Pond Maintenance Tips

Fertilize

After planting them properly, feed your water lilies and lotus at a rate of 1 Pondtab per 5 quarts; bog plants at a rate of 1 Pondtab per 7 quarts of soil according to the chart below. You will be repaid with blossoms and extra healthy foliage!

Fertilization Schedule

Pruning and Thinning

For improved plant health and aesthetics, do the following throughout the growing season and in the autumn, as noted:

• Trim all dying leaves and flowers at base of stem as needed in the summer.

• Submerged plants may need thinning during the summer; clip to no less than 5-6" above soil line.

• In the autumn, prune floating leaf plants (water lilies, some bog plants) and submerged plants to 1-2" above the  soil line; erect plants (some bog plants) to just above water line after the first killing frost. 

Transplanting and Dividing

For improved plant health, aesthetics and to separate new plants, do the following:

• One or two years after planting, look for overcrowding and poor blooming. Hardy water lilies and other surface growers will begin to bunch above the water's surface. 

Step 1: Lift each plant container from your pond.
Step 2: Remove the plant from its container.
Step 3: Rinse the soil off of the rootstock.
Step 4: A main growing tip with a few juvenile growing tips will be visible on a large roostock. Cut off the old rootstock end.  
Step 5: Leave 4-6” of healthy rootstock with the main growing tip.  Discard the old, woody rootstock end and cut off the juvenile crowns. 
Step 6: Repot the trimmed rootstock (make sure to add fertilizer) and replace the container(s) in your pond.

• Do not divide or transplant too late in the season; the plant needs a chance to get established before dormancy. Spring is the best time. 

For Your Fish & Scavengers

Feeding Fish

• Better to underfeed than overfeed! Start with small amounts and work up to what your fish will eat in about 5 minutes. 

• Feed no more than  twice daily. Once a day is preferred so that fish food nutrients do not cause heavy algae growth.

• Fish will gradually stop eating in late fall (water temperature below 50°F) and resume  in early spring (water temperature above 50°F); adjust feeding accordingly.

Keep Them Healthy!

• Look for unusual feeding or swimming habits.

• Check for spots, sores, or unusual marks on the body. If necessary, treat with PonSalt.

 For Your Pond

Filter Maintenance

•  Clean filters as debris accumulates. Check and/or clean mechanical filters daily. Biological filters should be checked and/or cleaned every 4-6 weeks.

• Make sure filter media is properly replaced, as needed.

Evaporation 

• Check for evaporation weekly during the summer.

• Top off as needed to keep the pond full. Any more than 1-2" water loss per week indicates a more serious problem, such as as liner or tubing leak. Check all pumps, waterfall, fountains and connections.

• Add Stress Coat when tap water is treated with chloramine. And/or use Stress Coat or DeChlor when tap water is treated with chlorine or chlorine dioxide.

Skimming

• Remove floating leaves and debris. Make life easy with the cleaning tools that do the work for you!

• Remove any dead fish or animals immediately.

Algae Control

• Growth fluctuates with season changes and weather conditions (i.e. thunder storms, temperature fluctuations).

• Cleaning your pond is recommended yearly during spring or fall. If your pond has 1" or less sediment on the bottom, cleaning can be achieved with PonSparkle. 

Over-Wintering

• Clean and back-flush your out-of-pond filters. Remove submersible filters and pumps. 

• In USDA Zones 8 and below, remove tropical lilies and bogs before the first frost to over-winter indoors or in a greenhouse. Remove after they stop blooming if treating the plants as annuals to be replaced each year. 

• Cut back hardy water lilies, lotus and most bogs to 1-2" above soil line. Place on pond floor. Upright growing bog plants (such as iris or cattail) can be left in shallow water during the winter. If you pond will freeze to the bottom over the winter, remove all plants. Keep in a greenhouse or in a cool, dry area for dormant storage.

• Make sure your pond is clean and free of oxygen-robbing debris, especially if you have fish. Preserve an air-hole in the ice with a de-icer. Keep snow off the pond surface to keep de-icer working at its best. If your pond will freeze to the bottom, bring fish indoors over the winter.

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