12 main rules for caring for an artificial pond

Pond care rules

Unfortunately, once you clear the pond of debris, you cannot enjoy clean water all year round. The attractiveness of a reservoir depends on the frequency of its care and the implementation of simple rules.

1. It is recommended to carry out daily collection of surface debris using a net or a net.

2. Install a gravel or sand filter in the pond. During the summer period, the device should work around the clock.

3. Debris and silt deposits can be removed periodically with a net or a special vacuum cleaner.

4. So that the reservoir is not polluted by organic matter, in particular earthworms, it is recommended to shield the bowl with bumpers made of concrete, brickwork or other material suitable for the landscape. The height of the barrier is 30 cm above the ground level, 10 cm deep into the pond.

5. During the flowering period, the reservoir should be covered with an opaque material to prevent water bloom.

6. To maintain the salt balance of the water, you need to periodically top up with clean water. The change in chemical composition occurs as a result of the evaporation of water in hot weather.

7. Before winter it is necessary to arrange a general cleaning. This will help protect the inhabitants and vegetation of the reservoir from viruses and infections.

Keeping a pond on a site is not easy. But with the right distribution of care measures, the task is quite achievable. A beautiful reservoir is a real decoration of the local area.

In order to avoid rapid pollution, and subsequently the cost of complete cleaning, it is worth regularly maintaining the appearance of the reservoir in a neat condition.

It is recommended to purchase a telescopic pond net and daily clean the surface of the water from debris, leaves and other objects that have accidentally got into the pond. This will noticeably improve the appearance of the pond and significantly slow down pollution.

In autumn, as soon as leaf fall begins, you can stretch a special mesh over the pond, the density of which is from one to two centimeters. Its function is to protect the pond from the ingress of dry leaves and branches.

How to deepen and clear a pond

Over time, the remains of rotting algae, silt and debris settle at the bottom of the reservoir, as a result of which the pond becomes polluted and its depth decreases. In this case, it is necessary to remove the accumulated sediment.

The following signs indicate the need for a cleaning procedure:

• the water becomes cloudy, changes color - this occurs as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms feeding on organic deposits at the bottom, as well as with a large amount of suspensions in the reservoir (clay, sand, soil);
• the pond is overgrown with plants - with a decrease in depth, the water column is well warmed up by the sun, which has a beneficial effect on the development of vegetation;
• the pond begins to exude an unpleasant odor - bacteria and fungi actively multiply in a dirty pond, making the water musty.

Cleaning and deepening can be done with or without pumping water. In each of the two cases, special devices are used.

Cleaning without draining water using a dredger

You can clean a reservoir without pumping water out of it using a dredger. It is rational to use this method in cases where there is a lot of water in the pond and its drainage is rather laborious. A dredger is a dredging device that absorbs sediment from the bottom, along with some of the soil, and then brings it to land through a pipeline system.

Did you know? Lake Laguna Colorado, located in Bolivia, has red water. This color is due to the presence of a large number of microscopic algae.

When cleaning a reservoir with a dredger, the following devices are involved:

• metal cutters with an electric or hydraulic drive - in the process, they loosen the bottom of the pond;
• dredge dredge pump - absorbs loosened soil and sediments from the bottom;
• pipeline - through it, a mixture of water and sediments flows from the bottom to the land surface;
• sludge maps (sedimentation tanks) - land areas bounded by an earthen rampart for draining bottom sediments;
• waste wells - located in a sump, serve to drain water clarified from suspended solids;
• transport for collection and removal of sediment remaining in the sump after water purification.

