If you can’t be patient use Zeolite the naturally occurring volcanic rock in the sand form, or bacteria’s, these are natural and will work with your as it starts to rebalance. Try really hard not to be alarmed, often this corrects itself over the coming week or two, never use any algae clearing chemicals, these are often detrimental to all water lilies and most water plants. In the event that you are repotting many plants and lilies at the same time, your pond will be receiving a large dose of nutrients quickly from the potting mix and plant pellets, green water is often the direct result. Position the newly cut crown of the plant into a quality water plant potting mix, fertilise with 2-3 Mantuec slow release water plant tablets, place heavy gravel on top of the pot (to keep the soil in and the fish out) then soak in a bucket of water for about 5 minutes, then place it directly onto to base of the pond. Discard the excess woody rhizome and roots. Measure back about 7-10cm from the tip or crown of the plant and cut through with a sharp knife. Take your hardy water lily out of the pot and expose the rhizome. (Note leave your tropical water lily alone until November/December when you will need to fertilise). If your Hardy water lily didn’t perform well in the season just gone, it will be a great time to lift it out of the pond and re-pot. Using a dedicated water plant pellet, push the pellet as deep as you can into and around the growing tip of the lily. If your water lily does not require repotting, it will definitely benefit from fertilising. Feeding Your PlantsĪ light feeding will be well received, especially by the flowering varieties such as Water Iris, Water Canna, Pickerel and Thalia. The majority of water plants respond really well to a hard prune, removing any old and unattractive foliage encourages more growth. Any plants that are pot bound can be divided now resulting in great summer foliage. Spring is the time when most aquatic and marginal water plants are emerging. The following are task that can be done with confidence around springtime. So only clean if you really have to, and if possible try doing small cleans regularly, rather than one big spring clean. Ponds with a thick layer of fine gravel on the base, a good filtration system and the right amount of fish (the more fish you have the less algae), should be relatively maintenance free. Obviously removing fallen leaves and debris with a net is a good idea, clean filters only when the water flow is reduced, and only one or two of the filter mats at any one time, (filters with back washes can be done as often as you like). Stripping and cleaning your pond and filter will remove the good bacteria which in turn can take many months to build back up again, not to mention the stress on the fish during the cleaning process. Ponds can take up to a year to create a balanced micro system crucial to a healthy pond. Spring Clean your Backyard PondIn spring pond owners are often itching to get out there to empty the pond, scrub the sides and give the filter a really good hard clean, thinking they are doing a very important service.
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