Spring Water Garden Maintenance

• If you have taken your garden water pump out of the water for the winter, put it back as soon as you start to see activity in your pond.
• At the same time, inspect your pump to ensure it is working properly.
• Spring is also the time to give your biological filter a bacterial boost (purchase from a garden center or tropical fish store).
• Remove all leaves and debris that blew into your pond.
• Test your water to make sure that there was not an ammonia build up through the winter.
• Trim the old growth on your plants and repot any that require attention.
• Replace plants to the appropriate depths in the water for best growth.

Summer Water Garden Maintenance

• Be sure that you do not over clean your filter pad. There is a tendency to overclean, but biological filters will be less effective if you clean away the bacteria they are growing.
• Keeping your pond full will help to ensure that your pumps and filter systems work better.
• Change 25% of your water once a month to cut down on too much algae or toxins building up in the water.
• Algae needs sunlight to grow so if you use plants to shade your water garden you will cut down on summer growth of unwanted algae.

Fall Water Garden Maintenance

• Change half the water in your pond so that there is not a large build up of algae through the winter.
• When leaves start to fall it will be easier to maintain your pond or stream if you cover it with a net of some kind. This will make it easier to clean.
• When cleaning the leaves and debris from the bottom of your pond ensure you leave about 10-20% as a covering or bedding. There will be a large amount of microscopic pond life that will live in this for the winter.
• Place a de-icer or bubbler in your pond to prevent it from freezing completely.

Winter Water Garden Maintenance

• Keep a pump going if the weather is not too cold to allow water to continue flowing. This will help any life in the water garden.
• Ensure there is a hole in the ice as toxins and gases will build up from the excrement of living things and will need a place to escape.

A home water pond can be an oasis in your own backyard. It does not have to be a thorn in your side if you take proper care of it year round. A little bit of maintenance and you will maximize your enjoyment and minimize your work.

Barbra Bakker is an avid gardener and garden writer who specializes in water gardens, shade gardens and deer proof gardens. Get a copy of her free ebook "Home Water Garden Ideas" at her Home Water Garden blog. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbra_Bakker