Video: How to clean and deepen a pond

The main stages of work consist of the following activities:

1. Bottom survey. Removing large debris, metal objects.
2. Catching fish and other inhabitants of the reservoir, moving them to aquariums or other ponds.
3. Preparation of silt maps. Conclusion to them of pipes for draining a mixture of water and bottom sediments.
4. Delivery of the dredger to the reservoir, installation of the pipeline system.
5. Starting the pump for cleaning the pond from bottom sediments.
6. Transportation of water-soil mixture through pipes to sludge maps.
7. Deposition of the liquid mass. Separation of clean water and its discharge through the waste well.
8. Removal and removal of sediment remaining at the bottom of the settling tank.
9. Launching fish and other inhabitants into a cleaned pond.

Important! The bottom sediments extracted from the reservoir can be used as fertilizer, but only after a sanitary examination. When toxic substances are detected, such a sediment needs to be buried.

Cleaning with dehumidification with a motor pump and an excavator

For cleaning small reservoirs, it is recommended to first drain water to a previously prepared place. As a result of this procedure, there is access directly to the bottom, which is cleaned of dirt manually or with special equipment.

In this case, cleaning will require the following devices:

• a motor pump or an industrial pump with a diesel drive - carries out a complete pumping out of water from the pond;
• pipeline - one end of it is lowered to the bottom of the reservoir, and the other is connected to a pump;
• crawler excavator - removes the surface layer of soil together with bottom sediments;
• dump trucks - remove the resulting mixture from soil and sediment from the site.

The main stages of work include the following actions:

1. Installation of a motor pump and pipeline. Pumping water to a previously prepared place.
2. Drying the bottom for several days.
3. Removal of the surface layer of soil together with bottom sediments and vegetation using an excavator bucket.
4. Loading the mixture from soil and sediment onto dump trucks, transportation to the destination.
5. Filling the pond with clean water. Restoration of the natural biological balance of the reservoir by adding several buckets of water from a natural lake or river to it.
6. Planting plants, stocking the pond.

When to do a complete water change

If the reservoir is very polluted and none of the above cleaning methods can cope, then you should move on to a more radical method - a complete replacement of the water in the pond.

Preparatory work includes searching for:

• a suitable aquarium or container;
• shovels, mops and brushes;
• net;
• scoop or scoop;
• a piece of mesh with a fine lattice.

Before carrying out the cleaning procedure, it is necessary to ensure the presence of a trench, which in depth should completely coincide with the reservoir. This will be the channel for the draining water.

Pumping water

Before you start digging a trench, you need to fix the mesh (on the side from which the work will be carried out) so that crayfish and plants - lotuses, lilies, water lilies, etc., do not flow away with the water. After that, you should catch each fish from the pond (with the help of a net, of course) and dig up each plant you need. All this can be placed in a specially prepared aquarium for this.

After the water is completely drained, you can start cleaning the pond - removing slime, silt and dirt from the bottom surface.For these purposes, a ladle and a brush will come in handy. When the pit dries out a little, you can proceed to the next event - planting plants and filling the pond with clean water

Important: the fish can be released only after 2-3 days, when the water has settled

Sludge is removed

The use of the above cleaning methods allows keeping the pond in excellent condition all year round. Self-cleaning of the reservoir saves you from additional expenses, because the employees of a specialized company will issue a "good" bill for their services. In addition, the clear water is excellent for fish farming and cultivation of cultivated aquatic plants.

The main nuances of pond care

In natural reservoirs, water is purified by itself, without human intervention. The fact is that natural ponds are large in size, therefore, a clear biological balance is established in them, which ensures the normal life of all aquatic animals and the purity of the water. In a small artificial reservoir, such a balance can be achieved only in the case of constant monitoring and care of the pond. What should be done?

1. Periodically remove fallen leaves, dead or overgrown plants, and all kinds of debris from the pond. The easiest way to do this is with a special butterfly net with a long handle. If you neglect this rule of care, then organic residues will rot in the water, forming a layer of mud, which will be much more difficult to get rid of.

