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Pond management
The best time for pond management is late September and October. Tadpoles have gained legs and left the pond and adult amphibians have not yet gone into hibernation at this time. Ponds should not be disturbed in mid-winter as this might expose hibernating amphibians to severe cold.
Basic management
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In the early years, blanket weed can cover ponds in warm weather. Pull this out carefully. Once the pond has settled down though, blanket weed will usually be kept in check by pond animals.
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Other plants can also threaten to take over, and again these are best thinned out regularly. Do not clear more than one third in any one year. When clearing out ponds, leave any plants and debris along the edge for a few days or so, before removing. This allows any trapped wildlife to return to the water.
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You may feel the need to keep the water level topped up, but do not worry too much if it drops a bit during the summer. Most pond plants can cope with this, as can certain species of insect, which will benefit in such situations. If you become concerned that water levels are becoming depleted, use water from a water barrel in preference to mains water. Mains water is richer in nutrients and likely to encourage algal blooms.
Algal blooms
Algaes are naturally occurring aquatic plants. Not all are harmful and those that are, often become so only when triggered by a certain environmental conditions or a combination of conditions.
Some factors likely to trigger a problem are:
- Increased nutrient levels in the water, which in a domestic situation is often a result of high numbers of fish
- Long periods of calm hot weather
- Low water levels
- Lack of adequate water circulation
A perfectly balanced pond should not experience any problems. Should it occur, the most frequent method is to use barley straw. A chemical reaction between the straw and algae slows new algae growth, preventing replenishment of the old algae as it dies naturally. The rate of effect varies, but is quicker in higher temperatures.
The straw should be packed, firmly but not tight, into netted bags. Include a plastic drinks bottle or similar for buoyancy and anchor the bag in the pond so that it floats on the surface and allows water circulation through the bag as it is blown about by any breeze. The minimum amount of straw required is approximately 10g per square metre of water surface area (approximately 0.5 oz per square yard). In severe cases, high doses (e.g. 25g per square metre) can be used and reduced over time.
Last modified: 18 October 2007