class listing for more info. You will save yourself so many headaches by installing a net!
 |
| In summer, the days are long and we see very little of our underwater lights. Late summer and fall allows us some time to sit and enjoy our water features in the evening. |
Cool Ponds Co-owner
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