2. Fight against the "bloom" of water, which occurs in the process of rapid reproduction of unicellular algae (phytoplankton). Particularly susceptible to this trouble are small small reservoirs, which are devoid of vegetation and are quickly warmed up by the sun's rays. To minimize the "bloom" of water, you can plant in the pond plants with flat floating leaves (egg capsules, nymphea), which prevent the penetration of light to the unicellular algae. Another "enemies" of unicellular phytoplankton are plants-oxygenators, which release oxygen into the water, and also absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide and mineral salts, which are necessary for the life of algae.

3. In the event that fish live in the pond, it is necessary to saturate the water with oxygen. For this, special devices are used - aerators. Similar devices are used in aquariums, but their power and size are much smaller than those of pond aerators.

4. Use filters and various devices for water purification. We will talk about them in more detail.

Algae: How to Get Rid of Them

Blue-green algae can be harvested using the following methods:

• chemical;
• mechanical;
• limit growth by creating inappropriate temperature, light, organic matter for development.

Contamination of the reservoir is associated with a violation of waterproofing. The walls or bottom can crack, and earth gets through the cracks. Cracks can appear due to subsidence of the soil or the use of poor-quality mortar.

To eliminate the problems, the pond is drained, the cracks found are cleaned and coated with sealant in two layers. If large defects are found, they should first be covered with mastic, the next layer should be laid with a seal. This repair does not guarantee that the substrate will not crack again. The most reliable way to eliminate the leak is by laying a special plastic mold.

What are the ponds on the plots

The ponds on the sites are very different. Some of them resemble puddles - these are small bodies of water with an area of ​​less than 100 square meters. Such ecosystems do not allow organizing a natural biological balance in them due to their small volume. The vital activity of such ponds is supported by artificial filtration. If the care is not carried out correctly, from time to time the water will bloom with algae.

Large ponds can be divided by size into the following groups:

• small (up to 1 thousand sq. m.);
• medium (from 1 thous.up to 5 thousand sq. m.);
• large (from 5 thousand sq. m.).

For such a pond, it is possible to maintain a natural biological balance only if it is carefully cared for in time. To do this, it is necessary to competently carry out its settlement with fish and plants. A body of water is a closed, independently functioning ecosystem, in which balance is maintained only with the help of internal biological processes. Contamination can be prevented by regular maintenance of the pond. It is necessary to provide protection against debris and harmful substances entering the water. Summer residents inexperienced in this matter can carry out cleaning using special filtering devices.

The main methods of cleaning a reservoir in the country

Nowadays, the following methods of cleaning the bottom of the reservoir are known:

1. Mechanical. This cleaning method allows you to remove various debris and sludge.
2. Biological. Thanks to this method of purification, the balance of nutrients in the water is normalized.
3. Chemical. This cleaning method is needed to normalize the chemical composition of water.
4. Cleaning with ultraviolet radiation. This cleaning method is needed to prevent the growth of bacteria and unicellular algae.

The easiest way to clean a pond is to mechanically clean it.
This will remove silt, excess aquatic plants, debris and algae. It is very convenient to carry out such cleaning with mechanical filters. A special unit is placed in water and pumps it through a container with a porous material. Sludge, fine particles and algae are deposited in the filter. The degree of filtration depends on the filter mesh size. Periodically, the device must be cleaned and the filter material in it changed.

Before cleaning the garden pond from silt with a biological treatment method
it is necessary to purchase a special device, the principle of which is based on the decomposition of organic matter due to the vital activity of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The choice of filter sizes depends on the volume of the reservoir and the presence of fish in it.

The principle of chemical cleaning of the reservoir
consists in the fact that thanks to the use of chemical reagents, it is possible to normalize the acidity level of the water, saturate it with oxygen and dissolve the algae. This in turn will lead to less sludge formation. There is no need to worry about the harmfulness of the reagents, in small quantities they are harmless to both humans and fish, especially since most of them decompose over time into carbon dioxide and water.

