Including a backyard water garden in your yard surrounded with colorful heirloom flowers, vegetables and fruits can increase your property value and provide you with an oasis of tranquility. Although garden pond maintenance may be an unpleasant task, it’s necessary for keeping your pond fountains and water garden running optimally. If you have fish in your water garden pond, you have an extra reason for keeping it clean and disease-free. A clean, healthy koi pond is a destination for relaxation, meditation and can even be used to enhance wealth when set up according to feng shui principles.

Remove fish first from a garden pond

Unplug the pond pump and remove any fish using a net, placing them in a large tub. Fill tub first with water from the pond before it has been cleaned. Place an inexpensive aerator or small pond pump in the bucket to oxygenate the water while the koi pond cleaning is under way. If the water garden pond is small and cleaning can be accomplished in a few hours, gold fish will generally survive without an aerator. Keep the tub in the shade.

Caring for pond plants

Remove any pond plants, placing them in buckets filled with existing pond water, and keep them in the shade. No additional chemicals are necessary for the time the plants will be in buckets.

Emptying your backyard water garden pond

Pump or bail the water from the pond to empty. The water from your garden pond is an excellent source of natural fertilizer for landscape or vegetable plants. To siphon the water, submerge one end a hose in the pond and pour water fresh down the other, non-submerged end until outward flow starts; then allow the end that’s outside the pond to drain.

Pond vacuums for cleaning and draining

Alternatively, use a pond vacuum to empty the pond quickly. Using a pond vacuum helps drain the water and remove fish pond algae while adding clear water back into the pond. A pond vacuum allows you to scrub rocks with the strength of the water pressure, making your job easier.

Cleaning the rocks in a water garden pond

Once most of the water has drained from the pond, scrub the rocks to loosen algae. Leave the siphon hose or garden pond vacuum in the pond during scrubbing to remove waste water. Bail the bottom of the pond at the end of scrubbing to remove the remaining debris.

Pond pump, skimmer and pond filter

Examine the pond pump, the skimmer and pond filtration units and clean them thoroughly with a soft brush. Remove any loose parts, clean and replace. Carefully reattach the hoses. Check hoses for the pond pump at the same time to remove debris blocking a waterfall.

Balance pH

Refill the clean water garden pond, adding environmentally friendly water garden pond chemicals. Read the labels and wait the advised amount of time for enzymes and dechlorinator to regulate the water. Test the water with a pH testing kit and adjust as necessary. Test pH immediately after pond cleaning is complete to reset the proper balance. Replace any pond plants and fish into your pond. Add some of the water that was previously removed from the pond to help plants and fish readapt.

General pond maintenance

Check your garden pond periodically for pond health. Pond liners must be examined for wear, tears or leaks. Pond pumps and filters should be examined to be sure they are in good working order. Environmentally friendly chemicals for pond maintenance are available online and are safe for fish and plant life as well as animals and birds.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.123ponds.com/

http://www.exoticwaterscapes.com/fall-pond-care.php

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/fish-pond-cleaning-the-organic-way

(Photo credit: Public domain)