Pond maintenance during autumn: all steps to keep your pond healthy

Good maintenance of your pond is important to keep the water in your pond healthy for your fish and plants. In elk seizoen Is the weather and climate different and does this impact your pond? In autumn, your pond slowly transitions from warm summer temperatures to winter. Trees shed their leaves, which can end up in the pond. Therefore, it is wise to make preparations to ensure your pond enters winter in a healthy state.

In this article, we will extensively discuss all the preparations and maintenance tasks during the autumn. This way, you can easily maintain your pond, and your fish and plants will stay healthy.

1. Effects of the weather in autumn on your pond

In autumn, temperatures drop, it can be very windy, and many trees shed their leaves. A lot of rain and leaves in the pond can disrupt the ecosystem. Water can become cloudy, and fish can become ill as a result. So make sure you are well prepared for autumn.

2. How do you prepare your pond for autumn?

The autumn is about to begin! How do you ensure that your pond is ready for the weather conditions of autumn?

• Check water quality
  Check the quality of your pond by measuring parameters such as pH, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite with a test kit. Make sure to refresh the water in case of outliers, ensure the filter is working properly, and consider using products to compensate.
• Slowly turn off pond equipment
  With the lower temperatures, your filtration system doesn't have to work as hard. Therefore, you can gradually turn off your pond equipment. Any UV-C devices can be turned off at the end of autumn and a adjustable pond pump can be set to a lower setting.
• Install a skimmer
  In the autumn, your pond can become filled with leaves and twigs from the trees. Once these sink to the bottom of your pond, they can create a thick layer of sludge through decomposition. It is wise to catch the leaves and twigs in time with the help of a skimmer. The skimmer attracts surface dirt and collects it in a basket. This way, you only need to empty the basket occasionally.
• Check the operation of pond equipment
  Regularly check if your pond equipment is working properly. Clean pond equipment regularly from leaves so that they continue to work effectively.

3. What maintenance do you perform during the autumn?

During the autumn, life in your pond will slowly shift to a lower mode. Falling temperatures lead to less activity in and around your pond. However, it is also the season of falling leaves and storms. Make sure you are prepared for autumn with these maintenance tips.

• Remove (organic) waste from your pond
  Remove twigs, leaves, and other organic waste from your pond. This ensures that it does not decompose and cause cloudiness in your pond water. Use a skimmer to catch this automatically or use a scoop net.
• Refresh pond water
  Despite good filtration, certain harmful substances can accumulate. High temperatures can also cause a lot of pond water to evaporate. Therefore, regularly refresh the water in your pond and add new water.
• Remove plants that are not winter hardy
  Remove plants that cannot survive the cold temperatures of winter. Place them in a frost-free location in a barrel or bucket of water.
• Prune plants
  Prune plants so that they look tidy for wintering. Always check for each plant what the best care tips are.

4. Tips for equipment in your pond during autumn

We recommend the following for your pond equipment in the autumn:

• Turn off pond equipment at the end of autumn that is no longer needed, such as a UV device.
• Do you have a adjustable pond pump? Then you can often set these to a lower setting. Often you can still keep your pond healthy with less filtering.
• Store pond equipment in a frost-free place and clean it so that it can be used again immediately in the spring.

5. After the autumn

Autumn is (almost) over and winter is coming! This means that your pond will go into hibernation and needs to be prepared for (ice) cold temperatures. Read in our article everything about how to prepare your pond for winter.