Water purification using ultraviolet rays
allows you to kill the DNA of viruses, bacteria and microalgae in the pond. The device for such water purification is made in the form of a housing with an ultraviolet lamp inside with a special protection against algae overgrowth. It is recommended to change it every 1-2 seasons. All of the above methods of cleaning from silt and debris from a summer cottage can be combined in one multi-chamber device. In such a unit, water passes through several compartments. In the first compartment, it undergoes mechanical cleaning, then passes through the biological filtration chamber and finally enters the chemical cleaning chamber. You can additionally equip such a device with an ultraviolet water purifier.

How to activate the productive layer of the pond bed

If the pond is equipped on poor sandy soils, liming the fish pond will be useless.

Here you need to use quicklime. It should be applied to the wet bottom soil. For liming to be successful, the substance must be in the form of small particles and it must be distributed evenly. Otherwise, blanking will not occur.

The ice crust of the bottom can help in liming. If the pond is deep and there is enough silt in the bed, in spring the ice melts and the alkali is activated.

As soon as you have added lime, be sure to immediately process the soil, otherwise there will be no effect.This is due to the fact that quicklime reacts with oxygen and quickly becomes carbon dioxide, that is, it loses its properties.

It will not work to activate the sandy bed of the reservoir with quicklime. It interacts only with organic matter, and there are practically none of them in such soil. There will be no effect.

If the soil is in a reservoir with a high content of peat, quicklime will do an excellent job. It is possible to determine how much substance is needed in this case by two factors - the thickness of the silt layer in the bed and its current activity. The more silt, the more quicklime will be required. And the more active the bed, the less substance you need to add.

The recommended amount of adding quicklime to the peat bed is about 270 kg per 1 ha. In some cases, the amount reaches 2 tons per hectare.

Cleaning a pond with a dredger

This method is one of the most common. Cleaning the bottom of the village pond from silt is carried out using a special installation on the water. The collected debris or sludge moves through the laid pipelines. It should be noted that the depth of the reservoir does not change at all.

Mini dredgers can be used for cleaning. It will be economical and practical. By the way, such a device is quite mobile. The dredger is equipped with several powerful pumps. Sometimes, if the cleaning of the village pond from garbage is expected to be small, then the garbage is thrown onto the shore and from there is already loaded onto a car.

The hydro-mechanized method involves lifting debris from the bottom using special milling cutters with an electric drive. Further, the raised sludge or debris begins to be pumped in by pumps. Such an installation moves with the help of winches.

With this method of cleaning the reservoir, the collected debris and sludge does not spread.

A winch of a certain capacity is installed on each dredger, depending on the device itself. Accordingly, a unit of the required capacity will be used for each reservoir.

1. Can be used at any time of the year

Any pond can be cleaned of silt and debris by the installation both in summer and winter. The permeability of the device is so great that it breaks ice easily. Of course, it is convenient to hold this event at a time when there is no flow of people into the reservoir. A village with a reservoir, or rather, its inhabitants will not feel discomfort with such an event, because in winter it is unlikely that anyone wants to go swimming.

1. Price

Compared to other cleaning methods, hydromechanical is inexpensive. This is a big plus.

1. Huge selection of dredgers

Installations can be of any size and capacity. This means that you do not have to hire equipment that is designed for a larger or shallow body of water, from the existing one. Dredgers can be floating cranes, capsule dredgers, water excavators, cleaning combines.

1. Complex of works

Cleaning the village ponds from pollution in this way will not bring a lot of hassle and costs.

As such, there are no downsides to cleaning with dredgers. The only thing worth noting is the depth of the reservoir. For very deep ponds or lakes, the method will not be effective. This is due to the fact that the aggregate is only partially submerged in water, since the structure is not intended for deep-sea work.

Cleaning of reservoirs with a dredger

The hydromechanized method of removing sludge deposits is based on the use of specialized equipment with a pump for sucking sludge from the bottom - a dredger. The use of this mechanism for cleaning a pond is the most versatile way of cleaning a pond.Dredger pumps pump out mud deposits and store them in a special container or throw them out with the help of fire hoses into specially designated fields, pits, pits, etc.

You can place an order for high-quality services for cleaning a pond in Moscow, the Moscow region and adjacent regions from silt by contacting Chistye Prudy. Many years of experience allows us to clean sludge deposits efficiently, quickly and on time.

About the rules for keeping the pond

A number of problems can be solved by timely water purification. But you need to learn and apply certain rules even at the stage of pond construction.

Cleaning with a butterfly net

Waterproofing should be carried out using a high-quality film, the service life of which is at least 20 years, because only this will save the reservoir from the penetration of polluting and toxic substances from the ground. For the same purpose, it is necessary to monitor the quality of concrete, since under a certain influence it can crack, which, in turn, will lead to the destruction of the bottom. Acquisition of a rigid form for a pond must be accompanied by a check of its ecological characteristics so that all the same toxic substances do not penetrate into the water.

Vegetation and fish deserve special attention - they must be healthy, since water is a unique environment for the development and spread of various disease-causing factors.

What is duckweed in a pond

The famous densely carpeted pond called "duckweed" is nothing more than small floating plants formed from leafy stems connected to each other. A single filamentous root departs from them. At the base of the fronds there is a lateral pocket with a tiny inflorescence developing in it.

In the wild, the flowering of duckweed in open water is extremely rare, mainly in summer. Vegetation reproduces vegetatively (with the help of young fronds separating from the mother plant). Before the beginning of the winter season, the buds sink to the bottom along with the dead part of the duckweed, and with the arrival of the new season, they start up again in active growth.

Learn how to create a swimming pool.

• Among the main reasons provoking the growth of duckweed, the following reasons always come to the fore:
• violation of the ecology of the pond (relevant for industrial regions where it is possible to drain into the water residual products of various industries);
• excessive illumination of the reservoir for most of the day (these are almost ideal conditions for the development of duckweed);
• consistently hot weather throughout the summer season;
• excessive heating of water in shallow areas of the pond;
• frequent visits to the reservoir by ducks (migratory birds often carry spores of various plants on their paws);
• stagnation of water, although the possibility of the formation of duckweed in rivers with a high flow rate is not excluded.

• The specified plant often violates the decorative effect of the reservoir, prevents swimming in it and catching fish, but at the same time, it also performs several positive functions:
• supplies reservoirs with oxygen and cleanses them of carbon dioxide;
• protects fish from direct sunlight;
• often becomes good food for underwater inhabitants, and after catching leaves - and for waterfowl ducks or geese.

Read how to make an artificial reservoir for geese and ducks with your own hands.

The growth of duckweed takes place at lightning speed, but getting it out of the pond is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, so make sure what you plant in the pond and whether parts of the duckweed have stuck to the useful culture.

Means against water bloom in the pond

Chemicals are also used to combat water bloom.

But the use of such drugs should be carried out carefully, because

can cause the death of all living creatures in the pond. Therefore, chemicals are recommended for use only in extreme cases.They can be purchased only in specialized stores and used in the spring after the pond has been completely cleaned a couple of weeks before fresh water and living creatures are launched into it.

Important! Water vacuum cleaners are suitable for cleaning the bottom made of concrete or covered with a film, but are contraindicated for use in a reservoir where pebbles were used for its arrangement, especially less than 1 cm in diameter. More gentle for cleaning is the use of a solution of potassium permanganate or green herbs at the rate of 0.1-0.2 g per 1 m³ of water

The most environmentally friendly means that prevents water bloom from appearing are special supplements containing many bacteria that can restore the ecosystem of the reservoir and solve the problem with water blooming in it. It is pleasant to relax in the country house, where there is an artificial pond. But it requires careful attention. Keeping the pond from swamping and blooming is not so difficult. The main thing is to prevent this process much easier than to fight it afterwards.

More gentle for cleaning is the use of a solution of potassium permanganate or green herbs at the rate of 0.1-0.2 g per 1 m³ of water. The most environmentally friendly means that prevents water bloom from appearing are special supplements containing many bacteria that can restore the ecosystem of the reservoir and solve the problem with water blooming in it.

It is pleasant to relax in the country house, where there is an artificial pond. But it requires careful attention. Keeping the pond from swamping and blooming is not so difficult. The main thing is to prevent this process much easier than to fight it afterwards.

Shore cleaners

To care for the coastline, you can use:

1. Underwater rake. They are made according to the principle of a garden tool, differ in the length and sharpness of the teeth. The tool should have a metal handle, which allows the attachment to be heavier for more efficient operation. With such a tool, you can easily deal with the underwater part of the plants, extract the roots of plants from the reservoir without preliminary draining.
2. Trimmer. Facilitates the process of cleaning the coastal zone, getting rid of the above-ground part of the plant.
3. Manual dredger. One of the most effective tools. With its help, you can erode the soil under the roots of plants, and then mechanically remove the root system of the reeds with the ejector nozzle of the hydraulic cultivator.

It is very difficult to cope with such a complex and tenacious weed as reeds. For this, a wide variety of methods are used, ranging from physical exposure to the use of aggressive chemicals.

Important! In the thickets of reeds, many different rodents live, which are carriers of diseases and infections transmitted to humans. Cattail brought into the home may contain the Leptospira virus, a disease that is not fatal but does not actually cure.

In any case, it should be remembered that there are no quick ways to get rid of this weed. But, using proven methods and having patience, you can still achieve excellent results in the form of a clean, well-groomed reservoir.

Selecting and preparing consumables

Before starting work on the construction of a reservoir, you need to prepare consumables and tools. The list of necessary equipment is standard and does not change depending on the size of the reservoir.

PVC film

The use of a polymer film significantly opens up opportunities in terms of choosing the shape of a reservoir. PVC film is considered the most suitable material because it can be bought in a large number of building materials stores at an affordable price.

Roofing material

Roofing material is used as an insulating material. It is recommended to purchase solid sheets of material in order to simplify the work and not to connect the parts with a blowtorch.

Round stones

Round stones laid out along the perimeter of the reservoir form the shore.The stones also improve the decorative characteristics of the pond and create a visual accent.

Rope

With the help of a fishing line or rope, they mark the boundaries of the future reservoir. This allows you to adjust the dimensions and determine the exact location for digging the pit.

Stone slabs

Stone slabs are used to frame the entire reservoir or individual sections.

It is important that the slabs are combined with the general style of garden design and do not stand out against the background of other elements.

Shovel

A pit for a small reservoir can be dug by yourself using a shovel. The manual method is convenient in that you do not need to attract specialized equipment and spend a lot of money.

Sand

Compacted sand is used as one of the base layers. So that the insulating film that is placed on the sand is not damaged, the thickness of the sand layer must be at least 10 cm.

Bricks

Bricks can be used to construct interior walls and topside. Most often, with the help of bricks, they construct a round type of decorative reservoir.

Fine gravel

A layer of gravel is poured onto an insulating film. The material makes the bottom of the pond more attractive and provides additional protection.

The form

The finished form makes it possible to simplify the work on the arrangement of the reservoir. Using a purchased bowl, you will need to dig a pit, place a mold inside, fill it with sand and liquid.

Autumn care

With the arrival of autumn, the hassle of maintaining the reservoir in the country does not diminish. Leaves gradually fall and shoots of coastal plants dry out. Aquatic vegetation requires feeding and the creation of conditions suitable for wintering. At this time, in addition to the usual care, you will have to make additional efforts to prepare the water world for a period of rest. A few tips below will help you do this correctly.

Harvesting leaves

Foliage, as it falls, must be collected from the surface of the water using a net. It is easier to remove leaves from the shore. To do this, you can use a garden rake and rake with them the yellowed foliage, forming heaps. It is undesirable to burn them, since the smoke of burning foliage is very toxic. It is much more environmentally friendly and more convenient to move heaps into trash bags. Then throw them into the trash can.

Important! Fallen leaves must be caught from the reservoir. Sinking to the bottom, it begins to rot, which significantly pollutes the ecosystem.

Pruning plants

In addition to harvesting fallen leaves, you need to pay attention to coastal plants. In the autumn, they must be trimmed, removing dry and damaged branches.

This measure will help protect vegetation from the appearance of diseases and pests that winter on their surface.

Also, shortening the overgrown shoots will give the plant the opportunity to rest and accumulate the strength necessary for the growing season. Annuals should be cut out completely. In autumn, all branches are pruned, while 10-15 cm of their length should be left.

Collection of wintering buds and heat-loving plants

Winterization measures depend on the hardiness of the aquatic plant species.

Types and winter hardiness:

• frost-resistant: marigold, hosta, aquilegia, rump, water lily, elodea, vodokras, duckweed, calamus. These plants are best left to winter in natural conditions. Collecting dormant buds for winter storage is not required. However, it is imperative to transfer all plants to a frost-free depth;
• thermophilic: yellow capsule, swamp, cattail. Plant containers should be removed for winter storage. Keep in a bright, warm room at a temperature of 0 ° C. Store dormant buds in an aquarium at room temperature.

In the spring, upon awakening, the buds will sprout young shoots both in natural conditions and in the aquarium. In the latter case, after warm weather is established, it will be possible to transplant into a reservoir.

Feeding the inhabitants

In autumn, before the water temperature drops to + 9 ° C, fish can be fed with natural food rich in proteins and microelements. For this, insects such as bloodworms and midges are suitable. You can also feed with worms. After the onset of the first frost, it is necessary to stop complementary feeding and place the aquatic inhabitants in the aquarium.

At the same time, it is important that it is filled with water from the reservoir in order to maintain the usual habitat. Then it is advisable to install aquarium lighting and water heating

It is also necessary to fertilize vegetation in the autumn, before harvesting for winter storage. For this, specialized fertilizers for aquatic plants should be applied to the soil.

Taking care of the pond in the country in the fall

You can not stop caring for the pond in the country and in the fall. In September, it is time to gradually reduce the amount of fish food. At this time, some plants have withered, they need to be removed. We have to catch the leaves and debris that the wind brings. That is why, if possible, it is better to arrange the pond away from trees - then there will be much less cleaning.

If possible, install a net over the pond to trap all falling debris and leaves. If shrubs or large plants grow near the reservoir, they can not be cut off, but only if they do not get into the water. Insects often hibernate on such stems, and the pond will look much prettier in winter.

October is the time to prepare the pond for winter. If the weather is warm and the water lilies are still blooming, it is still time to remove the old leaves, cutting them off with a long stalk (about 40 cm). You need to save buds and young leaves, no more than 30% of their total number.

For the winter, you need to leave a few stalks of reeds or rushes for oxygen to enter the pond in winter. Everything else is cut to a height of about 5 cm from the base of the bush.

If in the depths of the pond elodea has grown rapidly, as is often the case, it must be removed, it will consume oxygen in winter. Plants in containers are placed deep so that they do not freeze, or they are sent to a frost-free room.

In November, life in the pond does not stop, but freezes until spring. Hibernating fish burrow into silt and fall into suspended animation. Make sure there are enough dry stems under the ice that are needed for gas exchange. If there are leaves in the pond, remove them, no need to leave trash until spring.

In winter, the artificial pond sleeps and does not need our care. At this time, you just need to look after those plants and fish that winter indoors. In winter, there is time to replenish the stock of knowledge about plants and fish that can settle in the reservoir next season, and at the same time dream about summer.